Creepy Names

[Maldeus]

So, I wouldn't call the thing I'm writing right now horror, because I will be amazed if anyone above the age of ten decides they need to sleep with the lights on after reading it. I would, however, call it kind of creepy. And the creepy things in it need creepy names, which they don't have right now. Instead they have names like Library Snake and Raven Guy. So I want some help coming up with creepy names. Preferably these should sound like urban legends rather than fantasy monsters, although some fantasy monsters names are well-known enough in popular culture that they could actually work (calling one of these guys a goblin could work, for example, but something completely made up like Urugal probably won't work, even if it's a pretty good name in general).

Creepies what need naming are as follows:

Library Snake is a giant snake who lives in a crumbling library. He's only about as thick as a boa or other large-ish but still mortal snake, but he's several hundred feet long. He's constantly curled up on just about everything in his library, and is extremely sneaky, often watching trespassers without their knowing it. He has a homicidal disdain for visitors.

Raven Guy is a scary looking old man in a big black coat and top hat, both made of black feathers. He can turn into a flock of ravens (or maybe crows or some other black bird) at will. He works for the villain. He also has a partner the details of whom I haven't really worked out at all, so if you wanted to give him a name that works as one of a pair, that'd be cool.

The Sniper I think I might be okay with as-is, but I think I could definitely do better for him (he is a fairly major villain). He's got burned/scarred skin and no lips, so he is perpetually grinning, but is otherwise pretty much a normal human being. He has a bow and likes to teleport around and murder people for giggles.

The mutts are headless grey hound dogs with mangy fur and rings of teeth in the stump at the end of their neck.

The coats desperately need a better name. They wear gas masks and long black trench coats which they always keep buttoned up. They walk around with guns and shoot everything they see. They never speak, no one really knows where they came from or what they're up to, and people are pretty sure they just arose spontaneously because Otherworld is weird and arbitrary and does stuff like that sometimes.

For reference, some other names that I think worked out alright for some of the other monsters have been Queen Mab and Mister Jack Devil, although both of those are "good guy" monsters rather than villains, and thus don't need maximally creepy names.

Thanks in advance for helping.

[DarthPanda]

This really sounds like something I would read, based on your descriptions up there. What age group are your writing for? Will it be very adulty or YA-friendly? 'Cause that might impact the naming process, slightly.

Library snake... Bookwyrm? (haha... that's all I got)

Raven guy... Corvus Corax is the Latin name, so "Mister Corvax" (or something along those lines) might work. Rook is also a very creepy word in my opinion, and it's less obvious as a raven/crow reference, and it's still a creepy black member of the raven family, but also a chess piece (the castle) and a tricky card game.

For the mutts, read up on barghests. I'm using barghests in my WIP (it's a "real" mythological figure, though, free for anyone to use) so I've read all there is to read. They're creepy monster dogs and some are headless. One headless variety is called a yeth hound, or yell hound:

"The yeth hound, also called the yell hound is a Black dog found in Devon folklore. According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the yeth hound is a headless dog, said to be the spirit of an unbaptised child, which rambles through the woods at night making wailing noises. The yeth hound is also mentioned in The Denham Tracts. It may have been one inspiration for the ghost dog in The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."

Another headless version is:

"In the Channel Island of Guernsey, there are two named dogs. One, Tchico (Tchi-coh two Norman words for dog, whence cur), is headless, and is supposed to be the phantom of a past Bailiff of Guernsey, Gaultier de la Salle, who was hanged for falsely accusing one of his vassals."

(pasted from wiki)

Ack, I've got to go extract a naughty cat from my miniblinds, but I'll ponder the others and see if anything potentially useful squishes out of my somewhat gristly brainmeats.

Seriously though, this story sounds awesome already and I'm totally intrigued by your characters.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Blain? Biff? Pretty much any Nuevo name yuppy parents come up with.

Or didn't you want them that scary?

[One Monkey]

I think that sometimes downplaying, understated or pejoratively colloquial "folksy" names are the best for creeping people out.

For example, your description of the coats makes this point beautifully. Just calling them "coats" sounds, as you say, not creepy. However, when people see them in action they will learn why those in the know call them coats. It's a method of coping and rationalising something truly hideous into something your mind thinks you should be able to cope with.

It's the slack jawed blank terror that overtakes a snippet of conversation:

"We should be able to get across the wasteland as long as we... oh... oh no."

"What? What's the matter?"

"Out there, just past that pile of rubble, I thought I saw... coats."

Followed by those who are still naive wondering what the fuss is about and every one in the know just being so freaked out.

I, personally, would avoid pun names, too cute. Also calling things Latin derived names or "Annhilaxes" or whatever just makes them seem a bit pompous.

Remember, the creepiest monsters in any episode of Buffy were known simply as "The Gentlemen".

[Maldeus]

@DarthPanda: As One Monkey mentions, Bookwyrm is too cute for a creepy and homicidally territorial monster (although it could work out alright for the Tim Burton-esque "creepy but in a non-threatening way" ally monsters). I like Rook a lot, though, and the yeth hounds are great, especially since they can be easily shortened to just "hounds" in casual conversation.

Also, while I also really like the setting I'm building, I confess that I'm really worried I won't be able to do it justice with the plot and characters. Fingers crossed, though.

@Shadow_Ferret: I must decline your suggestions on the grounds of practicality. If I were to use them, the resulting manuscript would be so horrifying that no mortal agent or editor could possibly read to the end of it without dying of fright, thus making the book effectively unpublishable.

@One Monkey: That's the general feel I'm going for, but "coats" just isn't giving me that feeling.

[quicklime]

maldeus,

I'd be somewhat careful of trying to turn your dials to eleven....sometimes, as with the "coats" example above, subtlety is more effective than a bludgeon.

coats would, for example, intrigue me, while something like Devilsnake would be more likely to make me roll my eyes and wonder what the fuck I accidentally bought....

[Maldeus]

I mentioned this above, but the simple, colloquial names are what I'm going for, especially for the things like the coats which don't have proper names to begin with since they're a group rather than an individual. Coats just doesn't feel quite right.

Also, I'm still lost on Library Snake. I'm thinking of just giving him some kind of actual name. It's not ideal, but some of the other monsters already have one, so meh.

[Alessandra Kelley]

Originally Posted by Maldeus

I mentioned this above, but the simple, colloquial names are what I'm going for, especially for the things like the coats which don't have proper names to begin with since they're a group rather than an individual. Coats just doesn't feel quite right.

Also, I'm still lost on Library Snake. I'm thinking of just giving him some kind of actual name. It's not ideal, but some of the other monsters already have one, so meh.

How about the Book Wyrm. Or is that too cutesy? The Wyrm of the Stacks. Hmm.

[frimble3]

Does " 'Coats " have more of the feel you were going for? Rather than the more prosaic "coats". "Quiet, it's the 'Coats !"
The " ' " indicating that 'Coat is an abbreviation for something longer and, presumably, nastier.

[PamCam]

First that popped into my mind - Gorth

[wishflower]

I didn't see an age group this was for. Perhaps it doesn't matter that much. I definitely agree that the more innocuous a name is the more intriguing.

Agreed that bookworm/wyrm is a bit cutesy. Maybe Sneak? Sounds like snake and you said he's sneaky. Or Skins, cuz snakes shed 'em.

Love Rook for the bird guy. It's very simple and evocative.

Bow and arrow guy is trickier. I don't think The Sniper works because I don't put together arrows with snipers. Notch... The Archer... Bowman... Bolt... Fletcher... Nock... Quiver... yeah, that's about it for archery related terms I can think of. I do sort of like Quiver, because of the double meaning. They could just call him Q (Then again, my name is Q, so maybe I'm just partial )

I like hounds for the dogs. When people are terrified of something they don't put a lot of energy into naming it. They assign it the first thing that pops into their terrified mind and run away.

Same thing with the coats. Or 'coats as someone said. I love that so much more than anything 'creepy'. Plus you get the added fun of getting to reference history if you're a nerd like that. My wip is riddled with weird personal references. So yeah... the 'coats are coming would make me giggle if I read it, but in a good way.

I have no idea what your story is about or what age group or genre even, but I want to read it because I'm so intrigued. ^_^

Good luck finding your names!

(P.S. I'm not-so-secretly hoping this is middle grade because it sounds like a fantastic MG novel.)

[DarthPanda]

Maldeus, everybody seems to like "the coats" but you, heh.

Maybe if you did what a couple of the previous posters said, and make it 'coats... you could keep it abbreviated for casual conversation so it's not such a mouthful, but say the full name early on so there's a context. Just find a word to go in front. ___coats. Grimcoats? Grim is a good creepy word. Definitions listed are: 1. dismal, 2. unrelenting, and 3.sinister. Makes you think of reapers, fairytales, and I think it comes from an old Norse word for "hooded." Here, the etymology says it all: griiim

I love words so hard. Yay words.

[wishflower]

OOo... I do like Grimcoats. Grim is one of my favorite words, too. ^_^

[Maldeus]

Yeah, typically I don't treat forums as good sources of demographic data, but the consensus is actually universal, so I guess I'll probably roll with coats.

The book is most definitely not middle grade, though. I'd originally intended it as YA and I would still kind of like to keep it there, but pragmatism suggests I should bump it up to adult. It's got a clear male focus and YA is not a demographic that likes males very much right now. On the one hand, you might say that I'd be doing some good by diversifying, but that's only if my book is actually good enough to pull in readers who don't normally have any reason to go into the YA section at all, and that's really not something an unpublished writer can count on at all.

And in light of that, "Sneak" doesn't work. Because this guy isn't mischievous, he's a murderer. Skins sounds good, but doesn't seem to fit the mood of this particular character very well.

[wishflower]

Roll with YA then. I love when I find a YA novel with a male protag with an authentic voice. (I think that's why I was so sad that Beautiful Creatures was a male protag very obviously written by women...)

But in any case... from what I hear the story sounds YA or MG (not enough specifics to say either way) and if YOU want it to be YA then write it they way you want. If you do it well, and the story is awesome, people will like it and want it.

And sorry I wasn't more helpful on the name front. ^_^ Good luck finding the perfect fit!

[Niniva]

Too tired to express the idea properly, but Red Coats, Blue Coats, and Grey Coats were all quite concerning in their time, not to mention White Coats. As far as I know, Black Coats is available, as the SS was the only one I can think of that had black uniforms.

If color is irrelevant, try a different adjective. Long Coats, *hide animal* Coats, Manic Coats, *place* Coats

[BriMaresh]

Simon R. Green is a master of the "give things descriptive names that are nonetheless creepy." I'd recommend reading a book or two of his, if that's the angle you are going for. He manages to make them really stick with you.

I do it, too - one of my manuscripts is full of "Mr. Bloody Fingers" and "The Waistbasket Monster" and "The Hungry Closet" and so on. The character doesn't really have the language of the paranormal world, and makes things up as she encounters them. It's HOW she thinks of them, and since nobody she talks to is "in" on that world...

However, origin matters. If it's something cobbled together with science, or associated with demons, or so on. Hellhounds guarding the gates of hell, that could be a natural thought to leap to upon seeing your devil-beasts. Rook for a big black bird thing, or take it a step further - name him after something big black birds are associated with - bad omen, death, mischief, whichever in your story context fits.

The snake, how do they know what it is? who talks about it? Different people might have different words for it. Even if it has an "official" name, what would your character call it? The Thing That Slithers in the Library? The Snake in the Library? The Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr? Jormy? Does it have a feature other than being lengthy and murderous, like "one fang" or "three-eyes" or some such?

I guess what I'm saying is, anything can work, but context matters for names. Sorry if I have been superbly useless, but it all comes down to what the world is, how it works, and who is using the name.

For your coats - I do like that name - they could have formal names, or things they're called that other people call them, too.

[Maldeus]

Ooh. I don't know why, but long coats just sounds perfect for these guys.

[Maldeus]

Okay, double-post to bump because I have basically the exact same problem with the exact same setting.

I had a concept in one of the good guy monsters' background that he was actually one of seven siblings. His name was Jack Sunday Devil and the other siblings were all named <Name> <Day> Devil. I wasn't really concerned with their names, since it's something that might be occasionally mentioned at best, but now I've decided to introduce one of them into the plot as a villain.

The quick way to sum this guy up is that he is basically the Joker from the Dark Knight or the Killing Joke. He's a bit more classy and refined, but the fundamental conceit of "everyone in the world is one bad day away from being a baby-eating monster just like me" is his fundamental motivation. He's kind of classy, though, his minions are clockwork automatons called dolls (borrowed from someone else), and he gets wings, which so far none of the other Devils have. The name Sunday is taken as the only one who stayed benevolent and Saturday is taken as the most powerful, whereas this dude is the third strongest mole in the cave. I'm thinking probably Monday for his middle name, but I'm drawing a blank for the first.

EDIT: Oh, and while I'm at it, does anyone have a better name for dopplegangers than just the original's name spelled backwards? There's a certain elegance in that the doppleganger is literally your reflection, so if you walk in front of a mirror and find you don't have one that means your doppleganger has wormed its way into the real world and is trying to murder you and take over your life. But it still seems kind of hokey. Although it's cool that "Liam" is "Mail" backwards and that is actually an okay name, "Angela" is just "Alegna," which sounds kind of dumb.

Also, I'm kind of waffling on the demon samurai/geisha and her army of ghost ashigaru, currently named Jade and the Oda. On the one hand, that's really derivative. On the other, her minions and her are supposed to be a minor villain with a recognizably human motivation ("I want your land") which is comparatively non-terrifying. People liked the coats so much even though I didn't, so I figured I'd run it by the forums and see if anyone thought it was off for the setting.

EDIT 2: Also, also, I thought I'd mention that I eventually just named the snake "Aniphas," because whatever, he can talk, it makes sense he'd have an actual name name even if it isn't maximally creepy.

EDIT 3: Also, also, also, I think I should mention additionally that I've got a bunch of monsters needed in various places in the plot and am coming up with them as I go, so I might end up needing more name help a bunch. And if anyone has any awesome and preferably bizarre monster ideas, please give them to me.

[Niniva]

If he's a devil may care Devil, I'd go with Friday. If he's a You'll pay for that! Devil, then I'd go with Monday.

Allister, William/Bill, James/Jim, Robert/Bob, and Henry are all very British to go with Jack, but if you want something different, try a baby names list online. I don't know a good one off my head, but some give you meanings and origins of names.

I think dopplegangers' names are kinda standardized, but I don't see why you have to follow the tradition. Still, if you hate the doppleganger name, you may want to change the character's name.

*sees the word derivative and begins calculus calculations* Derogatory? *goes off for dictionary* OIC, derived from a work... Okay, cliche is kinda acceptable in that your audience doesn't know it is cliche yet. A quick search didn't turn up anything but references to Jade Oda, a person. I just do not see a problem with Jade and the Oda.

Bizarre monsters might be something you'd want to Google Image search. You'd be amazed at how effective that can be for brainstorming!

[Maldeus]

The Oda clan is a historical thing from the one part of Japanese history outside of WWII I can rely on a fair number teenage males to actually know about, since people love making video games about it.

I think I like the ring of James Monday, though.