Post by Silentstar on Jan 4, 2011 23:33:38 GMT -7
There are a wide variety of names to be found in the Warriors world, though they highly depend on where the cat in question comes from. Please note that all example names given here are from the books and are therefore not available as character names.
Clan Cats
Clan cats have a two part names made up of words with one or two syllables, such as Whitestorm or Spottedleaf. The name is supposed to reflect what makes that cat different than any other cat, often describing their physical appearance or personality.
Kits are given the first part of their name at birth by their parents (sometimes with input from others). More often than not it relates to the kit's color, though sometimes its given in honor of another cat and sometimes it's impossible to say why it was chosen.
The second part of a Clan cat's name depends on their position in the Clan. When they are born, it is kit (so, for example, their name could be Cloudkit). When they become apprentices, they exchange the kit for paw (so their name could be Graypaw). Leaders are another special case, because when they are given their nine lives StarClan also changes the last part of their name to star.
When they become warriors they are given their full warrior name by the leader of their Clan. Medicine cat apprentices are treated a bit differently; when they've learned all their skills the medicine cat gives them their full name. A cat may request that they be given a specific name, but that is extremely rare and would only be done in very special circumstances.
Words that aren't used in names include kit, paw, and star to avoid confusion with the ranking system (you wouldn't get a cat named Kitkit). Spirit and moon are usually not used because they are generally only used for things relating to StarClan and would imply that the particular cat was more important than the others.
Names are extremely important to Clan cats, so they always call each other by their full names even if they are kin, and they never use nicknames. It's considered extremely disrespectful to knowingly call a Clan cat by a previous version of their name, and they're extremely quick to correct anyone who unknowingly calls them by an old name - such as when seeing each other for the first time afterward.
Throughout all these possible name changes any particular cat will keep the same first part of their name. However, if a name no longer fits the cat who has it any more, often due to an injury and especially if the injury is to the part of the cat they're named for, the leader may choose to give the cat a new name in a special ceremony.
Kittypets
Kittypets usually use the name their housefolk give them. Kittypet queens may name their kits similarly to how a Loner or Rogue might, but it seems that they don't keep them - perhaps because housefolk tend to take the kits away at around the same age that kits start talking in the books (2 moons).
Loners and Rogues
The names of these cats tend to come from a mixture of sources:
- If they associate with Twolegs or used to be a kittypet they may take upon themselves the name the Twolegs give them.
- If they are formerly from a Clan or another culture (see below) they keep whatever name they had when they left.
- If one or more of their ancestors was from a specific culture they may have a sort of "corrupted" version of that culture's style of name. For example, two cats born to ex-Clan cats were Lowbranch and Pricklenose, and though those are two part names that seem to indicate Clan heritage they don't sound like names given half at a time like they would be in a Clan.
- Loners and Rogues without such things in their backgrounds (or who simply don't care about their origins) tend to have single word names - similar to half a Clan cat name except that they add in words that are longer or relate to Twolegplace instead of sticking to the more naturalistic names of the Clan cats.
Other Cultures
While players are generally discouraged from creating cats that are from one of the alternative cat cultures shown in the books (it's much more fun and creative invent your own!), the following might help you come up with ideas:
- Tribe cats are supposedly named after the first thing their mother sees after they're born. But, due to the shortage of cats named Wall Of Cave, it's perhaps more likely that they're named after the first image to come to their mother's mind. These names are long and describe a specific image, like Talon of Swooping Eagle or Wing Shadow Over Water. In casual conversation their names are shortened to something more manageable, such as Talon or Wing.
- Cats from the Ancient tribes have two word names that describe them and relate to nature, for example Chasing Clouds or Stone Song. There is some indication that related cats often share the second word in their names.
Clan Cats
Clan cats have a two part names made up of words with one or two syllables, such as Whitestorm or Spottedleaf. The name is supposed to reflect what makes that cat different than any other cat, often describing their physical appearance or personality.
Kits are given the first part of their name at birth by their parents (sometimes with input from others). More often than not it relates to the kit's color, though sometimes its given in honor of another cat and sometimes it's impossible to say why it was chosen.
The second part of a Clan cat's name depends on their position in the Clan. When they are born, it is kit (so, for example, their name could be Cloudkit). When they become apprentices, they exchange the kit for paw (so their name could be Graypaw). Leaders are another special case, because when they are given their nine lives StarClan also changes the last part of their name to star.
When they become warriors they are given their full warrior name by the leader of their Clan. Medicine cat apprentices are treated a bit differently; when they've learned all their skills the medicine cat gives them their full name. A cat may request that they be given a specific name, but that is extremely rare and would only be done in very special circumstances.
Words that aren't used in names include kit, paw, and star to avoid confusion with the ranking system (you wouldn't get a cat named Kitkit). Spirit and moon are usually not used because they are generally only used for things relating to StarClan and would imply that the particular cat was more important than the others.
Names are extremely important to Clan cats, so they always call each other by their full names even if they are kin, and they never use nicknames. It's considered extremely disrespectful to knowingly call a Clan cat by a previous version of their name, and they're extremely quick to correct anyone who unknowingly calls them by an old name - such as when seeing each other for the first time afterward.
Throughout all these possible name changes any particular cat will keep the same first part of their name. However, if a name no longer fits the cat who has it any more, often due to an injury and especially if the injury is to the part of the cat they're named for, the leader may choose to give the cat a new name in a special ceremony.
Kittypets
Kittypets usually use the name their housefolk give them. Kittypet queens may name their kits similarly to how a Loner or Rogue might, but it seems that they don't keep them - perhaps because housefolk tend to take the kits away at around the same age that kits start talking in the books (2 moons).
Loners and Rogues
The names of these cats tend to come from a mixture of sources:
- If they associate with Twolegs or used to be a kittypet they may take upon themselves the name the Twolegs give them.
- If they are formerly from a Clan or another culture (see below) they keep whatever name they had when they left.
- If one or more of their ancestors was from a specific culture they may have a sort of "corrupted" version of that culture's style of name. For example, two cats born to ex-Clan cats were Lowbranch and Pricklenose, and though those are two part names that seem to indicate Clan heritage they don't sound like names given half at a time like they would be in a Clan.
- Loners and Rogues without such things in their backgrounds (or who simply don't care about their origins) tend to have single word names - similar to half a Clan cat name except that they add in words that are longer or relate to Twolegplace instead of sticking to the more naturalistic names of the Clan cats.
Other Cultures
While players are generally discouraged from creating cats that are from one of the alternative cat cultures shown in the books (it's much more fun and creative invent your own!), the following might help you come up with ideas:
- Tribe cats are supposedly named after the first thing their mother sees after they're born. But, due to the shortage of cats named Wall Of Cave, it's perhaps more likely that they're named after the first image to come to their mother's mind. These names are long and describe a specific image, like Talon of Swooping Eagle or Wing Shadow Over Water. In casual conversation their names are shortened to something more manageable, such as Talon or Wing.
- Cats from the Ancient tribes have two word names that describe them and relate to nature, for example Chasing Clouds or Stone Song. There is some indication that related cats often share the second word in their names.