How would YOU like to win your very own autographed advance review copy (ARC) of The Star Shard? How would YOU like to get the jump on all the fans who will be camped outside bookstores on the eve of February 28th, braving the sub-zero temperatures as they exchange Star-Shard trivia and speculate on how the novel will be different from the Cricket story? Granted, the ARC isn’t perfect — it was made from a draft before my final going-over, so there are a few continuity and formatting errors. And the ARC is a softcover; the real book will be a gorgeous hardcover. But it still has the wonderful color cover painted by Fernando Juarez. Also, there are so few ARCs that each one will be sought and prized by collectors in the future. So enter my Name the Gargoyles contest, and YOU may become the first reader to know what happens to Cymbril in those reams of extra pages beyond the story’s first incarnation!
You remember my gargoyles, right?
- The gargoyles on Broadway are waiting for names.
Here’s how it works:
1. You think up names for them.
2. You suggest the names in a comment.
3. I am the sole judge. They’re my gargoyles! I have to be convinced. If I don’t really, really like the names, it’s possible that there will be no winner, and I’ll introduce another contest to give away the ARC.
4. The deadline is the end of this calendar year. Get your entry in before midnight on New Year’s Eve — but the sooner the better, because if I fall in love with a pair of names before then, I’ll end the contest and the ARC will go out.
5. Chances are I already know your real-world address. If you happen to win the contest and I don’t know it, we’ll work out the details. If you are the winner, I will sign an advance review copy of the book and send it to you!
The name possibilities I’ve already thought of are:
Gog and Magog
Phobos and Deimos
What are you waiting for? Get those entries in!
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Tags: gargoyles, The Star Shard
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December 19, 2011 at 8:56 am |
Knick and Knack
December 19, 2011 at 11:54 pm |
I like this entry! Or how about Brick and Brack (as in bric-a-brac)?
December 19, 2011 at 10:26 am |
Don’t know if we can submit more than one suggestion, but I’ll take a stab at it.
1. Bernardo and Ubertino
(As in Bernardo Gui, of the Holy Inquisition, and Ubertino da Casale the elderly monk, who is obsessed with the Statue of the Virgin Mary’s little breasts, in The Name of the Rose.)
2. William and Adso
(You seem most anxious to do so.)
December 19, 2011 at 11:01 am |
Castor and Pollux for the Gemini twins
Han and Chewie
December 19, 2011 at 11:11 am |
Geri and Freki
or Hugin and Munin
December 19, 2011 at 2:32 pm |
Mike Frazen, D.D.S.
and
Peter Sommerset
December 19, 2011 at 3:31 pm |
That’s the idea! Please keep them coming! You’re allowed to submit as many entries as you like, and just because I don’t declare you the immediate winner doesn’t mean you may not be!
A college friend, C. in chapel choir, has submitted these two entries by e-mail:
1.) Statler and Waldorf
2.) Froehlich and Isenberg
December 19, 2011 at 3:38 pm |
Nave and Narthex?
Lector and Cantor?
Pulpit and Pew?
Console and Clerestory?
Nones and Compline?
Lucifer and Crucifer?
[Hmm. Some of those sound like magazines for cathedral enthusiasts . . . or else stores where you buy church furniture & accessories . . .]
December 19, 2011 at 3:45 pm |
Terce and Vespers would be better if we’re talking canonical hours, because Vespers is in the evening and therefore intrinsically more cool, and Terce is a pun with “Terse,” which is very gargoyle-appropriate.
December 19, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Heh, heh! “Machen and Wheelock.”
[That's a joke for pre-sem students -- the authors of our well-worn Greek and Latin textbooks.]
December 19, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Ooh! Machen and Wheelock — that IS an impressive suggestion!
December 19, 2011 at 3:41 pm |
Ooh! Ooh!
Nox and Noctis
That’s Latin for “Night” and “Of the Night” . . .
[Don't worry--the contest is still very much open!]
Lux and Lumen?
December 19, 2011 at 3:49 pm |
Bouncer and Trouncer?
[Get it? Like a bouncer at a bar throws out obnoxious customers? A gargoyle throws evil spirits out on their ears, and his partner gives them a good pummeling.]
December 19, 2011 at 4:11 pm |
One more, and then I promise I’ll stop interfering in my own contest . . . for a while, anyway!
Lyke and Wake
(The Lyke-Wake Dirge is that one about “Fire and fleet [or 'sleet' in some versions] and candlelight / And Christ receive thy saule.” Some of us were really into it in high school — the Benjamin Britten setting in the album Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. It’s a powerful, atmospheric dirge! “Lyke” is “lich/lych,” which basically means a corpse, so it’s “the dirge for the wake on behalf of the dead.” Did you know that the large doors in a church through which you could bear a coffin used to be known as “the lich-gate”?)
December 19, 2011 at 4:43 pm |
Clinton Hannold
and
Darren Choudhury
December 19, 2011 at 7:16 pm |
My entry: Chris and Brown Snowflake.
December 19, 2011 at 11:51 pm |
Ooh, yeah!
December 19, 2011 at 7:18 pm |
Oh, on that “Machen” entry, is that Arthur Machen?
December 20, 2011 at 2:27 am |
No, it’s J. Gresham Machen, author of New Testament Greek for Beginners.
December 19, 2011 at 9:57 pm |
Fore and Aft?
Pro and Epi (the ‘logue’ brothers?)
Kaleidoscope and Serendipity (north elem reading!)
Bacon and Eggs?
December 19, 2011 at 9:59 pm |
Jabber and Wocky.
December 19, 2011 at 10:25 pm |
Jim (Smith) and Ron (Lindvahl)
December 19, 2011 at 11:18 pm |
Wow. There’s a trip back to the distant past!
I was just talking to a guy at work today about our trombone lessons and I was put in mind of the time when Mr. L. taught me baritone and then, when they needed a trombonist for jazz band, taught me the 1:1 correlation between baritone fingerings and trombone positions.
December 19, 2011 at 11:02 pm |
1. Frodo & Bilbo
2. Urim & Thummim (“n the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.” Exodus 28:30)
December 19, 2011 at 11:10 pm |
Beo and Wulf.
December 19, 2011 at 11:19 pm |
*&^%$$&^!
and
#@#%^&!
December 20, 2011 at 2:24 am |
Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!
December 19, 2011 at 11:38 pm |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
Mortar and Pestel?
December 19, 2011 at 11:56 pm |
Lingual and Ligurio because their tongues are sticking out
Pete and Repeat
Fric and Frac
Frollo and Yvanna after the fairies that live in my house
George and Walter
Sid and Nancy
December 20, 2011 at 2:23 am |
Binsers, have we ever met?
You have fairies living in your house?
December 19, 2011 at 11:58 pm |
Bonnie and Clyde!
December 20, 2011 at 12:05 am |
Luke and Leia, Romeo and Juliet, Ronald and Nancy, Harry and Sally, Alter and Ego
December 20, 2011 at 12:10 pm |
“Ronald and Nancy”? As in Reagan???
How about:
Ronald Reagan
and
Nancy Spungen
that combines your suggestions with Binser’s! It’s win-win!
And it’s an image I will treasure in my mind forever now.
December 20, 2011 at 12:10 am |
Fight and Flight.
December 20, 2011 at 12:15 am |
Droll and Troll.
December 20, 2011 at 12:19 am |
Tolkien and Durbin.
December 20, 2011 at 2:22 am |
THAT’s really nice of you! You know, those two guys!
December 20, 2011 at 12:27 am |
Sanctus and Kyrie, Gloria and Agnus Dei, or Gloria and Agnes.
December 20, 2011 at 12:29 am |
Star and Shard.
Dragon and Fly.
December 20, 2011 at 12:43 am |
Peewee and Kiwi
Flying and Buttress
Puke and Spew
King Clotaire and Saint Romanus
Gutter and Spout
December 20, 2011 at 1:00 am |
Mix and Match.
Shake and Speare.
December 20, 2011 at 1:31 am |
Martin & Katie
Irah & Tefan
Fast & Furious
Luther & Zwingli
And, Mr. Brown Snowflake, I really, REALLY like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!
December 20, 2011 at 2:15 am |
Kirk and Spock
December 20, 2011 at 2:20 am |
Jedibabe thought of “Gog and Magog” before she read that I’d thought of that, so that’s officially her (first) entry.
December 20, 2011 at 2:36 am |
Isildur and Anarion
Scylla and Charybdis
Ni-Frith and Fu-Inle
Wax and Wane
Crescent and Gibbous
Wail and Gnash
December 20, 2011 at 2:56 pm |
Ooooopp! Scylla and Charybdis! Ni-Frith and Fu-Inle are good, too. Naturally, I prefer one or two of my own entries, but S and C take the cake (’cause you are not going to name them Book and Center)
December 20, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Thank you, Mr. Brown Snowflake! I love both of those pairs of mine that you just mentioned, but I don’t think they are quite right for the names of gargoyles. Yes, you’ve had some great ideas here . . . everyone is doing a fantastic job! I had no idea people would offer so many suggestions!
December 20, 2011 at 10:33 am |
No, we have not met. I stumbled upon your blog and have truly enjoyed it. I love your pictures and stories. I have a fairy box in my kitchen and the fairies would leave notes and little trinkets for my kids when they were growing up. Ah, the good old days . . .
December 20, 2011 at 4:09 pm |
Binsers — First, an official welcome! I am absolutely delighted when someone finds the blog without knowing me or someone else who’s already a regular! Very well met indeed, and I hope you’ll stick around!
I love that fairy box! It reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird, but with fairies! Your kids were really blessed! (And I’m glad the fairies in your house were the good sort, not the perilous kind!)
December 20, 2011 at 2:11 pm |
The first names that came to mind had to be
Merry & Pippin (cause these gargoyles look so mischievous)
Bjarg & Fell (Norse for Stone & Mountain)
Hogo & Shinwa
Tick & Tock
Hades & Zeus
Nook & Book
Barnaby A & Barnaby B (if you haven’t read the Willoughbys please do, it’s hilarious)
December 20, 2011 at 3:58 pm |
Bjarg & Fell are really cool! Are there cathedrals in Norway? (Chris and Gabe will certainly know!) If there are, there must be Norwegian gargoyles named Bjarg and Fell!
December 21, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Norway is more well known for Stavekirke (wooden churches), but there are some cool stone cathedrals around. We went to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and we visited an older church closer to the Stikelstad Battlefield where St. Olaf died. I don’t recall the details of that particular church. We hit the Mariakirken in Bergen. It’s a stone cathedral from the 13th century. Bland inside but had some cool artwork.
However I don’t recall the nature of gargoyles in Norway’s church architecture, sorry!
But there’s a church in Raisio Finland that was _supposedly_ built by two giants: Killi and Nalli
It was locked up when I went there, so I couldn’t see inside. It was kind of bland.
https://picasaweb.google.com/101511554251686571193/Suomi2010#5516825547693033074
December 20, 2011 at 4:12 pm |
Can you believe that in all the years I’ve had these gargoyles, I never noticed that they’re sticking out their tongues?! It’s true! I always thought those were just their lower lips, but jhagman is right! (It was jhagman who pointed it out, right? I can’t find the reference now!) Fortunately, they’re not sticking them out very far!
December 20, 2011 at 4:24 pm |
Gothmog and Khamul?
[That reference has a pretty high nerd factor!]
Fenris and Carcharoth?
[That pays tribute to both Lewis and Tolkien!]
December 20, 2011 at 6:18 pm |
Grin and Bearit?
Fore and Boding?
Milton and Bradley?
(If they were sitting on The Pink Orchard’s eaves I would name them Non and Descript! … a little inside joke there for Fred)
December 20, 2011 at 10:44 pm |
Heh, heh! “The room is devoid of furniture. And . . . there’s no furniture in it.”
“This explains much.”
“The times are ill.”
“Griseld’s hackles are up.”
“Will this hurt your homunculus?”
“Mrisolm of Vandorlonenn has sent me hither!”
December 20, 2011 at 9:35 pm |
Dewey Cheatum and Howe?
January 3, 2012 at 2:19 am |
Scott, you listen to an excess of Car Talk, perhaps? Na, not possible. I like the names
December 20, 2011 at 10:34 pm |
Odin & Loki?
Fenrir & Lupus?
Modi & Magni? [Exit ex-Norse-mythology buff]
December 20, 2011 at 10:50 pm |
Are you no longer a Norse mythology buff?
December 24, 2011 at 9:12 pm
There was a kid’s version I devoured as a child which added some softer “humanity” to the Aesir. I never quite got over realizing that in “real life”, everyone but Balder was really quite mean . . .
December 21, 2011 at 12:54 pm |
Oh I want in on this game! Leaving most of the “Mythology” behind but keeping in the same vein and more norse than norse!
ICELANDIC!
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and Björk Guðmundsdóttir,
Snorri Sturluson and Sigurður Nordal
December 29, 2011 at 1:46 pm |
Catherine, I still have my very old — and very wonderful! — hardback copy of Norse Gods and Giants by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. I love that book!
December 20, 2011 at 10:49 pm |
Anor and Ithil?
Beezus and Ramona?
Sturm and Drang?
Thunder and Glory?
Yin and Yang?
[I'll confess: this comment is silly!]
December 20, 2011 at 10:56 pm |
I can’t resist talking about Gothmog and Khamul. Correct any inaccuracies I commit, O Tolkien experts!
Probably Gothmog and Khamul are the only two names of Nazgul we know, and only one of them is certain. (What a great trivia question, eh?) After the fall of the Witch-King of Angmar in The Return of the King, Sauron’s forces are commanded by “Gothmog,” who we assume is Nazgul #2, but I don’t believe Tolkien specifies this. The name, of course, has a long tradition among the forces of Shadow, being the First-Age name of the Lord of Balrogs.
We do know for sure, however, that “Khamul, Flame of the East” is one of the Nazgul.
December 20, 2011 at 10:59 pm |
For the record, I don’t think these are good gargoyle names. I want my gargoyles to be “bad,” but not “evil.” Do you see the distinction?
December 21, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I do see the distinction, you have to sleep at some point, ha ha. Reading these is fun! Loved Grin and Bearit, so funny! And it was Binsers who said the tongues were sticking out.
I am still thinking… I hope you don’t choose yet.
December 20, 2011 at 11:58 pm |
Pain and Panic
Cain and Abel
To Pee or Not to Pee
Dumb and Dumber
Bert and Ernie
Simon and Garfunkel
Quasimodo and Esmeralda
Thing one and Thing two
Donny and Marie
I should really go to bed . . .
December 21, 2011 at 12:16 am |
Calvin and Hobbes? Wax and Wane?
December 21, 2011 at 1:49 am |
I like that! (I already said Wax and Wane, though!)
December 23, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Then how about Whacks and Wayne?
December 21, 2011 at 12:59 am |
Amper and Sand
Artful and Dodger
Tag and It
December 21, 2011 at 1:47 am |
Stabbem and Slabbem?
I like Amper and Sand!
Aster and Isk?
December 24, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Asterix and Obelix!
December 21, 2011 at 1:52 pm |
Welcome, Binsers! The fairy box sounds delightful. And Shieldmaiden, it’s great to see you here!
Fred, I like Aster and Isk.
Swoop and Scoop.
Win and Chester (for the Winchester Mystery House). Yes, I’ve visited it, so I loved Fred’s fine photo tour all the more!
December 21, 2011 at 3:19 pm |
Thanks on Aster and Isk!
You know, the entry on the Winchester Mystery House continues to be the most-visited posting on this blog! Even now, it gets the most traffic every week. I think it’s just a popular subject that gets Googled a lot, and the search engine leads people to that entry.
December 21, 2011 at 2:18 pm |
I love Stabbem and Slabbem!
How about Linus and Lucy and imagine them dancing around on top of Notre Dame to the Charlie Brown Christmas music.
December 21, 2011 at 3:06 pm |
My apologies to Binsers! It was she who noticed that the gargoyles are sticking their tongues out. I erroneously attributed another worthy scribe!
The contest is still open, Shieldmaiden, so you have plenty of time to think!
Since everyone’s paying attention and I’m holding this mike, I’m going to tell a joke. This is my own original joke — I thought of it this morning. Here goes:
Jenkins and Scottsdale are sitting in their leather armchairs, puffing on their pipes down at the Inattentive Readers’ Club.
Jenkins: Oh, yes, I’ve heard of Harlan Ellison! Didn’t he write Invisible Man?
Scottsdale: No, you twit. That was Orson Welles!
December 21, 2011 at 3:26 pm |
Okay just throwing these out there.
You could go architectural: Goth ( short for Gothic) and Roman (Romanesque)
-or-
Maybe go with Broadway lyrical composers like Hammie (Hammerstein) and Sondie (Sondheim).
December 21, 2011 at 3:42 pm |
Thank you, Kate! And welcome! It’s wonderful to see another new Player in the Game! (Unless I’m making a terrible faux pas, you’re also new to the blog, aren’t you?
Welcome, welcome!)
(If the gargoyles are on Notre Dame or Chartres, they could be
Faux and Pas
– because it’s a faux pas to be sticking your tongue out atop a cathedral!)
December 21, 2011 at 4:27 pm |
I think I have to go with these for now, but trust me, there will be more…
Khittaw and Mawveth
December 21, 2011 at 11:26 pm |
Shieldmaiden, I REALLY admire the research you’re doing! (Shieldmaiden has shown me some of her thought processes in e-mail, and she’s really going at this in a serious way!)
December 21, 2011 at 5:28 pm |
Roc and Hardplaz
December 21, 2011 at 11:24 pm |
This is pretty clever, too! I wouldn’t want to be between them!
December 21, 2011 at 7:55 pm |
okay here are some more!
Romulus & Remus
Jekyll & Hyde
Clock & Gear
Fuzzy and Wuzzy (they do look cuddly for gargoyles)
Guard & Ian
Lock & Key
I shall keep them coming
December 21, 2011 at 10:54 pm |
Fuzzy and Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy and Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy and Wuzzy weren’t so fuzzy,
Was they?
I love it!
December 21, 2011 at 11:23 pm |
I like Romulus and Remus!
But I’m really impressed with Guard and Ian! That one’s clever because guarding is what gargoyles do, and because “Ian” is a real name. “Guard and Ian” are definitely in the group of finalists, along with some others!
December 22, 2011 at 1:36 am
Fred, we think alike. Even before I read your comment here, my favorite on Swordlily’s list was Guard and Ian. Great job, Swordlily!
December 21, 2011 at 11:30 pm |
Did anyone appreciate my “Inattentive Readers’ Club” joke, or all you all busy groaning?
December 22, 2011 at 2:18 am |
Maybe we were all busy being inattentive!
December 22, 2011 at 10:05 am |
I love coming up with names for things:)
Umm,
Maritika and Daelie?
December 22, 2011 at 4:07 pm |
Pippa and Zanthae? Or Zanther/Zantha/Zanthar
Ken and Durby
Dole and Pomarius
Under and Hill
Ding and Dong
Evangeline and Charles
Anneliese and Febret
December 22, 2011 at 4:08 pm |
Morgana and Fey
Mordred and Isilde
December 22, 2011 at 8:34 pm |
So I’ve been trying to figure out as much as I could about Gargoyles, I knew lots of it already, but with the hope of finding some random bit of obscure information which would lead to a spark of inspiration, I looked some stuff up anyway. I hope I edited the information right, if I didn’t feel free to correct me if you know languages or Gargoyle lore better than me. This is what I found on several sites here and there:
A true gargoyle is a waterspout designed to throw rainwater away from the walls of a building.The English word Gargoyle shares a common root with the word “Gargle”. The German term is wasserspeier (water spitter). Gargoyle derives from the French gargouille and comes from the Latin, gargula and gurgulio (meaning throat and the “gurgling” sound water makes as it passes through). A carved creature that does not serve as a drain pipe is frequently referred to as a “Grotesque”. Gargoyles and grotesques stand guard, warding off unwanted spirits and other creatures, and the ones with wings could fly and protect the village and church.
Afrend & Orfoe
Flotsam & Jetsam (it would have to be a very long, heavy rain)
Minus & Morgul
Gew & Gaw (or Knick and Knack)
ENQ & ACK (I just liked Ack and Enq came along)
Greg & Goros (“gregoros” meaning “watchful, alert”)
Garg & Goyle
If you can believe what you find online this is what it said for garg and goyle:
GARG- fierce, angry, bitter.
GOYLE : a steep narrow valley : ravine, gully. A goyle is a perverted and often smelly man, they have also been known to have a very short temper and can also perform magic.
There will be more, but I may have to stop obsessing on Gargoyles for a couple days and think of other things while I break for Christmas. Wishing all of you a very happy one! Thanks for all the cool names, this has been fun. I have to go back and read some of them again, I know Mr. Snow had one I loved but I’ll have to look it up. And I also love Guard and Ian, and so many others. Hi Morwenna!
December 22, 2011 at 8:39 pm |
Here’s me being silly:
Lock & Ness (I think these would be great names for two iguanas
I & Me
Moe & Morris (both of these names mean ‘dark’ apparently
Conniption & Kerfuffle
Conniption: a fit of hysterical excitement or anger.
Kerfuffle: commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views
December 22, 2011 at 9:36 pm |
Gargouille and Grenouille. Gargoyle and frog en francais.
Nostradamus and Notredamus
December 23, 2011 at 9:38 am |
Jake & Elwood
Victor & Hugo
December 23, 2011 at 5:43 pm |
I like Victor and Hugo a lot, too! (Good to see you here, Spam Man! I can tell who you are by your address!)
December 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm |
Gaiman and Shadow
Tiffany and Aching
Madeleine and Hugh
Meg and Charles
Whosit and Whatsit
John Ronald Reuel and Clive Staples
Lilith and Phantastes
Now you know who some of my favorite authors are!
December 23, 2011 at 5:21 pm |
Crabbe and Goyle!!
Vincent and Gregory
December 24, 2011 at 9:18 am |
Me & You?
December 25, 2011 at 12:28 am |
And you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it has to be, the only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together . . .
December 24, 2011 at 11:02 am |
Gem and Eye
December 24, 2011 at 1:05 pm |
This one is really clever, too!
I like the idea of a gargoyle named “Eye”!
Heh, heh! Can’t resist: “Jem and Scout.”
Or, thinking of To Kill a Mockingbird: “Attic and Cuss.”
December 24, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Yes, I was actually thinking of Jem from that story when I thought of the name. I almost named them Jem an Eye, but at the last minute decided to stay with Gem. And I liked Eye better than I or Aye since he’s a watcher or guardian, I’m glad you like it too. How long until you close the post? I have some more coming.
December 25, 2011 at 11:30 am |
Hoey Dum Dum
And
Rakey Bum Bum
December 28, 2011 at 6:18 pm |
It’s hilarious that you remember those names!
December 29, 2011 at 2:40 pm
It’s exceedingly hard not to. The fact that any neurons are dedicated to these names and not to something that might actually make me a better scientist or employee at my job is a greater mystery still.
December 26, 2011 at 11:13 am |
James and Flock
December 27, 2011 at 3:14 am |
Just a note why I think Chris and Brown Snowflake should be the names of your Gargoyles.First, you can put one on the LEFT side of a bookcase (they belong in my opinion on a bookcase), and the other on the RIGHT. Second, it is wonderfully in character that they are sticking out their tongues, and third; they make quite an entertaining pair.
December 27, 2011 at 3:06 pm |
that is fantastic! still smiling.
December 28, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Yes — this is funny! (And I agree that they belong on a bookcase.)
December 28, 2011 at 3:11 pm |
Turgor and Gygax
December 28, 2011 at 3:51 pm |
Doygan and thurgur
December 28, 2011 at 6:26 pm |
Remember, the contest officially closes at midnight on New Year’s Eve! (But don’t be glued to your computer that night waiting for results — I will announce the winner as soon as possible afterward, probably some time on January 1st.)
Thank you again to all who are taking part! This response has been overwhelming! I’m truly grateful that so many of you are suggesting names!
December 28, 2011 at 7:06 pm |
Nick and Nack?
Devil and Angel?
Conceivable and Inconceivable?
December 31, 2011 at 11:03 am |
Louis and Bon-Bon
Tippen and Dunst
December 31, 2011 at 8:43 pm |
Strunk and White
Happy new year, all!
December 31, 2011 at 9:26 pm |
Apples & Oranges
Glass & Gaze
Book & Wyrm (like the dragon kind of wyrm, but also the book kind of worm ^^)
Tattle & Tale ( those gargoyales look like the type of dark creatures who would sit atop building and whisper secrets into the dark)
Scry & Ruin
December 31, 2011 at 9:32 pm |
As promised, one deep-geeking list of names coming up! I think my favorite, most Gargoyle sounding name so far is Mawveth from the word Maveth (maw’-veth) meaning: a death-like shadow, deep shadow, black gloom. “God of the Water and Death”. I like “maw” do to the way Gargoyles often have open, grimacing mouths or spit water from them. And I also like Sawlal from the word Tsalal (tsaw-lal’) meaning: fear, terror. The idea of vibration; to tinkle, i.e. rattle together (as the teeth in chattering with fear):–quiver, tingle. So, by pairing Maveth and Tsalal I got the water aspect of the origin of the Gargoyle, as well as the teeth chattering fear of those they are chasing away, not to mention the shadowy darkness that seem inseparably paired with them. Hopefully by changing the spelling they’ll sound closer to how they’re pronounced and more like a matching set of names.
Mawveth and Sawlal (or Mawveth and Tsawlal)
Gimcrack and Gewgaw (entering another set of shelf-sitter names)
Jem an Eye (or Gem and Eye)
Habeas & Corpus
Nighton and Dayton
Crag and Tail
Vexatious and Irksome
High and Dry (in reference to the rooftop and spout)
High and Mighty (if they sit on top of a tall bookcase)
Few and Far Between (on opposite ends of a bookcase)
Hither and Yon (on one side of the shelf and the other)
Grimace and Yawn (I just think it’s funny! but that’s me)
Terrah and Harrah (terror and horror in a NY accent)
Ebb and Flow (would these work for Untowards as well?)
Fred: I noticed an overlapping of Untowards names as I was thinking of your nameless Gargoyles, and as you see, I used a couple of them above. Not in every case of course, but I found that certain pairs of names were interchangeable for the different sets of twins. For example, I think Steeple and Chase also work for Gargoyles because they sometimes sit on top of a church and they chase away the bad things that creep up in the night. Fire and Flood could work too because of the Gargoyle connection to dragons and fountains. Anyway, I made this list of a few possible Untowards names just for fun, most are too silly for an Untoward I know, but I couldn’t help myself. I hope there aren’t any here you’ve already used, my copy of Dragonfly is still packed or I would look it up (are there still rumors of sequel?) By the way, I absolutely loved “Attic and Cuss” and can imagine them high up in an attic and speaking cuss fluently.
I know this is not an Untoward naming but I had to throw some in:
Rise and Fall
Toss and Turn
Rough and Ready
Aches and Pains
Click and Clack
Hill and Dale
Footloose and Fancyfree
December 31, 2011 at 9:34 pm |
I found this:
“Legend has it, that a fierce dragon named La Gargouille caused much fear and destruction. Each year, the residents of Rouen would placate Gargouille with an offering of a victim, usually a criminal, though it was said the dragon preferred maidens. Around 600, the village was saved by St. Romanis, who promised to deal with the dragon. He subdued the dragon and led the beast back to town. La Gargouille was then burned at the stake, but his head and neck were well tempered from breathing flames and would not burn. These remnants were mounted on the town wall and became the model for gargoyles for centuries to come.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!
December 31, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Great legend! I enjoyed reading about La Gargouille. Thanks for posting this. Happy New Year to the Fellowship of the Blog!
December 31, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Happy New Year everybody!
December 31, 2011 at 11:31 pm |
Last one, promise!! These are actually from my 7 year old daughter:
Sit and Sat
Pitty and Pat
Star and Shard
January 1, 2012 at 2:28 am |
To and Fro (it isn’t midnight yet in California)
January 1, 2012 at 9:41 am |
Happy New Year! Loved the legend about Gargouille, Shieldmaiden. I am in bed reading Storm of Swords. Am loving this series. So Fred, what is the verdict??
January 1, 2012 at 3:40 pm |
Amidst the hundreds of entries, did anyone choose “Cheech and Chong”?-maybe they’re popular only on the West Coast!
January 1, 2012 at 5:48 pm |
Hey Jhagman, I actually had them on my list but didn’t submit them. I am from California so maybe it is a West Coast thing? This is the list of names that didn’t make the cut:
Cheech and Chong
Peace and War
Frick and Frack
Castor and Pollux
Cease and Desist
Death and Taxis
Yin and Yang
Thunder and Lightning
Untoward and Unruly
Tsalal and Tselem (tsaw-lal’ and tseh’-lem)
Khittaw and Khath (khit-taw’ and khath’)
from: Chittah and Chath
Muad’Deb and Muav’Veth (mu’addib and maw’-veth) from: Maveth (Muad’Dib from Dune)
January 1, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Taxes*
January 1, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I knew you meant Taxes, but Death and Taxis works well, too!
January 1, 2012 at 5:43 pm |
Oh my gosh! Fred, have you ever had so many responses to a blog entry before? Most impressive. Obviously many are wanting that original review copy of Star Shard!
I’m terrible at naming things, so I haven’t even tried but I am impressed with the variety and creativity presented here. I’ve been so busy anymore that you almost never hear from me, but I am still following along and miss you all! Happy new year!
January 1, 2012 at 10:29 pm |
I know it’s closed, but…
Fact and Fiction
Truth or Dare
Ups and Downs
Hither and Thither
January 1, 2012 at 10:47 pm |
Yes it’s closed, but…
Fiddle and Faddle
Ike and Mike
Peanut Butter and Jelly
M & M
#%^&$&$%^ and Bob (name the movie)
Oh, now you’re just all being silly!
January 1, 2012 at 11:02 pm |
Happy New Year to the Fellowship!
So it’s closed, but . . .
Mino and Taur
January 1, 2012 at 11:23 pm |
Yeah, totally closed…
Manu and Script
January 1, 2012 at 11:35 pm |
Peri and Lois
January 2, 2012 at 12:04 am |
Indisputably closed.
Merry and Goround
January 2, 2012 at 12:22 am |
Ods and Bodkins
Black and Tan
Big Bird and Mr Snuffalupagus
January 2, 2012 at 12:30 am |
Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, Fredina and Ferdina, Alpha and Beta. Should we try to make it to 150 comments on this blog entry? Only twelve more needed!
January 2, 2012 at 1:24 am |
Closed, CLOSED!
Fore and Aft
Watch and Ful
Fort and Night
Fore and Bearer
Side and Kick
Stand and By
Here and There
(I do love Merry and Goround!)
January 2, 2012 at 9:17 am |
Yeah closed, but I think we should go for the 150 ^_^
Shew & Stone
Riddle & Rattle (like all those mysteries that go bump in the night)
Tongue & Twister
Sky & Ward
Air & Fowl
January 2, 2012 at 10:22 am |
oooh! I like Sky and Ward!! For lots of reasons
January 2, 2012 at 11:28 am |
Totally, completely, absolutely, officially closed…
Odds and Ends
Fore and Shadow
Moon and Scape
Way and Ward
Sent and Inel
January 2, 2012 at 11:30 am |
Hamburger & Helper (very scary and yucky!)
Toenail and Hangnail
Bambi & Thumper
Have we hit 150 entries yet?
Hewed & Dewy but you would need to get a third to be Louie!
January 2, 2012 at 1:49 pm |
Closed. But about those 150 comments . . .
Sword and Sorcery
Watch and Wait
January 3, 2012 at 12:48 pm |
I also love Watch and Wait. Very appropriate names. Are we going for 200? lol
January 2, 2012 at 3:14 pm |
I’m still here, watching like a gargoyle (and smiling and cheering a good deal more at these wonderful names!) — I’m in the midst of a busy day of work, but I will surely be posting the contest results soon! It may be late tonight, or it may be tomorrow, depending on how soon I can devote the necessary time to the (delightful) task of going once more through the long, long list of entries and selecting the best of the best. You have all done the most extraordinary job with this! We’ve got enough brilliant names here that we could all write ten books each, all populated with quirky, weird, funny, amazing pairs of characters suggested by these names!
Here’s a story for you: the other night I came home after dark, parked my car, and on the steps leading to my door, I saw both a skunk and a cat! They seemed to be chatting as they foraged in my yard and in the alley — on friendly terms, or at least each unconcerned about the other’s presence. My neighborhood is strange indeed!
It may be because I just finished reading Roger Zelazny’s A Night in the Lonesome October — yes, I did indeed finish it in a neat three months! Not too shabby, for me! — but it seems to me there are story possibilities there: a skunk and a street-wise alley cat who become friends and work together to defeat evil powers in a gritty Pittsburgh neighborhood. Wouldn’t that be cool?
January 2, 2012 at 3:20 pm |
And what happened then? Well, when the cat saw me approaching, s/he took off across the alley. The skunk, as if he were a honey badger, seemed not to care a whit. I stood at a respectful distance until he had ambled away from my steps and sidewalk, and then I passed him to my door. He appeared to notice me at one point and went to Yellow Alert, but he was at the edge of my yard by then and didn’t feel too threatened. I went inside.
January 3, 2012 at 12:12 am |
Fred, love the story! I was once driving through the Anza-Borrego desert, east of San Diego, when there appeared in the middle of my road through-the-middle-of-nowhere a coyote and a crow having a conversation. They were standing right on the line down the center of the road. There was no road kill in site and they were nose to nose. I stopped for several minutes while they conducted their business and then the crow took flight and the coyote trotted off into the creosote bushes and out of sight. That moment I sat in my car eyeballing that unlikely pair has always stuck in my mind. What were they talking about? I had to wonder if a hyperspace bypass might be headed that way sometime soon. I think there is much more to animals than we like to give them credit for. Thanks for sharing your story, and for a great contest that really got the creative juices flowing!
January 3, 2012 at 12:24 am
Jedibabe, I love your story! That’s an even more unlikely pair than a skunk and a cat! But then . . . perhaps not so unlikely, after all. One year at World Fantasy, one of the best panels was on the relationship between ravens and/or crows and wolves. Apparently these birds and wolves do cooperate at times and even play together. And if wolves, why not coyotes?
January 2, 2012 at 3:24 pm |
Yes the contest is positively, decisively, in all five senses truly closed
Lost & Found
In & Out
Black & Blue
Paper & Scholar
Watch & Wizard
January 2, 2012 at 3:51 pm |
sorry Fred. I hadn’t refreshed the page in a while when I posted this comment, and I hadn’t seen your post. I don’t mean to start things up again. . . .I was just throwing random names out ^_^
January 2, 2012 at 11:52 pm
I’m sure that no one needs to apologize to Fred for the fun we’ve been having with the names or for making this blog entry of his so popular! While waiting for the decision on the gargoyle names, we might try to name the skunk and cat. I’ll start: Pepe Le Pew and Miss Kitty. (One more comment needed to reach 150.)
January 3, 2012 at 12:27 am
Daylily is absolutely right, Swordlily! I didn’t even understand why you were apologizing!
Thank you and everyone else for sharing your imagination on this entry!
January 3, 2012 at 12:28 am
“Le Meow, Le Purrr!”
January 3, 2012 at 2:46 am
I’m in if we are still throwing random names out…
Fire and Cracker
Fore and Shadow
Taga and Long
Inso and Far
Now and Then
Vise and Versa
January 3, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Names for the skunk and cat:
Scented and Unscented
January 4, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Yes! Or Loaded and Unloaded.
January 3, 2012 at 4:57 am |
Has anyone (in this movieish crowd) chosen Tuco and Blondie?
January 3, 2012 at 1:46 pm |
I believe I have some results! I think I’ll put them in a separate, new entry. Please stand by! (If you’re watching the chimney, the white smoke just started pouring out . . .)
January 3, 2012 at 1:50 pm |
I am standing!!
January 3, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Just one more delay, though — I’ll say it for us all: “Aaauugghhh!” — I have to be somewhere this afternoon/early evening, and I have a lot of information to communicate in the announcement post, so I won’t be able to do it until tonight. (I’ll say it again: “Aaaauugghhh!”) But I WILL get the announcement posted tonight!
January 3, 2012 at 2:21 pm
OK, so I am thinking that “some results” and “put them in a separate new entry” and “have a lot of information in the announcement” does sound intriguing. I am going to make a wild guess here and say that it’s probable there has not been one clear set of names chosen, and instead of announcing a winner there is a part two aspect coming, yes? Until tonight then. Standing by
January 3, 2012 at 2:23 pm |
You sure do know how to build up intensity in anticipation, Fred!
January 3, 2012 at 3:19 pm |
I know, right? Drumroll please . . . SIKE! ha ha ha. Or as Emily Litella would say, “never mind”
January 3, 2012 at 4:23 pm |
Not really. I mean, I think we all kinda know it’s going to be:
Mike Frazen, D.D.S.
and
Peter Sommerset
Don’t we? I mean, really.
January 3, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Heh heh heh.
January 3, 2012 at 2:59 pm |
Habemus Gargoyleum …
January 3, 2012 at 8:37 pm |
I am starting to feel somewhat gargoylish . . .
January 3, 2012 at 8:37 pm |
Or should that be Gargirlish . . .
January 3, 2012 at 9:32 pm |
Heh, heh . . . Boygoyle and Girlgoyle . . .
(Can you say that aloud even ONCE?) (Okay, after some practice, I can do it.) (Those aren’t the winning names!)
Okay! I am back at my desk now and working on the post!
A last few flurries:
Grimoire & Caltrop
Dire & Corby
Smithwick & Harp
Stand by . . .
January 3, 2012 at 10:23 pm |
Hey … I took part in the Iowa Caucuses tonight and we had 241 votes cast and counted in 10 total minutes after 13 speakers (at 2 mins each) plugged the various candidates … get on with it!
January 3, 2012 at 11:57 pm |
Let’s see….I’m thinking you will be happy with suggesting the names:
Mitt
and
Rick
Eh?
January 4, 2012 at 12:48 am |
But, Mr. Brown, that’s just counting, it’s not judging. I HOPE you weren’t deciding which votes you liked better than others!