Question for fantasy readers

[lls_mutant]

Quick question for those of you who love fantasy:

I'm doing some world building, and working out my animals. The animals don't have any special place in the story- they aren't magic, they aren't "intelligent", and they pretty much serve the same roles in this society as ours. It is a fantasy story, and the world is most definitely not Earth.

That said, I'm basically adapting (or outright using) Terran creatures on my world- some of which are alive and some of which are extinct. (Walruses and mammoths come to mind.) The question is: do you, as a reader, find it more annoying when an author uses the Earth name for an animal, or when they make up a name for an animal that, when you read the description, it's pretty obvious is an Earth animal?

Thanks!

Comments

[aome.livejournal.com]

I think I'd rather have the Terran name.

[velvetmouse]

I always prefer when they use the English word for the Earth animal. If it helps, think of your story as being "translated" into english from whatever the "original" language of that world is - whatever the word for "horse" might be in that fantasy language, you might as well use "horse" to talk about it. Madeup names/terms are fine for things that don't exist on earth, but if there's a close equivalent, it'll save your readers a lot of trouble... just my 2 cents.

[rinelk.livejournal.com]

Earth name. World building should have a point. If the idea of the story is to introduce an interesting thought-experiment which informs the reader about the human condition, I'm fine with seeing it taken to its logical conclusion. Otherwise, it's just there to let the rest of the story happen, and it's not worth the time necessary to describe the particulars of its alien, yet strangely familiar fauna. That would merely distract from the central awesomeness.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I prefer regular Earth names, because like everything else, it's assumed that they're "translated" from whatever language that world has. Sometimes antiquated names for animals work as well, but mostly a horse should just be a horse. :)

[sasha-davidovna.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone else. Earth names are almost always best. If they're speaking some version of English, it's silly to call them something else, and if they're not, I'd just assume it's "translated" anyway.

This is kind of a fun read that even has a term for it: "calling a rabbit a smeerp."

[snorkackcatcher]

I tend to roll my eyes when I see another world which is basically medieval Earth plus magic, but it's so ubiquitous I'm not really that bothered by it. Having Earth animals and plants and using the same names isn't much different from having the characters be recognisably human beings, even if there are a few elves and dwarves and dragons and mandrakes or whatever scattered about the place as well. It's a convention, and probably works as well as it does because it helps the reader feel the place is familiar.

That isn't to say that it can't be fascinating if the author discards these assumptions and creates something distinctly non-Earthlike (I seem to remember Brian Aldiss did this extremely well in Helliconia Spring, although that's science fiction -- must read the other two books in that series sometime). On the other hand, it's a helluva lot of work, even if you're doing highly detailed worldbuilding! (Even GRR Martin sticks pretty closely to his historical sources for the ASOIAF world.)

[merlinssister12.livejournal.com]

I prefer it when they use the English name. You are writing in English, so isn't it just clearer to use the obvious name for the animal.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

The only time I have been surprised by someone using the Earth name was in Cecelia Dart-Thornton's books, which had Australian animals! It was weird but sort of nice to see an echidna in the usual faux-medieval setting.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Seems like that was the overwhelming conclusion.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks muchly. It seems like that was the overwhelming consensus, and given that the animals are far from the focus of the whole thing anyway... Terran names are much easier!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That seems to be the overwhelming consensus, so I'm relieved, because making up names can suck. There's enough different stuff about this world that I don't need to be making up animals, and really, my big concern is what are the human characters eating? :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad, especially since I'm often more concerned about what to call the meat on the plate than the sweet little woodland creatures that run to the princess as she sings ;)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Cool- thanks! And that was amusing :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Martin's actually who I'm kind of leaning on, in a way, because the animals in my story have about the same place as in his, minus the direwolves. I'm much more interested in the interactions of the people, and probably won't bother with animal life much. Really, I just want to know what's on the dinner plate ;)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Seems like that's the overwhelming consensus :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Hey- where are those rocks located? Are they on Molokai in Hawaii? THey look vaguely familiar.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

Not Hawaii - they're the Twelve Apostles (http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000B0BDC-CFBC-1A5C-BC6180C476A90000/) about 10 minutes away from my house!

They've been in a lot of movies, though - we get film crews down here quite frequently.