Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/16/17: Dragon Names

No other creature is as evocative of the contemporary fantasy genre as the dragon. They combine snakes, lizards, dinosaurs, large mammalian predators, and human intellects into one massive, armored, fire-breathing package. (Their drives, however, are their own.)

The current version of the dragon dates from within the last 100 years. Tolkien gave us a deadly foe in The Hobbit’s Smaug, but it was really the 1960s when the dragon literally and figuratively took off. Perhaps it was folk trio’s  Peter, Paul and Mary’s song Puff the Magic Dragon, or the very dragon-like Cecil the Sea Serpent in the Cecil and Beanie TV kid’s show. It may have been excerpts from Walt Disney’s The Reluctant Dragon (1941) shown ad nauseum on The Walt Disney Show every Sunday night, or the spectacular metamorphosis of Maleficent from evil witch into dragon form in the animated film Sleeping Beauty. Or, perhaps, the many dragon-like creatures populating such Saturday morning fare like The Herculoids. But whatever the case, dragons arrived and made their titanic footprint on the scene, supported in no small way by the growing popularity of dinosaurs among the small set.

That presence eventually bore fruit in novel series like Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern (begun in 1967) and Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea, and fantasy writers began using them more frequently. But what really lit the fuse was the mass-marketing of the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, with its creatures color-coded to evil (primary colored) and good (metallic) dragons, with different breath weapons and tendencies for each. Over the years these germinal reptiles mutated into dozens if not hundreds of other forms, some fairly ridiculous (Fairy dragons anyone?)

And dragons continue to stretch out their snaky necks in new directions. They’ve recently claimed a section of the urban fantasy market, transforming into slabs of beefcake for the delectation of romance readers who enjoy shapeshifter characters.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to come up with a distinctive name for a dragon character. Here’s a list of randomly generated names to use for your own creations, following the Tolkien, McCaffrey, and LeGuin conventions, sprinkled with some Latin and sibilant sounds.

 

Dragon Names

Zynth

Shezuth Star-song

Ronth

Enuphion the Tyrant

Ancalasez the Scourge

The Skyghost

Jucaumer

Grisgrax

Ancalpyax

Stormwreck the Great Wyrm King

Kraitbandar

Ansrit

Thisme the Burning Maw

Nagrumox the Great Worm

Sjiag the Clawed Shadow

Cnothgon the Wise

Gauntgrim the Gray Empress

Flamegorger

Meblak the Vengeful

Ftafer the Burning Plague

Ancaruhan Rain-bringer

Master Hellscream

Luthigne, the Winged Destroyer

Tyrlon the White

Luthanzi Sun-jewel

Ballag the Tyrant

Shashos Moongray

Ancalluth the Armored

Anhkphar the Erudite

Rievetaur, Plunderer of the Badlands

Incamodan

Spyug

Tyrphaz the Ancient

Nagnaw

Thristhrax the Red

Grisgrund the Stormlord

Unthaug, Ravager of the Western Hills

Nagaes the Ice Storm

Magraulle Skyribbon

Skymourn the Blizzard Queen

The Coalstriker

Old Hellscrew

Flamespark the Wise

Aneylong, Bane of the Elven Forests

Grisbagon the Terror of the Canyon

Old Greenfellow

Mistress Moongray

Bharcant Sun-ribbon

Naegnaw

Luthang the Gray

Anliredon the Peaceful

Anshas the Despoiler

Drakpang, Empress of the lands of men

Kakunth the Icy Destroyer

Balsez Cloudseeker

Steug

Krautch

Unshulagon

Scheig

Yetroid

Cnaufier the Brown

Blauph

Braum

Wynth

Vinsripan the Deadly

Sveug

Smaucnau

Mnetzlong the Ravager

Sazsent Storm-mist

Kletaur

Hfaux

Yevkhaat

Augrund the Dark Watcher

Itzelagon

Sziug

Irsagon

Yaluoj

Vermaur

Essrit the White

Ansrinx

Eutrapyon the Protector

Vermischan the Invulnerable

Angme, the Icy Furnace

Luthkas the Blue

Harkrieve the Wicked

Onzilagon

Phdaugh

Ainsez Stormjoy

Bharin

Baluin

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