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[2003-05-27] (This page approximately duplicates the section Names > Onomastic miscellany > Loraan / Orlaan and adds the table of names.)
The male Athyra wizard from whom Vlad steals the staff containing Aliera's soul in Taltos, and whom he battles in Athyra, is named Loraan. The sorceress who opposes our young heroes in Paths of the Dead and who, when we first meet her, seems to be picking flowers in a meadow but is actually searching for a disembodied soul, is named Orlaan. It is easy and obvious to suppose a connection between them, and in fact...
("Boss! BOSS! You're beginning to sound like Paarfi again!"
"Wha'?... Oh! Yes, I was. Thanks, pal."
"Just doing my job.")
Where was I? Oh, yes. When POTD came out, several members of the Dragaera mailing list noted this similarity and inferred that Loraan and Orlaan were the same person, with a change of sex. (Ben Newman points out the similarity to Virginia Woolf's character Orlando, who also changed sex.) Brust replied:
Damn. Wish I'd caught that similarity in names so I could have
changed Orlaan's. Oh, well. Too late now.
[2005-08-12]
(Thanks to Jot Powers's page
for the exact quote.)
For that matter, there also is, or was, a Jhereg boss named Rolaan [Yen 13]. There are three other permutations of R-O-L followed by "aan": Lroaan, Rloaan, and Olraan, of which only the third is reasonably pronounceable by the norms of the fairly large number of Dragaeran names we've seen. The first one, though, brings to mind Röaanac and his daughter Röaana in The Paths of the Dead. (I don't think the dieresis ["umlaut"] is meant to indicate a front rounded vowel as in German or Hungarian, but a syllable boundary between the "o" and the "aa": "roe-ah-na" instead of "roan-a".)
Steve, I urge you to shake off your obsession with these particular letters. In case you can't, or to help you catch yourself, I attach here a table of the 360 anagrams of "Loraan". The ones you've already used are in red, the ones I'm considering unpronounceable because of their consonant clusters are in small italics, and the ones that are close to "Röaana" are in magenta. (For those whose browsers don't display these enhancements, the unpronounceable names are prefixed with an asterisk, and the ones Brust has used or that resemble "Röaana" are listed separately below the table.) Use it in good health.
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[2003-05-28] I posted those last two paragraphs and the link to the anagram list on the Dragaera list. Brust replied: Thanks loads. |
| Aalnor | *Aloanr | *Aoalnr | Arnalo | *Lnaaor | Naalor | *Noaalr | *Oanalr | Oraaln | *Rlaano |
| Aalnro | Aloarn | *Aoalrn | Arnaol | *Lnaaro | Naalro | Noaarl | Oanarl | *Oraanl | *Rlaaon |
| *Aalonr | Alonar | *Aoanlr | Arnlao | *Lnaoar | *Naaolr | Noalar | Oanlar | Oralan | *Rlanao |
| Aalorn | Alonra | *Aoanrl | Arnloa | *Lnaora | Naaorl | Noalra | *Oanlra | Oralna | *Rlanoa |
| *Aalrno | Aloran | *Aoarln | Arnoal | *Lnarao | Naarlo | Noaral | Oanral | Oranal | *Rlaoan |
| Aalron | Alorna | *Aoarnl | Arnola | *Lnaroa | Naarol | Noarla | *Oanrla | Oranla | *Rlaona |
| Aanlor | Alrano | *Aolanr | Aroaln | *Lnoaar | Nalaor | Nolaar | Oaraln | Orlaan | *Rlnaao |
| *Aanlro | Alraon | Aolarn | *Aroanl | *Lnoara | Nalaro | Nolara | *Oaranl | Orlana | *Rlnaoa |
| *Aanolr | *Alrnao | Aolnar | Arolan | *Lnoraa | Naloar | Nolraa | Oarlan | Orlnaa | *Rlnoaa |
| Aanorl | *Alrnoa | Aolnra | Arolna | *Lnraao | Nalora | Noraal | Oarlna | Ornaal | *Rloaan |
| *Aanrlo | Alroan | Aolran | Aronal | *Lnraoa | Nalrao | Norala | Oarnal | Ornala | *Rloana |
| Aanrol | Alrona | *Aolrna | Aronla | *Lnroaa | Nalroa | Norlaa | Oarnla | Ornlaa | *Rlonaa |
| *Aaolnr | Analor | *Aonalr | Laanor | *Loaanr | *Naoalr | *Nraalo | *Olaanr | Raalno | *Rnaalo |
| *Aaolrn | Analro | Aonarl | Laanro | Loaarn | Naoarl | *Nraaol | Olaarn | Raalon | *Rnaaol |
| *Aaonlr | *Anaolr | Aonlar | *Laaonr | Loanar | Naolar | *Nralao | Olanar | Raanlo | *Rnalao |
| *Aaonrl | Anaorl | *Aonlra | Laaorn | Loanra | Naolra | *Nraloa | Olanra | Raanol | *Rnaloa |
| *Aaorln | Anarlo | Aonral | Laarno | Loaran | Naoral | *Nraoal | Olaran | Raaoln | *Rnaoal |
| *Aaornl | Anarol | *Aonrla | Laaron | Loarna | Naorla | *Nraola | Olarna | *Raaonl | *Rnaola |
| Aarlno | Anlaor | Aoraln | Lanaor | Lonaar | Naralo | *Nrlaao | Olnaar | Ralano | *Rnlaao |
| Aarlon | Anlaro | *Aoranl | Lanaro | Lonara | Naraol | *Nrlaoa | Olnara | Ralaon | *Rnlaoa |
| Aarnlo | Anloar | Aorlan | Lanoar | Lonraa | Narlao | *Nrloaa | Olnraa | Ralnao | *Rnloaa |
| Aarnol | Anlora | Aorlna | Lanora | Loraan | Narloa | *Nroaal | Olraan | Ralnoa | *Rnoaal |
| Aaroln | *Anlrao | Aornal | Lanrao | Lorana | Naroal | *Nroala | Olrana | Raloan | *Rnoala |
| *Aaronl | *Anlroa | Aornla | Lanroa | Lornaa | Narola | *Nrolaa | *Olrnaa | Ralona | *Rnolaa |
| Alanor | *Anoalr | Aralno | *Laoanr | *Lraano | *Nlaaor | *Oaalnr | *Onaalr | Ranalo | Roaaln |
| Alanro | Anoarl | Aralon | Laoarn | *Lraaon | *Nlaaro | *Oaalrn | Onaarl | Ranaol | *Roaanl |
| *Alaonr | Anolar | Aranlo | Laonar | *Lranao | *Nlaoar | *Oaanlr | Onalar | Ranlao | Roalan |
| Alaorn | Anolra | Aranol | Laonra | *Lranoa | *Nlaora | *Oaanrl | Onalra | Ranloa | Roalna |
| Alarno | Anoral | Araoln | Laoran | *Lraoan | *Nlarao | *Oaarln | Onaral | Ranoal | Roanal |
| Alaron | Anorla | *Araonl | Laorna | *Lraona | *Nlaroa | *Oaarnl | Onarla | Ranola | Roanla |
| Alnaor | Anralo | Arlano | Larano | *Lrnaao | *Nloaar | *Oalanr | Onlaar | Raoaln | Rolaan |
| Alnaro | Anraol | Arlaon | Laraon | *Lrnaoa | *Nloara | Oalarn | Onlara | *Raoanl | Rolana |
| Alnoar | *Anrlao | Arlnao | Larnao | *Lrnoaa | *Nloraa | Oalnar | *Onlraa | Raolan | Rolnaa |
| Alnora | *Anrloa | Arlnoa | Larnoa | *Lroaan | *Nlraao | Oalnra | Onraal | Raolna | Ronaal |
| Alnrao | Anroal | Arloan | Laroan | *Lroana | *Nlraoa | Oalran | Onrala | Raonal | Ronala |
| Alnroa | Anrola | Arlona | Larona | *Lronaa | *Nlroaa | *Oalrna | *Onrlaa | Raonla | Ronlaa |
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last modified 2005-08-12