Fantasy Dictionar

Chatterbox: Crowd Sorcery

Fantasy Dictionar

Fantasy Dictionary

Writing a fantasy story often involves world-building: creating the setting in which your story takes place. Physical location is an important part of this phase—the house, cavern, mountain, forest, town, ship, island, or any other space your characters inhabit. But it is more than just a place. Building a world may mean thinking about the history, art, music, language, clothing, and customs of the story’s people—how they earn a living, what they do on holidays, and what everyday objects they use.

Of course a writer can’t design every aspect of a culture. If you did that, you’d never get around to writing the story! But here is the key: you want to think carefully enough about these things so that the reader believes your fantasy world goes on beyond the edges of your story. You want this imaginary world to feel real. And you do that with some well-placed, clear, creative details.

So let’s do some world-building! Please come up with objects, places, words ... any ideas for a fantasy story’s world. Tools, animals, types of clothing, dwellings—any of these and more may become necessary elements in our story! You may suggest as many as you like, or even post a strange word and let others suggest meanings. If you want, you can also write a sentence using the word or describing the fantasy place. Here are two examples:

haloris – a lantern that gives off both light and a pleasant scent. It is used by people who live near the swamps to counter the odors of mud and decay.

“Quill’s boots sank into the moss, deeper at each step, and ahead she could see a swamp, moonbeams glittering on pools that lapped around the tree roots. Catching the stench of stagnant water, she pulled the haloris lamp from her pack and set it alight.”

gnawk – a large, black bird with a raucous cry and uneven feathers that always look ruffled and untidy. Gnawks have a fondness for pecking and chewing on rope, and they are notorious for setting free dogs and farm animals tied with ropes. They unmoor boats tied to docks, and have been known to free certain fortunate prisoners.

Can you see how story ideas practically ooze from your Fantasy Dictionary, once you get your imagination going?

submitted by Fred Durbin
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)

To the word bryll:

The Mossy approves :D 

submitted by Moss, age 13
(July 11, 2014 - 7:34 pm)

salasneak- a black and blue lizard that's very mischievous and steals everything it lays its icy blue eyes on

submitted by Zachary T., age 11, Valparaiso, IN
(July 10, 2014 - 10:02 pm)

Legyndarie: Someone with the power of making whatever he or she writes come true.

submitted by Brooke E., age 11, Arkansas
(July 11, 2014 - 9:47 am)

Would that be Fable?

submitted by Master writer
(November 17, 2014 - 8:45 pm)

dwelbo- a horse with turquoise feathers instead of hair, usually floating around on a misty cloud of smoke, shimmering in the moonlight

gylogi- a rattlesnake. When it shakes its rattle, it paralizes whoever can hear it  

splorter- a ball that teleports whatever you throw at it

opolar- a magnifying glass that can turn into glider with the command word morph 

submitted by Zachary T., age 11, Valparaiso, IN
(July 11, 2014 - 3:25 pm)

@ Fred Durbin and Emily Fiegenschuh:

It really made my day when I downloaded the Cricket app and saw that three of my fantasy dictionary words had gotten in! And even more excited when I saw bugs with swords hidden around the magazine and Sluggo with my belarksy. It really did make me grin and even dance (though I'm a strange dancer). Thanks so much! 

submitted by Moss, age 13
(July 11, 2014 - 7:31 pm)

Thanks, Moss! You've got some really good fantasy word creations! I also like that effect with the sword-wielding bugs. I think we're all grinning and dancing (strangely) at the excitement of this story coming together piece by piece!

submitted by Fred D., Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
(July 12, 2014 - 12:30 pm)

Leskry: A ginormous bird, with silver and emerald colored feathers. They are very peaceful, despite their frightening wingspan of 30 feet. If you approach one very calmly, and speak to it gently, a Leskry may let you ride on its back.

"She sailed high above the mountains on the back of the Leskry she had befriended."

 

Hasling: Someone who has the ability to talk to animals. Often this skill is required over a very long time with the birds and the beats, but a talented few can pick it up in a matter of years. Fifer Thorn, my character on the sidekick thread, is one of these few. Any type of being can be a Hasling, such as elves, dwarves, humans, and many others.

"Fifer sat perched high in a tree. She was conversing with a small squirrel, who had a lot to talk about. This would have seemed impossibe for someone who wasn't a Hasling, but Fifer was."

submitted by Fairen S., age 12, Vermont
(July 12, 2014 - 6:13 pm)

Whould being an elf make it easier to be a Hasling ? I think of elves as closer to nature, sort of... 

submitted by Christie M., age 10, CA,US
(July 17, 2014 - 11:37 am)

I suppose that being an elf probably would help with being a Hasling if you were very connected with nature. I think that dryads, niads, and basically all kinds of faeries would have an easier time being a Hasling, but a lot of different types of beings can train themselves to have this talent. 

submitted by Fairen S., age 12, Vermont
(July 22, 2014 - 11:54 am)

I suppose that being an elf probably would help with being a Hasling if you were very connected with nature. I think that dryads, niads, and basically all kinds of faeries would have an easier time being a Hasling, but a lot of different types of beings can train themselves to have this talent. 

submitted by Fairen S., age 12, Vermont
(July 22, 2014 - 11:54 am)

Wob -- As the land is an exporter of paper, this is what the paper workers call the tar-like goo they mash up to make paper.

Hilde -- A small blade suited for hand-to-hand combat. Very similar to a dagger, but the blade is a few inches longer.

Kapt -- A kind of formal, cloglike shoes that are very expensive and very uncomfortable. Carved from wood and padded with sheep's wool on the inside, it's a lady's must-have footwear. 

Uzlem -- A religious artifact worn as a bracelet, the Uzlem is a triangle with circles on each of the three points.

submitted by Naomi C., age 11, Westminster, MD
(July 13, 2014 - 9:30 am)

Moonfire: A certain kind of mushroom, that only grows under the light of the full moon. They are incredibly poisonous, and are often used in ceremonies. Moonfire is thrown into a blazing fire, turning the flames a blue-ish white.

High Meirwyn: A very powerful religious leader, usually associated with the earth gods.

Hisbyro: A deity of the elves, that spreads life throughot the world. 

Chankata: The moon.

Portang: Wanderer slang for someone who is lazy.  

LockYan: A very large human city. It is a very big center for trade, and beings from across the land come to it. It is very multi-cultural.

Memset: A large, white rodent, that is often kept as a pet or eaten by certain tribes of people. 

Gum Lily: A beautiful pink lily that has an intoxicating scent. However, when eaten, they are deadly, and when touched, they stick to your skin and burn. 

submitted by Fairen S., age 12, Vermont
(July 13, 2014 - 3:43 pm)

  Serak: A beautifull serpent that is highly posionous. It eats lead and crystal as well as humans. It looks like a beautifull bejeweled snake ornament. It has the remarkable ability to turn lead to gold with it's posion . 

When a greedy human trys to take it, it will bite the human and devour them. Very dangerous. Considered to be a legend- although it isn't. Very, very rare. There is only one left- Vel, the legends call it.

* If Darkshroud wins the villian vote, he could die by a Serak. Try to get it, it eats him, Fable escapes ...  

Beskeo : A famous dwarf jewelist and miner. He lived in a beautifull underground palace of rainbow crystal. He had a huge cave system (Beskeo's Caves) full of underground rivers and pools . He had tunnels everywhere and anywhere.

Beskeo's Caves : Under the Silver Sea. 

 

 

submitted by Christie M., age 10, CA,US
(July 14, 2014 - 6:37 pm)

The Royal Jewel : A jewel inside the crown of the dwarves.  The only one jewel of those properties, it's power allows the crown to chose the ruler by fitting itself to the head width.

All gazed in awe and inticapation as one by one, every citizen raised the crown to their head. But the crown grew and shrank so has not to fit any of them. Would they not have a ruler ?  

The Pool Of Truth : Any water poured from this pool onto shapeshifters will reveal their true form. In Beskeo's Caves 

submitted by Christie M., age 10, Beskeo's caves
(July 20, 2014 - 1:44 pm)