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Fantasy Dictionar
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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)
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)
Dhi: A magical crystal orb
Spindra: a savory nut; sweeter than honey
Torredge: A meal eaten by peasants, consisting of whatever scraps of food can be found
(October 1, 2014 - 7:15 pm)
Zephaly: The tears wept by a dragon over the losss of it's gold.
Trukut tree: A tree that is renownd for it's beauty and simplicit.
Farobar: A sort of Gnome or elf always dirty not very bright and theuy like to tease people by making facews and mocking them.
(October 2, 2014 - 8:25 am)
Crudebrile : Something you dislike
" Crudbile ! " THe dwarf hissed . " You're all crudebrile ! "
(October 2, 2014 - 9:59 am)
The Myrralesine: A magic charm handed down through many hands, and many generations, allowing its user to remember or forget anything they choose. However, after 36 uses, it will not answer to its user again. The only way to reawaken it is by handing its power to another.
Pronounciation: Mir- AL-ez-een.
Use: "But...But...won't you give the Myrralesine to me? Kiris would waste it too quickly! Please don't give it to my brother! I'll prove I'll make good use of it, just wait and see!"
Giviao: Any sort of magic ritual that makes a transformation in another animal, person, or object.
Pronounciation: Jiv- EE- ow, but is sometimes said as Jiv- EE- oh-wow.
Use: "Any sort of rite in this case is useless. Not even the most powerful giviao would change this.
The froststorm plaugue: A sickness long ago that causes its victim to freeze in place for 10-20 days before leaving and spreading to another.
Pronounciation: You know already, it's rather easy to say.
Use: "Honey, that old froststorm plague thingy is long past. No worries. You don't need to worry 'bout a thing."
(October 2, 2014 - 3:47 pm)
Mysteria: A form of magic that controls secrets, mystery, and overall the unknown.
Pronounciation: Mist- TEER-ee-uh
Use: "That girl's got summat funny 'bout 'er. Some weird Mysteria magicy stuffs I dunno 'bout yet."
Korim: A wild, doglike animal with strange glowing blue eyes, greyish crystally fur, and claws that are made of a deep blue jewel with impeccable resistance to everything that threatens to break them. These animals have human-like intelligence and the ability to create and travel through portals that go to other worlds, allowing their packs to travel away quickly whenever huge trouble affects the world they are staying in. These animals are incredibly rare.
Pronounciation: Jem- kor- EEM.
Use: "I swear I saw a korim pack the other day. I'm not making it up. I swear, I saw one!"
(October 2, 2014 - 4:10 pm)
Jyvian :
A person who believes in the concept of the 4 Soul Elements .
Pyraki : The soul-fire element, often making people adventurous, brave, and heroic.
Dragons who undergo the Jyk often have a lot of Pyraki.
Kym : The stone-soul element, meaning they are wise, strong, and steady.
Good kings have souls full of Kym.
Cysse : The Star-soul element, meaning to have ultimate humbility, kindness, scarifice, and love.
No one is all Cysse.
Jibbi : The water-soul element, meaning they are kind and nourish others .
" My mother has no Jibbi, only Pyraki . "
Jyk : The test to detirmine which soul-element you have the most of.
(October 3, 2014 - 4:36 pm)
Phyla: A fairylike being under a curse that makes them eternally depressed. However, the good side of this is that the tears of Phylae (The plural of Phyla) make plants grow.
Dustpine: A tree old as old gets which grows past the clouds. They are surprisingly strong, and since they reach so high, they are known to be unclimbable. Some say their is treasure atop their highest branch. But that's just a rumour, right?
Lumar: A species of bug, sort of like a firefly, but it stays stationary its entire life. Also, it glows purple. People catch them just like fireflies sometimes and hang them in jars with crystal lids, as that is said to keep danger away.
Rillion: The power to transform any person or object it chooses, with no control over how it changes.
The glaze: A powerful substance which whenever it touches something, will freeze it in time until someone touches whatever was frozen by the glaze with a concoction made with lavender flowers, some peeled-off dustpine wood, and some broken glass. This said concoction also makes its user grow fur, which is another thing.
Dew-sprites: Sprites who can make rain, clouds, and fog, but they turn into dewdrops at night. However, they can make people turn into dewdrops at night as well, but their enchantment is lifted at a full moon.
(October 4, 2014 - 3:14 pm)
Kyphe: A small vial used for carrying medicinal herbs and is made to be opened by using your teeth to pull the top off in case your in a hurry or have no hands.
Boy name: Zephyl
Girl name: Nelatii
Zim:
A small usless spell, often used as an insult.
Example: You uselles Zim!
(October 4, 2014 - 6:23 pm)
Khami : Huge flies which kill prey by reflecting sunlight from their iridescent wings, usually iiving in swamps.
Zas : Bees which live in deserts. When their are flowers, they pollinate them, but usually they just bite you and suck your blood.
(October 7, 2014 - 3:50 pm)
Admin, when is this thread closed out of curiosity?
There are no plans to close this thread. New words can be added to the Fantasy Dictionary at any time.
Admin
(October 7, 2014 - 5:48 pm)
Um ... I submitted this comment about a week ago. I got the thing that said "your comment has been created" (something like that), but then it never got posted. What happened? Slightly confused. Anyways, here's a poem that could be in the Book of Shadows.
Beneath the boughs of ilex trees,
Amidst the roars of mighty seas,
The bridge behind me swept away by bitter tears,
Collected over many years,
I shall go away.
For ever and a day.
Beneath the boughs of ilex tree,
Stand there and wait for me
For I may yet return.
I may yet escape the weaving Norn,
And from my fate be free.
Remember, wait for the day
When moon shines bright in Aruve*,
Listen, for the star calls
Do not forget before the dew falls.
*The word Aruve was submitted by Christie M. on page 8 (I hope you don't mind) and it is "the land of dreams and sleep, where people between life and death linger."
(October 11, 2014 - 2:02 pm)
Thank you so much ! It's nice to know somebody has seen my words !
(October 11, 2014 - 4:27 pm)
(October 15, 2014 - 6:46 pm)
Question for Fred:
Will you use the Crowd Sorcery Sentences of the winning characters in the story?
(October 18, 2014 - 9:54 am)
Hi, Marigold! I'm sorry it's taken so long to answer your question! The Fantasy Dictionary is very big. I'm reviewing every word, but it takes time! No, I haven't been able to use the Sentences directly in the story; they're so specific that they don't quite fit. But I am being as faithful as possible to the characters as their creators designed them. And I'm trying to use as many words as I can from the Fantasy Dictionary. It's a lot of fun to write this story! :-)
(November 24, 2014 - 5:22 pm)