Naming Clans

[vbfdoee]

What ideas do people have for naming Clans? Here, I'll disregard the whole "named after the founding leader" thing introduced in Secrets of the Clans.

The canon Clans aren't named directly after the landscape of their territory, with the exception of RiverClan. They're named more abstractly, but definitely not to the same extent as a lot of fan Clans (I'm speaking here of things like MoonClan, SpiritClan, DestinyClan, et cetera). Think of it as an aspect of the Clan's territory that has metaphorical significance regarding the character of the Clan.

ThunderClan is wedged right in between the Thunderpath and the twolegplace. They're probably the Clan that deals the most with Thunderpaths and twoleg monsters. Thunder could also be considered a metaphor for the character of the Clan itself, strong and striking like lightning. (thunder, lightning, same difference )

ShadowClan have a foggy, marshy territory. Their hunting and fighting techniques emphasize stealth and concealment, sticking to the shadows. They have the most "evil" sounding name, fitting their status as the designated antagonists. The problem with pinning down the character of ShadowClan is that it's difficult to separate the Clan from the mess Brokenstar made of it :\.

WindClan's territory is high open moorland, with little cover but a good view of the Clans on lower ground. Again, metaphors: WindClan are the most vulnerable to attack, but also the ones most likely to see antagonism coming and use diplomacy to their advantage.

The literal significance of RiverClan's name is fairly obvious. The metaphorical meaning is pretty clear, too. They're powerful, graceful, aloof, proud to the point of vanity.

Sorry that I got bored with the explanations . Anyway, that's my interpretation of naming Clans. You guys probably have some neat ideas of your own. Discuss

[celestialsquared]

I agree that clans should be named after something significant about both the territory and the skills of the clan. Seems there's a lot of clans take the "named after founding cat" route, but as a result, the names have little meaning and simply tells you who the founding leader was.

[Grey]

I am an advocate of naming for territory. Most location prefixes (such as marsh- or meadow-) can't be used as prefixes for individual cats, so it makes sense to use them to describe an entire clan's mentality and territory. Like a warrior's name, I believe a clan name should signify important details about the clan.

Marshclan, for example. You know at once where it's located - in a wetlands or lowland area. From that information, you can make a fair few educated guesses about the cats of the clan as a whole - they probably don't mind getting their paws wet, they're probably not picky when it comes to prey, and they're tough, probably quite resistant to wet weather and capable of hunting in difficult terrain.

If you name a clan for a founder, that tells you absolutely nothing except which cat started the clan. If given the choice, I think most clans would stay on their territory forever; the cats of the first forest only left because there was no other viable option for survival. All cats in the clan share the same territory, therefore the territory represents all cats of the clan.

This is important for the sense of unity that a clan requires. While it's true that one cat is credited with forming the clan, a clan isn't about one cat; it's about everyone. Leaders, medicine cats, elders, warriors - they all come and go. Despite this, the clan remains.

There's a pleasant sort of ancestral feel to a territory prefix for a clan anyway. Or that's what I think.

[mistytail]

I also like naming for territory. I think naming a Clan for its territory helps to create a sense of closeness to their homeland, as well as a sense of unity in the Clan. "This is our home, this is who we are, you are part of this land and this family." That spiritual closeness to the earth is probably what bind these large groups of cats together.

[cloudbat]

Definitely territory names. FoF, for example, had ForestClan. Which yes is one of the most non-creative names ever, but it works.

And now we have FogClan (they live in a territory with a daily fog), MeadowClan (self-explanatory), StreamClan (also self-explanatory) and PineClan, which lives in a dense, mainly coniferous based area.

Whenever I see NightClan and other things of that ilk I feel rather judgmental.

[leah]

I actually named mine after territory first, and then gave the names to the leaders.
Fire, Night, Rock, Storm and Leaf (I decided the first leaders didn't have -star in their names just for the purpose of avoiding laughs at the third one)

I see them mostly as metaphors for what the clans do /or/ where they are. As an example, Rockclan is obviously named for living in a Rocky area, simple as that. Stormclan, on the other hand, are fishers, like Riverclan. But I named it because, when I think of Storms, I think of Rainstorms, and Rain=Water, and Water=River for fishing. Nightclan was just because they are Night hunters, Leafclan because the camp is hidden underneath thick leaves, and Fireclan because their mythology said that the territory was shaped by fires.

It's inconsistent, but I did that on purpose. When using multiple methods of naming clans at once, it allows for more Flexibilty. This was done with the canon clans as well: Riverclan was named for the territory, Skyclan and Windclan were named for their skill, and Shadowclan and Thunderclan were named basically for what their cats are depicted as by most (Shadowclan are seen as evil/heartless/blahblah which is related to Darkness, and Thunderclan are seen as Wild and Unpredictable.)

Anyway, i think that, if a reason for naming a Clan a certain way makes sense, then it is justified and no reason to not have it as such.
Cloud, please don't judge my Nightclan ;_;

[vbfdoee]

Why is this fandom so full of unintentional Land Before Time references? Littlefoot, Leafstar...

[mistytail]

Oct 14, 2012 15:52:22 GMT -6 vbfdoee said:

Why is this fandom so full of unintentional Land Before Time references? Littlefoot, Leafstar...

Treestars, Bee! Shame, shame! >

Also Sharptooth.

[vbfdoee]

Forgive me, Misty u__u;

[mistytail]

Ehehehe, no, it's all good