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)

dranta – someone whose parents gave them to someone else.

orasa – a tool that is a metal container that you light on fire, and it gets really hot. Then, you can melt things with it.

lalicas – razors you attatch to your fingernails as weapons.

cadlibra – little scraps of paper that you use to send messages

submitted by S.E.
(April 23, 2014 - 1:45 pm)

majentiful: v, The act of performing something with flowing and stunning actions; or an eternal pool of sparkling liquid that is bone-eatingly acidic

cerenial: n, sacred altar for centuries before that was used to obtain magic; or a landmark

submitted by Akemi H., age 11
(October 10, 2014 - 3:01 pm)

Hi! I really like the how the word cerenial sounds. :)

Here's another idea – "Farewell, and may your well overflow," a traditional word of parting. 

submitted by Marigold
(October 11, 2014 - 2:41 pm)

 Santtis- curvy staff derived from a branch broken off a tree on its 100th birthday and                  soaked in moonlight for six months. 

submitted by ellie o., age 12, virginia
(May 3, 2016 - 9:24 am)

krigran – a kind of tent used by travelers that can fold up to the size of a five by eight notecard and be stashed in your pocket but can house three adults lying down--"Don't forget to bring the krigran; we've got to travel light."

hvanol – a double-bladed weapon--"Lissa whipped the hvanol from its little corner in her pack and with a flick of her wrist, snapped the blades into position."

tarunisus – an animal with a pegasus body, a horn through its forelock, and the reptilian face of a dragon. Has never been recorded to kill a human, though they don't make alliances with mortals--"We have grown up seeing the Tarunisus flying overhead, and I don't think there is a kid alive who hasn't been completely stunned by their primal magnificence."

caug – a kind of amulet worn to ward of evil, but if worn by warriors is a symbol of cowardice--"No soldier would want to be caught dead with a caug in his possession." 

submitted by Everinne, age 14
(April 23, 2014 - 5:50 pm)

I really like these ones! Very cute names.

submitted by Danielle P., age 10, California
(July 4, 2014 - 8:57 pm)

 

eremit – An animal, which lives in the forests and trees, occasionally popping up in the towns and grassy plains. Its fur is honey colored and gleams in the sunlight. When full grown, it is about as big as an adult hare without its ears, and has feet like a cat's, velvetly padded, and yet hidden, sharp claws. It's a mammal, and walks on four feet. By natural instinct, it is shy, but after a few hours of hiding and watching, it will recognize one and will cautiously approach. By hidden ways, it recognizes a person once having seen him/her before. So the few hours it takes before approach do not have to be two or three hours straight. If the appraoched person is found to be favorable, then the eremit will become a friendly friend or follower. But it takes little to startle the animal, and too fierce of a motion or tone and it will be hiding away for a while. 

 

revus – A bird, whose size ranges from a chick a few days old to a bald eagle. It's an indigo color, with soft, silky feathers. When a chick, the little birds are a surprising shade of sky blue, and yell and squall like crazy. Only when food (which consists of insects and lizards) is in their mouths or when sleep has claimed them is when the shrieks and screams are paused. As they grow older, the birds stop squalling unless frightened, and acquire the use of one word, every bird gets a different one. It repeats this word over and over, in varied tones. 

submitted by True
(April 23, 2014 - 6:18 pm)

Hahahaha! Awesome!

submitted by Sean C. , age 9, Oregon
(April 29, 2014 - 7:45 pm)

That revus is EPIC!!!!!!!Wink

submitted by Joy F., age 13, Mailbox #29
(July 3, 2014 - 3:08 pm)

*a chinchilla-like creature watchs you from the branches for an hour, leaves to eat it's lunch, comes back, watch's you for two more hours, slowly approaches* "meeet meeet meeeeeet!" You slowly sit down and hold your hand out to it. "Meat meat" you say *Laughing it smiles at you* you scratch it's chin as it purrs. Soon you and your Emerit buddy, Emerald, are exploring together far and wide.

submitted by Emerald the Emerit, age 11, Wisconsin
(April 15, 2023 - 6:55 pm)

*a chinchilla-like creature watchs you from the branches for an hour, leaves to eat it's lunch, comes back, watch's you for two more hours, slowly approaches* "meeet meeet meeeeeet!" You slowly sit down and hold your hand out to it. "Meat meat" you say *Laughing it smiles at you* you scratch it's chin as it purrs. Soon you and your Emerit buddy, Emerald, are exploring together far and wide.

submitted by Emerald the Emerit, age 11, Wisconsin
(April 15, 2023 - 7:01 pm)

This is PERFECT!! We love making up words and stories, and will definitely post more on Crowd Sorcery!

By John F.Q.: 

renheart -- Some people's souls are fragile when they are born, and half of that soul escapes and hides itself in an animal. Your renheart is that animal, and you will always recognize it. You have half of the abilities of your renheart, and the renheart has the other half.

lock-o-worck -- A magical lock that will only ever open at the second tolling of a Golden King's bell.

extronicher -- Leather goggles operated by minute clockwork and pulleys located around the rims of the lenses. They have many uses and functions, some examples are the zoom factor (zooms in on something within your sight), sight target-aim-fire (locks onto a target and fires flame-balls at it), aerodynamic lift (sort of like a rocket jet-pack that can make you fly), and compartments for toothbrush and floss. Because of the countless number of uses for these goggles, there is always some magic incorprated into their building to make sure everything fits.

mockricam -- A small lizard with a bird-like plumes on their heads and wings like those of a flying squirrel, but feathered. They can glide from the tops of trees. They eat moss, lichen, and small bugs, and are very territorial, especiallly to humans.

By CaptainRead:

forsooth -- In the southern lands, someone who states the obvious, or is willing to agree with anyone, a humbug. However, those of the northen lands once had a great hero, or a Golden King, as the title is officially, named Forsooth of Kangard, so they naturally object to this definition and instead use it to mean a great bard, hero, wandering poet, or magic-maker, because Forsooth of Kangard was all of these, and more.

vorpaslae -- A swamp that contains enough magic that the spirits of those who lived near it in life remain, usually to guide those foolhardy enough to venture into such swamps away from it safely, although some evil spirits inhabit vorpaslaes too. These spirits are sometimes known as will-o-the-wisps.

lewulfred -- (you guys can define this) 

 

submitted by John F.Q.& Cptn.Reed, age 11
(April 23, 2014 - 8:15 pm)

deruda
a silky and slippery kind of greyish fabric that is especially manufactured by elves.

swilla a rare bird with dark blue and grayish feathers; it is the size and shape of a swallow.

vrith a plant with black and white leaves that grows (very fast, and endlessly) only after a swilla sings.

leudan a person who has an connection with elves, trolls, or any mythical (or are they?) creatures. 

drupl an injury that cannot be healed.

swithyn a slab of rock that becomes a special cave that supplies everything only if a young girl with dark brown hair and royal heritage blows a flute.

opklini a wall that reacts to human touch.

gartlish an animal that is kept in a secluded room for a month with a parent.

submitted by Katie M, age 11, Chelsea,MI
(April 24, 2014 - 12:47 pm)

Lewulfred -- the mythical golden axe which has killed countless armies and the blood was never washed off the blade... with emeralds in the handle!

submitted by Allison A., age 11, Washington
(April 29, 2014 - 9:38 pm)

Hey John! Does this sound good?

Lewulfred--an extremely rare amulet that allows the wearer to use powerful magic that they normally wouldn't be able to use.

 

 

submitted by Will T., age 14, GA
(November 1, 2014 - 5:16 pm)