Nice to meet you....Yadonskhonderhader?

One weird pleasure with writing my current book, Seek the Monster, is naming my main character Hero. It tickles me because most of the people are named something like Yadonoskhonderhader, Syradansthudenen, Ahnyadarmud, or Klidermurdinstat. Granted, not even they can work with those mouthful of letters, but it's hoped that the Demons can't either and so will not torment them. Generally they use diminutives like Yadon, Syra, Ahnya, and Murd.

No, I can't pronounce them either. I only use their long names once or twice. I'm writing a list so I can spell them when I do. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't name all these guys Bob or Jill or Sam and Sue.

Naming children something like Mudbucket or Dogsguts is a time honored tradition in some older cultures. Names are a symbolic device designed to keep demons or jinn from getting too jealous of a family's precious new baby. Demons come along see this adorable infant, inquire about the name, and decide that Rottingeggs must be a baby only a mother can love.

So I played with the idea. I’ll agree I probably took the idea of naming to some ridiculous lengths, but it is rather fun coming up with names like Codburhedtend or Anshoewendie. In Seek the Monster this symbolic naming isn't iron clad. Bur or Wen are in for their share of trouble. If they misbehave and one of the Seekers catches them in the act, they risk losing anything from a finger or two, a toe, or head. The Seeker will show that the person wasn’t responsible. A demon did it. For proof they’ll do some sleight of hand and show the finger, toe, or eyes as stones. Eyes are the window to the soul, of course, and stone heads are difficult to carry.

Most of the people really believe that this is true. Demons are a concern. Seekers might have reason to know better, but they believe that their actions have purpose on a spiritual level. It might be violent at times, but it is ritual and real. They truly are saving hapless Codburhedtend from the demon that made him steal the cookies in the jar. The names are strange, but they are no joke.

What sort of trouble would a boy named Hero have in a culture like that? One could believe he is left with few defenses.

But that's part of the fun in writing.