Naming Conventions
Praenomen - A personal name chosen at birth, which is often a variation of a parent or ancestor’s cognomen. Rarely used by itself or outside of formal settings, the Praenomen is not the name by which Solunarians are typically referred.
Nomen - The family or ‘Gens’ name, which is inherited from the parent of greater social standing in marriages of roughly balanced rank. Amongst humans, this is almost always the father, but it may vary amongst elves.
Cognomen - A personal name selected at birth which serves as the primary signifier in both formal and informal settings. This is the name one would call out to get a person’s attention
Agnomen - Reserved for Magnati (People of Note), the agnomen is an honorific title that falls at the end of a Solunarian name. For instance, the agnomen ‘Princeps’ is accorded to all major members of the Sol’Aværys Dynasty. Though most agnomen are inherited, the Crown does have the liberty to grant such titles to persons of note, such as victorious generals or treasured artists. There is no limit to the amount of agnomen that may follow a person’s proper name.
Human Naming Conventions:
Most Vastian human names typically sound Latin (e.g. Felix or Julia), Greek (e.g. Lysander or Eurydice) or Egyptian (e.g. Ramesses or Pyhia). Regardless of caste or social status, the naming customs are the same.
Examples of Vastian Nomenclature:
Vinicius Nykara Khyan Matsi Chenzira Hilana
Elven Naming Conventions:
As Re’hyæaen elves derived from an old, Hytori culture based out of Sol’Valen, there are still elements of that history ingrained in their naming customs. Though some families have adopted more Vastian-sounding names, many still hearken back to their Vallenor roots in all but their agnomen. Solunarian elves maintain the ancient Hytori custom of using the ‘Sol’ prefix for royal nomen and the ‘Val’ prefix for noble nomen. As all the Chosen of Re’ha are considered nobility in Solunarium, the ‘Len’ prefix has largely fallen out of use, except for baseborn children of legitimate Re’hyæans (Described in further detail below.)
Examples of Elven Nomenclature:
Royal:
Thalyus Vlahos-Sol’Aværys Vrædyn PrincepsRoyal:
Scylla Astræaon-Sol’Aværys Varvalla Princeps
Noble:
Leukus Val’Sorokys KyrinMartia Val’Sælyan Thessia
Naming Conventions for Baseborn Children:
Polyamory is commonplace in Solunarium. The marriage contract is strict in many ways- particularly pertaining to succession- but it does not presuppose monogamy between spouses unless special provisions are added by the couple. As such, the realm boasts many bastards across the social strata and they are not regarded with the disrespect that is common elsewhere in the world. As the blood of the Founding Deities is considered sacrosanct, a bastard of royal lineage (called an Aværyan) would actually outrank a Re’hyæan noble. Any bastard of royal stock takes the surname Val’Aværyan. A bastard of noble stock will take the nomen of the highborn parent, but with the ‘Len’ prefix in lieu of the ‘Val’. The bastard of a human usually takes the family nomen of their parent with the prefix ‘Ex’ (meaning ‘Out of’) applied. For instance, the bastard of Marcus Silvius Alexander might be named Gnæus Ex-Silvius Scamander.
Examples of Baseborn Nomenclature:
Elven Royal Bastards:
Gaius Val’Aværyan RaithenCorva Val’Aværyan Sælya
Elven Noble Bastards:
Wræstos Len’Lystreian ThalosAlia Len’Thestris Ghaia
Human Bastards:
Hector Ex-Scipio NarcissusThena Ex-Calandria Moritia