Sightings of conlangs in the wild

[alice]

The first named storm of the winter is called Arwen, which is probably the first time a name in a conlang has been used for such a purpose. Coincidentally, the original Arwen had the epithet Evenstar, and Venus has begun to be visible in the evenings.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/p ... rwen-named

[Raphael]

Great thread idea!

[Richard W]

Well, it is typically the 8,770th most common girls' name in the USA, much commoner than Galadriel, which has shown up as an adopted name in a novel.

[hwhatting]

Galadriel, which has shown up as an adopted name in a novel.

Do you refer to "Good Omens"? Although there it wasn't an adopted name, but a case of "parents give their children embarassing names". Or do you have a different novel in mind?

[Rounin Ryuuji]

I recollect reading a book when I was something like eleven or twelve called The Great Gilly Hopkins, whose main character (usually called "Gilly") was named Galadriel (I believe her mother had been a hippie). I didn't quite get the reference at the time, though, and just thought it was a fancy-sounding name.

[Richard W]

Do you refer to "Good Omens"? Although there it wasn't an adopted name, but a case of "parents give their children embarassing names". Or do you have a different novel in mind?

The one I had in mind was a hippie in Lucifer's Hammer.

[hwhatting]

The one I had in mind was a hippie in Lucifer's Hammer.

Ok, Thanks. I never heard about "Lucifer's Hammer", would you recommend it?

[Raphael]

I haven't read it, but judging from some things I've heard about it, it seems to be at least partly an ultra-reactionary revenge fantasy.

[Richard W]

I haven't read it, but judging from some things I've heard about it, it seems to be at least partly an ultra-reactionary revenge fantasy.

It's a good solid read; if you generally like Niven and Pournelle, you'll like it. It didn't come across as a revenge fantasy; the only pure revenge is very much in the background.