One of the many joys of being part of Critical Hit (Major Spoilers’ live-play D&D podcast, which you should totally check out, I might add) is witnessing Rodrigo’s characters in action. It seems that even the most minor NPC has a fully fleshed out voice, back story, and most of all, a name so cool it’d make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window. There is implicit terror in ‘The Thing That Shatters The Sky,’ and I can’t even consider the existence of ‘She Who Slumbers In Agony’ without getting a little twitch around the corner of my eye. Indeed, there is emotional value and great power to be had in a truly amazing name, and if the creator has done their job effectively, the right name can make you immediately fear a character that you know nothing at all about, which begs a query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is still enjoying the Halloween season, and will probably watch another scary movie before bed tonight, asking: What fictional character has the most intimidating name of all?
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First I would have to say the different “Walkers” from The Dresden Files. They are beings of super ridiculous power and no proper name in that all their names are like the examples from C.H. So far we know two: He Who Walks Behind, and the new one is He Who Walks Before.
Beyond that I would have to go with Disney here and say Malificent. because I mean, come on.
Also from Dresden Files: Ferrovax, despite only having a very minor role so far, just a name that you know you don’t want to cross.
Max Power
Simple. Strong. Hilarious.
He’s the man with the name you’d love to touch, but you mustn’t touch. His name sounds good in your ear, but when you say it, you mustn’t fear, cause his name can be said by anyone.
I personal prefer Torq’s name for him: “The Thing That Scatters The Shy.”
From the Simpsons, Gwendolyn Nightshadow, who has the birth name of Stacy Deathsatan.
Actually I practically live in tornado alley, so I find The Doctor’s name the Daleks have given him, “The Oncoming Storm”, rather frightening.
Rodrigo’s names are awesome and have really inspired me to kick my own naming conventions up a notch, but Void Gods and Greater Fae, with amazing names all, cannot match the name of the most dreadful, horrific terror-inflicting being from the Critical Hittite-verse…
Aunt Tillie.
The first time Torq mentioned her, my mind cast her as Gran’ma Ben from Bone….
When I first read Hellboy’s given name, Anung Un-Rama, I thought it sounded kind of silly. However, as Hellboy’s nature and origins are gradually explored and owing to the fact that his other name is only uttered by the darkest of beings with the worst of intentions, Anung Un-Rama started to sound a heckuva lot scarier. It’s a name that intimidates the very character that it belongs to.
Kaiser Soze. Mysterious, ruff and the reputation behind it is very intimidating.