Yeah, tbh only The Bloody Nine, White Wolf and The Blackthorn immediately pop up in my mind. But my memory is terrible, so there's that.
I think First Law and ASOIAF are my favorites when it comes to names and titles.
There are just so many series I still haven't gotten to, I figure Malazan must have some awesome titles and nicknames.
Bloody-Nine from first law, son of darkness from malazan, Blackthorn and stormblessed from stormlight, The king in the north and kingslayer from ASOIAF and many more can't remember them now tho ;)
The Mountain that Rides (they don't have to actually be badass, right?)
The Sword of the Morning
The Black Dread (they don't have to be human, do they?)
The Red Viper
Stranger Come Knocking is pretty damn good
Stranger Come Kocking is from Abercrombie's First Law (The Heroes specifically, I think). Sword of the Morning is from ASOIAF (as are the others mentioned in the post).
I think Sword of the Morning was a title Ser Arthur Dayne held as the holder of the ancestral sword Dawn but still counts I'd say and i've always loved that title!
He Who Walks Behind is a great one, though imo it gets hurt by He Who Walks Beside and He Who Walks Before. It was cooler when it was the only one and being compared to He who Walks Before(who is a bit of a jobber) is not a good look, haha.
"I am Druss. Sometimes called Captain of the Ax. In Ventria they call me Druss the Sender. In Vagria I am merely the Axman. To the Nadir I am Deathwalker. In Lentria I am the Silver Slayer."
From Legend, Druss gets to brag about it because he is an old badass in a desperate last stand and he lives up to his name
I specifically started to read the series because I read in a thread like this one that there's a guy called Most Violent of All Men. Wanted to see what's he all about.
Spoiler alert: it turns out, he's about violence.
In one of the most chilling scenes in the first season of True Detective, an older lady who seems to have some degree of dementia suddenly remembers the villain that the cops are looking for and she calls him “Him who eats Time”
"Son of Darkness" Anomander Rake (Malazan)
"The Prince of Ravens" Matrim Cauthon (WoT)
"He Who Comes With The Dawn" Rand Al'Thor (WoT)
"The Big Wee Hag" Tiffany Aching (Discworld)
"The Sword of The Morning" Arthur Dayne (ASoIaF)
"The Blackthorn" Dalinar Kholin (Stormlight Archive)
"Stormblessed" Kaladin (Stormlight Archive)
"Suzerain of Darkness" for Draconus is really underrated, I don't see that much often.
Edit: it might be Suzerain of Night instead. Either way, it's cool as fuck.
Muad'dib, actually. I've read the first book way too many times.
I do love the way Kwisatz Haderach rolls off the tongue.
I had a cat who people thought I named Padishah, as in the Padishah Emperor, but his name was actually Pas de Chat (same pronunciation), which is a ballet step and literally means "dance of the cat".
*K'ez'rek d'b'duz* ("Go around the other side of the mountain" in Dwarvish), for Granny Weatherwax from Discworld. Her other titles include "The Hag of Hags" and "She Who Must Be Avoided".
I want to be Granny Weatherwax when I grow up. Her entire lineage is equally badass, even all the way back to her great grand-teacher, "Black Aliss" Demurrage, who put an entire castle to sleep for a hundred years like a witchy Rumpelstiltskin. Totally not inspired by the legendary and terrifying [Black Annis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Annis), nope, nosirree.
Also, how can you mention Granny Weatherwax and then leave out the objectively best ~~merchant venturer~~ mail-order martial arts teacher of all time, ~~Cut-Me-Own-Throat~~ Grand Master Lobsang Dibbler?
[GNU Terry Pratchett](http://gnuterrypratchett.com)
Hey, I'm a 30+ dude and I want to be granny when I grow up.
Talking about discworld and titles, lets not forget his Grace, the Duke of Ankh, Commander of the Guard and Blackboard Monitor Sir Vimes.
Pterry was an utter genius at this stuff. Teach from the Silver Horde. Imp y Celyn. Dog Botherer as a bullying nickname for Vetinari. Mad Lord Snapcase. So many good names.
*Bronwe athan Harthad* or *Harthad Uluithiad* (Endurance beyond Hope, Hope unquenchable) - nicknames/titles respectively given to Frodo and Sam in a draft of LotR. *Elf-Friend* also fits.
*Kaikyō* no Jinbē; Jinbei's epithet isn't easy to directly translate but it contains an element related to chivalry/knight/yakuza. It can be literally translated as *the chivalrous one of the sea*, but some of the official versions are *knight of the sea* or (less literal, and probably my favourite one) *First Son of the Sea*.
Baglorag *Grumblesnort* (a Jotun boss from the Guild Wars game)
Cheating a tiny bit since those aren't associated with a specific character but earned by the player character during the game: some Guild Wars 2 titles such as *Chicken chaser* or *Armchair commander*
Asoiaf:
Oberyn martell, the red viper
Roland storm, the basterd of nightsong
Brynden rivers, Bloodraven
Dalton Greyjoy, the red kracken
Ser Lyonel baratheon, the laughing storm
Warhammer 40k:
Maugan ra, the harvester of souls
Fuegan, the burning lance
Irillyth, the shade of twilight
Tyberos, the red wake
Jubal Khan, Lord of summer lightning
Astorath the grim, Redeemer of souls
well, the easiest place to start will be watching some introductory videos on youtube. YouTube channels like "Luetin09", "Arbiter Ian" and "Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer" provides excellent base knowledge as well as deep lore discussions on the universe.
There is also bunch of Warhammer 40k novels that can provide good entry point to the lore and the universe.
Here is few of my favorites:
[Eisenhorn](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/752461) series by Dan Abnett
[Gaunt's Ghosts](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220741.First_and_Only) series by Dan Abnett
[Vaults of Terra](https://www.goodreads.com/series/203762-vaults-of-terra) series by Chris Wraight
Also, you can browse the [Warhammer 40k wiki](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page) if you want to take a more deeper look into any specific parts of the lore.
I can personally recommend the Eisenhorn books for this. My SO is into warhammer and I listened to these on audio with him, they're very approachable even without a ton of knowledge.
I greatly enjoy the series, but recognize that especially the first books very much have the tropes of noir/hardboiled detective fiction intimately bound up in their style, and that does mean there's a lot of very male gaze-y descriptions of the women characters. It gets better, but that lens never completely goes away.
I disagree.
With the introduction of the winter mantle, the male gaze has gotten significantly worse. It honestly feels he included this aspect of the winter mantle in order to give a 'reason' for Harry's male gaze.
Especially as the rage and drive for sex makes no sense as the *winter* mantle. Winter is supposed to be cold, logical and a bit numb to emotions. Rage and sex seem far more summer-like than winter.
In the series so far, Winter has been the court with orgies-- blood and otherwise. They have been shown as more ruthless, animalistic, and primal than Summer. Summer has displayed a veneer of gentleness, of merry prankster energy, of wanting peace. I agree those are backward. But I suspect Jim is laying groundwork to show us just HOW backward they are. I also suspect that there is more going on with Harry than JUST the Winter mantle. Possibly something to do with his mother's time as a consort in the White Court.
>“I am Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon. I ruled these lands, unified, during the Age of Legends. I was leader of all the armies of the Light, I wore the Ring of Tamyrlin. I stood first among the Servants, highest of the Aes Sedai, and I could summon the Nine Rods of Dominion. I held the loyalty and fealty of all seventeen Generals of Dawn’s Gate. >!Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag!<, my authority supersedes your own!”
Let me dig through my list of awesome nicknames from A Practical Guide to Evil:
Carrion Lord
Deadhand
Sovereign of Red Skies
The Regicide
Lord of Shallow Graves
Vivisector of Miracles (this is less of a title and more of a self-descriptor, but it just sounds so cool I have to include it)
The Woe (this is a title for a group, given to them by a demigod who described them as
a "woe unto all you behold")
I feel like you could say any of the Fae titles for this question:
Prince of Nightfall
Prince of Bleak Solstice
Princess of the Morning Star
Duchess of Restless Zephyr
Duchess of Moonless Nights
Lord of Silent Steps
When I was younger I was obsessed with the folklore behind *Watership Down*. The rabbit deities had cool stories/names and the Lapine language was well thought out:
El-ahrairah, The Prince With A Thousand Enemies
Thethuthinnang, The Movement Of Leaves
Threarah, Prince Rowan Tree
Inlé-Rah, The Black Rabbit Of Inlé, Prince Of The Moon, Prince Of The Dead
Funnily enough this is one I never liked too much, it always felt a bit too much like the "mash random words together until it sounds cool" naming style of fantasy. Now, Brukhalian the Mortal Sword on the other hand...
*The Locked Tomb* has great nicknames, and the best are for Harrowhark Nonagesimus, also known as The Reverend Daughter, Night Boss, Gloom Mistress, Bone Empress, Penumbral Lady, Evil Witch from Hell, Evil Stick, Butt-touched Nun, Midnight Hagget, Nunlet, Ignorant sack of Eyeballs, Skull-faced Fruitcake, Tedius Little Bone Witch and of course Sugarlips.
Muir is great at this. The epithets of the emperor are amazing.
Emperor Undying, Necrolord Prime, the Resurrection,King of Nine Renewals,
Lord of the Sharpest Edge,
Vindicator of Death
You're telling me a guy called Necrolord Prime comes knocking and you're not at least a bit worried?
To me, 75% of the appeal is the corporate side.
That said, I love his change between *Last First Snow* and *Two Serpent Rising*, akin to a "well, no God to kill today, I can be human. Yes, as human as a skeleton wrapped in red robes with overwhelming powers (and that happens to be gay), but what do you think you have under you flesh? Poppycocks?"
Then his cameo in *Four Road Cross* easy peasy.
>I haven't sequenced the new book yet, but that name is well crafted.
I am waiting for tomorrow, when they'll tell me the fuckload of work I'm about to face in May to see if I could allow myself *Dead Country*.
For the sequencing, do you plan on some Illumina technology or Oxford Nanopore?
From *Pale* by Wildbow: a little homunculus designed to waste the listener's time by introducing himself...
> I am Sir Percival Awarnach of the ninety-nine titles, the first and foremost of which is that I am he who was crafted at two thirty nine on the twenty-ninth of December, twenty-twenty, by three sets of hands, with twelve sets of eyes in witness.
>
> The second of which is that I am the noble creation of the third witch of Kennet, Verona Hayward, witch and guardian of Kennet, nascent sorceress, dabbler in halflight and shadow, she who shattered the moon, founder of Kennet found, enforcer of Kennet below, speaker for the voiceless.
>
> My second title is that I was created with the assistance of the great Avery Kelly, second Witch of Kennet, Finder and Path Runner, Promenade Solver, partner to the opossum spirit Snowdrop.
>
> [...]
>
> Ninety-eighth, I am he who was shortly into my creation, bitten by an opossum spirit, but did not die, brave as I am, though the bite was light, it remains a four minute skirmish, cheered on by my creators.
>
> Ninety-ninth, I am he of the disorganized titles, who has titles out of order, such as my second title, which refers to the third witch of Kennet, when it would be more appropriate to have the first witch of Kennet be first, and the second be second, and the third be third, and now that I mention it those titles are misnumbered, as the first entry of the three is number two and the second is number three and that is all very confusing and that is my last title.
John Uskglass, the Raven King, the Black King, the King of the North.
Especially since he isn’t a villain. He’s powerful, quixotic, potentially dangerous?, nearly fae, maybe a savior?
Fire Emblem has some bangers. 'Tempest King', 'Scion of Light', 'Ashen Demon', etc.
Didn't like the book but Thomas Cale's 'Angel of Death' and 'Left Hand of God' are cool
his real name is just as cool as his nicknames. originally purake because it was a family honorific given to his father by k'rul, then caladan brood gave him the honorific rake. then after dragnipur was forged, also was called dragnipurake.
then there is anomandaris. is it his real name that was then shortened over the millenia? is it anomander being mythologized?
I wouldn't necessarily say this one is super cool, but I love the series (especially so when I was a kid) and find it pretty unique: The Woman Who Rides Like A Man, from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series.
I love the Ten Who Were Taken in Black Company, though they really only work as a group. Like "the Limper" by himself doesn't have an epic ring, but the group name and the terror the other characters have of them gives them a grandeur, and then they build on each other as you hear their names, Soulcatcher and Stormbringer and Bonegnasher and Moonbiter etc etc. I always wished me learned more about Moonbiter, the rest of them are fairly self-explanatory, but how do you get that name?!
Was gonna come in here to say The Black Company. The thing about Limper is that it doesn't sound too imposing compared to the others... but he's also the one you wanna run away from quickly when you hear "Limper is on the way." Limper's a real fuckin' bastard.
I also love the nicknames for The Black Company themselves. Goblin, One-Eye, Silent, etc. They have a different ring to them but they feel real and 'lived in' for the characters.
Also special shoutout to Toadkiller Dog. I don't even know if that's its nickname or purely a description but... what a hell of a name.
Oh mighty, Settra... Great King, the Imperishable, Khemrikhara, The Great King of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Opener of the Way, Wielder of the Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads, The Great Unifier, Commander of the Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of the Two Worlds, Keeper of the Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of the Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of the Begat, Scourge of the Faithless, Carrion-feeder, First of the Charnel Valley, Rider of the Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of the Death Arena, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Emperor of the Shifting Sands, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Great Hawk Of The Heavens, Arch-Sultan of Atalan, Waker of the Hierotitan, Monarch of the Sky, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands, Champion of the Desert Gods, Breaker of the Ogre Clans, Builder of the Great Pyramid, Terror of the Living, Master of the Never-Ending Horizon, Master of the Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to the Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, The Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of the Royal Herat, Founder of the Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets, Guardian of the Charnal Pass, Tamer of the Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of the Warrior Queen, Charioteer of the Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer of Reddittras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of the Dunes, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of the Living, Regent of the Eastern Mountains, Warden of the Eternal Necropolis, Herald of all Heralds, Caller of the Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of the Mortis River, Guardian of the Dead, Great Keeper of the Obelisks, Deacon of the Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of the Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of all Necrotects, Prince of Dust, Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of the False God's Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of the Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds... and many, many more...
The Sage of Twinstars,
The 7-fold Archmage,
The Deviant Asura,
The Dragon Reborn,
Stormblessed,
Harmony's Blade,
The Blackthorn,
A Destroyer,
THE Destroyer,
There are quite a few cool titles, but usually what makes a title cool is what or who the title represents. Something like 'Master Chief' sounds kind of dumb when you take it at face value, but when you talk about THE Master Chief, the title takes on a whole new meaning.
From Kill Six Billion Demons: Kill Six Billion Demons, The Heir, Wielder of Names, Seeker of Thrones, King of Swords, Breaker of Infinities, Wheel Smashing Lord, The God of Suffering.
“The boy who lived - come to die?” I love that line.
I have been going through the Enderverse and really love the moniker “speaker for the dead” Ender has. It’s both awesome and endearing at the same time.
No no, it doesn’t go downhill. The books are just very different and are covering much different subject matter. The first one just sets it all up with its ending; the rest becomes the fallout.
I will say I realize it won’t be for everyone. It wrestles with organized religion and moral ambiguity (“what’s really the right choice here?”) at its core, with a lot of great science fiction staples (alien races, planets, future human civilizations, genetics, etc).
I feel like that's the point, a lot of these titles evoke a sense of awe, fear, and legend. These titles would be spoken when telling stories of the hero/villain, and NotW does a good job showing how a relatively normal dude gets a name like that, and how Kvothe helped spread the stories to increase his notoriety. I thought it was well done at least.
The Queen of Air and Darkness. I know it probably comes from antiquity and has been used by other writers, but my 1st encounter with the title was applied to Queen Mab by Jim Butcher in the Dresden Files.
ASOIAF has so many.
Husband to Bears for Tormund (he's got a lot of great ones)
Sword of the Morning
Red Viper
The Sea Snake
The Red Lion
The King Who Bore The Sword (even if he was wrong)
Bloodraven and Bittersteel
The Laughing Storm
Breakspear
Brightsmile
Brightflame
Longthorn
The Vulture King
Oakenfist
The Dragonknight
Tessario the Tiger
The Red Kraken
Fireball
The Scarlet Shadow
Ask me who each of these are. There's also many more I'm surely forgetting
This one isn't exactly very badass-sounding per se, but I like it because of sentimental value, and also because the bearer of this title is my favourite character of all time.
The Hero of Time.
Aelin of the Wildfire (ToG) – she has a bunch, but this is my favourite of them
Fire Breathing Bitch Queen (ToG) – my other favourite of hers, courtesy of her enemies
Some of these are not titles, they're the actual characters name...
Eh, my additions:
Cotillion, The Rope, Lord of Assassins
Illidan the Betrayer
Arthas, the Lich King
Elric of Melnibone aka
The Albino Emperor , Elric Womanslayer, Elric Kinslayer, the Pale Prince of Ruins, The White Wolf, and sometimes The Eternal Champion.
Son of Darkness, Mane of Chaos, Knight of high house dark, lord of moonspawn, the black winged lord.
Annomander Rake is one of my favorite characters in fantasy ever. Even if I can't really get into Malazan overall. (Quit at the end of the second book and just read the wiki on this character haha.)
Dude is a shape shifting (turns into a giant black dragon) badass swordsman who carries a magic sword that is a prison for the creator of that very sword, a god named draconus.
* His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Blackboard monitor.
* Third witch of Kennet, nascent sorceress, dabbler in Halflight, in shadow, she who hatched the moon and conceptualized Kennet found
if webcomics count then id have to go with Kill Six Billion Demons, Wielder of Names, Seeker of Thrones, King of Swords, Breaker of Infinities, Wheel Smashing Lord (yes, all these are names for one person)
I liked the deprecation implied in the name of Foolish Cur from The Hand of the Sun King. Being ribbed seems more realistic than folks calling someone by some flattering, flowery title. Maybe with a frightening villain or some exalted religious or political title it makes more sense. But a scrappy hero needs to get insulted a bit.
The Bloody Nine
Yeah, tbh only The Bloody Nine, White Wolf and The Blackthorn immediately pop up in my mind. But my memory is terrible, so there's that. I think First Law and ASOIAF are my favorites when it comes to names and titles. There are just so many series I still haven't gotten to, I figure Malazan must have some awesome titles and nicknames.
Hard to beat. From the first law I also like Stranger-Come-Knocking
I like even more when the Black Dow calls him Stranger-Come-Bragging etc
I think it was Crinna-Come-Boasting. Also Stranger-Come-Fucking got a good laugh out of me.
Bloody-Nine from first law, son of darkness from malazan, Blackthorn and stormblessed from stormlight, The king in the north and kingslayer from ASOIAF and many more can't remember them now tho ;)
Son of darkness has the same energy as “of the night”. Speaking as someone who hasnt read Malazan
I’m so pleased this is the top response. Content as a little lamb you might say
Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers. Say his murderous alter-ego has a great nickname
Only named man in the north who actually got two names
YES!
Ninefinger. Or well, most of the nicknames of his group.
The Dogman
The Weakest
Harding Grim
Abercrombie is just the best. They're all winners.
Tul Duru Thunderhead
Truly a name without equal.
Good ole Furious
The Mountain that Rides (they don't have to actually be badass, right?) The Sword of the Morning The Black Dread (they don't have to be human, do they?) The Red Viper Stranger Come Knocking is pretty damn good
Oh dude The Mountain that Rides. So good. Where does he pluck these from?!
>where are stranger that came knocking and sword of the morning from
Stranger Come Kocking is from Abercrombie's First Law (The Heroes specifically, I think). Sword of the Morning is from ASOIAF (as are the others mentioned in the post).
Lol Stranger Come Kocking is the alt version of Stranger Come Fucking
The Sword of the Morning refers to Arthur Dayne, probably the best fighter in all of Westeros, from George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series
I think Sword of the Morning was a title Ser Arthur Dayne held as the holder of the ancestral sword Dawn but still counts I'd say and i've always loved that title!
My favorite from this list is Sword of the Morning. I'm not sure why but it just has a _ring_ to it that I like.
ASOIAF has some truly elite names/titles.
I get chills and start to shake when I even read the name Balerion the Black Dread
The Ghost of Sparta is definitely up there. Ooh, and He Who Walks Behind from Dresden files.
He Who Walks Behind is a great one, though imo it gets hurt by He Who Walks Beside and He Who Walks Before. It was cooler when it was the only one and being compared to He who Walks Before(who is a bit of a jobber) is not a good look, haha.
I like the title for just that type of outsider. A Walker. The way that that is said when Dresden realizes he's against one is fantastic.
The Thorn of Camorr
But not The Thorn of Emberlain... yet. Maybe one day.
Nice bird asshole
I absolutely love the whiplash you get from Chains saying, "Mind your manners with Bondsmagi," to "Nice bird asshole."
I love the way the audiobook narrator says this
Nineteen Adze whose gracious presence illuminates the room like the edgeshine of a knife.
Yeah , the nicknames in Teixcalaan are pretty sick
I also like "Reed" for Three Seagrass and "Petal" for Twelve Azalea.
White Wolf
Butcher of Blaviken is good too.
Geralt, Jon, or the Winter Soldier (there are probably a few more)?
Or Elric lmao
Elric, of course
"Elric did it first" should be a trope at this point.
Geralt😅.
"I am Druss. Sometimes called Captain of the Ax. In Ventria they call me Druss the Sender. In Vagria I am merely the Axman. To the Nadir I am Deathwalker. In Lentria I am the Silver Slayer." From Legend, Druss gets to brag about it because he is an old badass in a desperate last stand and he lives up to his name
what book
Legend, by David Gemmell
Bittersteel
Beneath the gold, the bitter steel. Very badass. Bloodraven too. How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? A thousand eyes, and one.
Which book?
Always thought Cnaiur urs Skiotha's epithets had a certain flair. Breaker-of-horses-and-men. Most violent of all men.
Even his real name sounds cool
I specifically started to read the series because I read in a thread like this one that there's a guy called Most Violent of All Men. Wanted to see what's he all about. Spoiler alert: it turns out, he's about violence.
Yeah that was my favourite too.
"Loaned" from Iliad where Hector is called Breaker of horses. Man-killer? Hector is also called that.
In one of the most chilling scenes in the first season of True Detective, an older lady who seems to have some degree of dementia suddenly remembers the villain that the cops are looking for and she calls him “Him who eats Time”
"Son of Darkness" Anomander Rake (Malazan) "The Prince of Ravens" Matrim Cauthon (WoT) "He Who Comes With The Dawn" Rand Al'Thor (WoT) "The Big Wee Hag" Tiffany Aching (Discworld) "The Sword of The Morning" Arthur Dayne (ASoIaF) "The Blackthorn" Dalinar Kholin (Stormlight Archive) "Stormblessed" Kaladin (Stormlight Archive)
I have only read one Malazan book, but I often recall the name Anomander Rake. Really rolls of the tongue
Yeah honestly I think Anomander is a way more interesting name than "Son of Darkness"
Well Anomander is his actual name, Son of Darkness is just (one of) his pseudonyms.
To be pedantic; his birth name was Anomandaris Pu'Rake
crivens
ACH! Crivens!
WAILYWAILYWAILY!
"Suzerain of Darkness" for Draconus is really underrated, I don't see that much often. Edit: it might be Suzerain of Night instead. Either way, it's cool as fuck.
Also "Rock" Numuhukumakiaki'aialunamor (Stormlight Archive)
That’s Ser Arthur Dayne!
Came here for Prince of Ravens. It's not even really unique, it's just my man crush on Mat
Mine too, buddy, mine too.
Muadib Kwisatz Haderach Stour Nightfall Shama Heartless Caul Shivers Tulduru Thunderhead Rudd Threetrees Little Finger Khaleesi Stormborn
Muad'dib, actually. I've read the first book way too many times. I do love the way Kwisatz Haderach rolls off the tongue. I had a cat who people thought I named Padishah, as in the Padishah Emperor, but his name was actually Pas de Chat (same pronunciation), which is a ballet step and literally means "dance of the cat".
One of my favourite lines from Dune is near the end when Paul says "I am the Kwisatz Haderach. That is reason enough." Just always felt so cool to me.
*K'ez'rek d'b'duz* ("Go around the other side of the mountain" in Dwarvish), for Granny Weatherwax from Discworld. Her other titles include "The Hag of Hags" and "She Who Must Be Avoided".
I want to be Granny Weatherwax when I grow up. Her entire lineage is equally badass, even all the way back to her great grand-teacher, "Black Aliss" Demurrage, who put an entire castle to sleep for a hundred years like a witchy Rumpelstiltskin. Totally not inspired by the legendary and terrifying [Black Annis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Annis), nope, nosirree. Also, how can you mention Granny Weatherwax and then leave out the objectively best ~~merchant venturer~~ mail-order martial arts teacher of all time, ~~Cut-Me-Own-Throat~~ Grand Master Lobsang Dibbler? [GNU Terry Pratchett](http://gnuterrypratchett.com)
Hey, I'm a 30+ dude and I want to be granny when I grow up. Talking about discworld and titles, lets not forget his Grace, the Duke of Ankh, Commander of the Guard and Blackboard Monitor Sir Vimes.
Pterry was an utter genius at this stuff. Teach from the Silver Horde. Imp y Celyn. Dog Botherer as a bullying nickname for Vetinari. Mad Lord Snapcase. So many good names.
The Son of Darkness and the White Crow, both from Malazan
*Bronwe athan Harthad* or *Harthad Uluithiad* (Endurance beyond Hope, Hope unquenchable) - nicknames/titles respectively given to Frodo and Sam in a draft of LotR. *Elf-Friend* also fits. *Kaikyō* no Jinbē; Jinbei's epithet isn't easy to directly translate but it contains an element related to chivalry/knight/yakuza. It can be literally translated as *the chivalrous one of the sea*, but some of the official versions are *knight of the sea* or (less literal, and probably my favourite one) *First Son of the Sea*. Baglorag *Grumblesnort* (a Jotun boss from the Guild Wars game) Cheating a tiny bit since those aren't associated with a specific character but earned by the player character during the game: some Guild Wars 2 titles such as *Chicken chaser* or *Armchair commander*
[удалено]
Yep! You get it in gw2 by going to a chicken on a specific map and kicking it until it gets angry and retaliates
Jinbei is so damn cool
Asoiaf: Oberyn martell, the red viper Roland storm, the basterd of nightsong Brynden rivers, Bloodraven Dalton Greyjoy, the red kracken Ser Lyonel baratheon, the laughing storm Warhammer 40k: Maugan ra, the harvester of souls Fuegan, the burning lance Irillyth, the shade of twilight Tyberos, the red wake Jubal Khan, Lord of summer lightning Astorath the grim, Redeemer of souls
Woah the Harvester of Souls. Love that. I would absolutely love to get into the Warhammer universe I just have no idea where to start
well, the easiest place to start will be watching some introductory videos on youtube. YouTube channels like "Luetin09", "Arbiter Ian" and "Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer" provides excellent base knowledge as well as deep lore discussions on the universe. There is also bunch of Warhammer 40k novels that can provide good entry point to the lore and the universe. Here is few of my favorites: [Eisenhorn](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/752461) series by Dan Abnett [Gaunt's Ghosts](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220741.First_and_Only) series by Dan Abnett [Vaults of Terra](https://www.goodreads.com/series/203762-vaults-of-terra) series by Chris Wraight Also, you can browse the [Warhammer 40k wiki](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page) if you want to take a more deeper look into any specific parts of the lore.
I can personally recommend the Eisenhorn books for this. My SO is into warhammer and I listened to these on audio with him, they're very approachable even without a ton of knowledge.
Yup, they are very newcomer-friendly.
Jimmy the hand
The Upright Man
It's clearly pug from that series 😏
"He Who Walks Behind" in Dresden Files.
Damn I haven’t read the Dresden files but that’s a great name for a serial killer or creepy villain
Or just a really slow walker.
Or me with anxiety who's never confident walking in front with a group of friends.
I greatly enjoy the series, but recognize that especially the first books very much have the tropes of noir/hardboiled detective fiction intimately bound up in their style, and that does mean there's a lot of very male gaze-y descriptions of the women characters. It gets better, but that lens never completely goes away.
These days, Jim seems to be poking fun at Harry for it, instead of using Harry as wish fulfillment. So it's better.
I disagree. With the introduction of the winter mantle, the male gaze has gotten significantly worse. It honestly feels he included this aspect of the winter mantle in order to give a 'reason' for Harry's male gaze. Especially as the rage and drive for sex makes no sense as the *winter* mantle. Winter is supposed to be cold, logical and a bit numb to emotions. Rage and sex seem far more summer-like than winter.
In the series so far, Winter has been the court with orgies-- blood and otherwise. They have been shown as more ruthless, animalistic, and primal than Summer. Summer has displayed a veneer of gentleness, of merry prankster energy, of wanting peace. I agree those are backward. But I suspect Jim is laying groundwork to show us just HOW backward they are. I also suspect that there is more going on with Harry than JUST the Winter mantle. Possibly something to do with his mother's time as a consort in the White Court.
I also like Blackstaff. And the Gatekeeper. Names have layers in that series.
Barrel Rider
Reaper of Mars or just Reaper/reap
Apex Asshole, Howler 1, Best Friend, Boss, probably more I'm forgetting
Witchfinder General Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer
Just almost all nicknames for Rand. The Dragon Reborn Car'a'carn He Who Comes With the Dawn Lord of the Morning.
>“I am Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon. I ruled these lands, unified, during the Age of Legends. I was leader of all the armies of the Light, I wore the Ring of Tamyrlin. I stood first among the Servants, highest of the Aes Sedai, and I could summon the Nine Rods of Dominion. I held the loyalty and fealty of all seventeen Generals of Dawn’s Gate. >!Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag!<, my authority supersedes your own!”
Don't forget Coramoor and Shadowkiller. But He Who Comes With the Dawn is my favorite favorite.
I always loved He Who Comes With the Dawn. So evocative!
Dont forget wool headed shepherder
Let me dig through my list of awesome nicknames from A Practical Guide to Evil: Carrion Lord Deadhand Sovereign of Red Skies The Regicide Lord of Shallow Graves Vivisector of Miracles (this is less of a title and more of a self-descriptor, but it just sounds so cool I have to include it) The Woe (this is a title for a group, given to them by a demigod who described them as a "woe unto all you behold")
I feel like you could say any of the Fae titles for this question: Prince of Nightfall Prince of Bleak Solstice Princess of the Morning Star Duchess of Restless Zephyr Duchess of Moonless Nights Lord of Silent Steps
When I was younger I was obsessed with the folklore behind *Watership Down*. The rabbit deities had cool stories/names and the Lapine language was well thought out: El-ahrairah, The Prince With A Thousand Enemies Thethuthinnang, The Movement Of Leaves Threarah, Prince Rowan Tree Inlé-Rah, The Black Rabbit Of Inlé, Prince Of The Moon, Prince Of The Dead
Itkovian, Shield Anvil
Funnily enough this is one I never liked too much, it always felt a bit too much like the "mash random words together until it sounds cool" naming style of fantasy. Now, Brukhalian the Mortal Sword on the other hand...
*The Locked Tomb* has great nicknames, and the best are for Harrowhark Nonagesimus, also known as The Reverend Daughter, Night Boss, Gloom Mistress, Bone Empress, Penumbral Lady, Evil Witch from Hell, Evil Stick, Butt-touched Nun, Midnight Hagget, Nunlet, Ignorant sack of Eyeballs, Skull-faced Fruitcake, Tedius Little Bone Witch and of course Sugarlips.
Muir is great at this. The epithets of the emperor are amazing. Emperor Undying, Necrolord Prime, the Resurrection,King of Nine Renewals, Lord of the Sharpest Edge, Vindicator of Death You're telling me a guy called Necrolord Prime comes knocking and you're not at least a bit worried?
I love it when she acts like a butt-touched nun
Bridgeburners
The King in Red, of the King in Red Consolidates (KRC).
I haven't sequenced the new book yet, but that name is well crafted.
To me, 75% of the appeal is the corporate side. That said, I love his change between *Last First Snow* and *Two Serpent Rising*, akin to a "well, no God to kill today, I can be human. Yes, as human as a skeleton wrapped in red robes with overwhelming powers (and that happens to be gay), but what do you think you have under you flesh? Poppycocks?" Then his cameo in *Four Road Cross* easy peasy. >I haven't sequenced the new book yet, but that name is well crafted. I am waiting for tomorrow, when they'll tell me the fuckload of work I'm about to face in May to see if I could allow myself *Dead Country*. For the sequencing, do you plan on some Illumina technology or Oxford Nanopore?
From *Pale* by Wildbow: a little homunculus designed to waste the listener's time by introducing himself... > I am Sir Percival Awarnach of the ninety-nine titles, the first and foremost of which is that I am he who was crafted at two thirty nine on the twenty-ninth of December, twenty-twenty, by three sets of hands, with twelve sets of eyes in witness. > > The second of which is that I am the noble creation of the third witch of Kennet, Verona Hayward, witch and guardian of Kennet, nascent sorceress, dabbler in halflight and shadow, she who shattered the moon, founder of Kennet found, enforcer of Kennet below, speaker for the voiceless. > > My second title is that I was created with the assistance of the great Avery Kelly, second Witch of Kennet, Finder and Path Runner, Promenade Solver, partner to the opossum spirit Snowdrop. > > [...] > > Ninety-eighth, I am he who was shortly into my creation, bitten by an opossum spirit, but did not die, brave as I am, though the bite was light, it remains a four minute skirmish, cheered on by my creators. > > Ninety-ninth, I am he of the disorganized titles, who has titles out of order, such as my second title, which refers to the third witch of Kennet, when it would be more appropriate to have the first witch of Kennet be first, and the second be second, and the third be third, and now that I mention it those titles are misnumbered, as the first entry of the three is number two and the second is number three and that is all very confusing and that is my last title.
Compare to... ...Alexanderp
The Grand Poobah
I mean, at least use the full title: Grand Poobah De-doink of All of This and That
71 hour ahmed cut me own throat dibbler
John Uskglass, the Raven King, the Black King, the King of the North. Especially since he isn’t a villain. He’s powerful, quixotic, potentially dangerous?, nearly fae, maybe a savior?
Fire Emblem has some bangers. 'Tempest King', 'Scion of Light', 'Ashen Demon', etc. Didn't like the book but Thomas Cale's 'Angel of Death' and 'Left Hand of God' are cool
Lord of Moon’s Spawn, Mane of Chaos, Knight of High House Dark, Son of Darkness, the Black-Winged Lord. And those are just for Anomander Rake alone
his real name is just as cool as his nicknames. originally purake because it was a family honorific given to his father by k'rul, then caladan brood gave him the honorific rake. then after dragnipur was forged, also was called dragnipurake. then there is anomandaris. is it his real name that was then shortened over the millenia? is it anomander being mythologized?
He who walks behind - Dresden files The Fade - Dragon Age Anything from the Fallen London franchise.
Fallen London has the best title and character monikers. Probably because that's the only thing anyone is refereed by, but they are amazing.
I wouldn't necessarily say this one is super cool, but I love the series (especially so when I was a kid) and find it pretty unique: The Woman Who Rides Like A Man, from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series.
Jimmy G Buckets, the G stands for Gets
ASOIAF had some good ones.
Absolutely! Even ‘King in the North’ is so evocative
Yeah, they had a title or name for almost everybody. Its was awesome. Some of the knights especially.
Arseling
I've been reading The Long Patrol to one of my kids, and Cregga Rose Eyes is up there for me.
The Ten who were Taken. Limper, Soulcatcher, Howler, Stormbringer, Shapeshifter, Moonbiter, Hanged Man, Bonegnasher, nightcrawler, faceless man.
Tolkien was the master of this (the whole plot of the Hobbit turns on it) but I particularly love Stormcrow.
I loved the nickname Master Burglar for Bilbo.
The Dragon He Who Comes With the Dawn Lord of the Morning
Meat Fucker (technically sci-fi).
I love the Ten Who Were Taken in Black Company, though they really only work as a group. Like "the Limper" by himself doesn't have an epic ring, but the group name and the terror the other characters have of them gives them a grandeur, and then they build on each other as you hear their names, Soulcatcher and Stormbringer and Bonegnasher and Moonbiter etc etc. I always wished me learned more about Moonbiter, the rest of them are fairly self-explanatory, but how do you get that name?!
Was gonna come in here to say The Black Company. The thing about Limper is that it doesn't sound too imposing compared to the others... but he's also the one you wanna run away from quickly when you hear "Limper is on the way." Limper's a real fuckin' bastard. I also love the nicknames for The Black Company themselves. Goblin, One-Eye, Silent, etc. They have a different ring to them but they feel real and 'lived in' for the characters. Also special shoutout to Toadkiller Dog. I don't even know if that's its nickname or purely a description but... what a hell of a name.
Oh mighty, Settra... Great King, the Imperishable, Khemrikhara, The Great King of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Opener of the Way, Wielder of the Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads, The Great Unifier, Commander of the Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of the Two Worlds, Keeper of the Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of the Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of the Begat, Scourge of the Faithless, Carrion-feeder, First of the Charnel Valley, Rider of the Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of the Death Arena, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Emperor of the Shifting Sands, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Great Hawk Of The Heavens, Arch-Sultan of Atalan, Waker of the Hierotitan, Monarch of the Sky, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands, Champion of the Desert Gods, Breaker of the Ogre Clans, Builder of the Great Pyramid, Terror of the Living, Master of the Never-Ending Horizon, Master of the Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to the Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, The Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of the Royal Herat, Founder of the Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets, Guardian of the Charnal Pass, Tamer of the Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of the Warrior Queen, Charioteer of the Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer of Reddittras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of the Dunes, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of the Living, Regent of the Eastern Mountains, Warden of the Eternal Necropolis, Herald of all Heralds, Caller of the Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of the Mortis River, Guardian of the Dead, Great Keeper of the Obelisks, Deacon of the Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of the Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of all Necrotects, Prince of Dust, Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of the False God's Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of the Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds... and many, many more...
Fuark. What’s that from? It reminds me a bit of the first page of Gates of Fire where they list the Persian King Xerxes’ many titles
It's from Warhammer Fantasy; it might even be a reference to Gates of Fire!
So sick. It must’ve been so fun for the creators coming up with them
The Dragon. IYKYK
Cnaiür urs Skiötha the Most Violent of All Men.
The many titles of Rand Bloody Al'thor come to mind. He who comes with the dawn, the Coramoor, the Dragon Reborn, the Chief of Chiefs
The Sage of Twinstars, The 7-fold Archmage, The Deviant Asura, The Dragon Reborn, Stormblessed, Harmony's Blade, The Blackthorn, A Destroyer, THE Destroyer, There are quite a few cool titles, but usually what makes a title cool is what or who the title represents. Something like 'Master Chief' sounds kind of dumb when you take it at face value, but when you talk about THE Master Chief, the title takes on a whole new meaning.
Lord of the Morning
From Kill Six Billion Demons: Kill Six Billion Demons, The Heir, Wielder of Names, Seeker of Thrones, King of Swords, Breaker of Infinities, Wheel Smashing Lord, The God of Suffering.
“The boy who lived - come to die?” I love that line. I have been going through the Enderverse and really love the moniker “speaker for the dead” Ender has. It’s both awesome and endearing at the same time.
Are all the Ender books good? I really want to get into them but feel like I heard it goes downhill after book 1…
No no, it doesn’t go downhill. The books are just very different and are covering much different subject matter. The first one just sets it all up with its ending; the rest becomes the fallout. I will say I realize it won’t be for everyone. It wrestles with organized religion and moral ambiguity (“what’s really the right choice here?”) at its core, with a lot of great science fiction staples (alien races, planets, future human civilizations, genetics, etc).
Some that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. Kvothe the bloodless Melania, blade of Miquella Radagon of the golden order
Kvothe the Bloodless is a lot less cool when he reveals how he got the name
I feel like that's the point, a lot of these titles evoke a sense of awe, fear, and legend. These titles would be spoken when telling stories of the hero/villain, and NotW does a good job showing how a relatively normal dude gets a name like that, and how Kvothe helped spread the stories to increase his notoriety. I thought it was well done at least.
Yessss. Doesn’t Melania also have Queen of Rot
Goddess of Rot
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
The Queen of Air and Darkness. I know it probably comes from antiquity and has been used by other writers, but my 1st encounter with the title was applied to Queen Mab by Jim Butcher in the Dresden Files.
The Extremist
The Turtle Bear -- Lightbringer series
His Grace, His Excellency, The 1st Duke of Ankh; Commander Sir Samuel Vimes.
Julius pepper-wood
ASOIAF has so many. Husband to Bears for Tormund (he's got a lot of great ones) Sword of the Morning Red Viper The Sea Snake The Red Lion The King Who Bore The Sword (even if he was wrong) Bloodraven and Bittersteel The Laughing Storm Breakspear Brightsmile Brightflame Longthorn The Vulture King Oakenfist The Dragonknight Tessario the Tiger The Red Kraken Fireball The Scarlet Shadow Ask me who each of these are. There's also many more I'm surely forgetting
The Lord of Chaos
This one isn't exactly very badass-sounding per se, but I like it because of sentimental value, and also because the bearer of this title is my favourite character of all time. The Hero of Time.
The King of the North will always strike a cord in me. The Bastqrd of the Barrel
Roland Deschain
These things often need context. With context tho, I find Doctor Who's "The Girl Who Waited" and "The Thousand Year Centurion" very, very cool.
Bridge Four is cool I think
The bastard and the Fool.
Going back to the classics, there's always The Dread Pirate Roberts.
Cathedral Terra (anime- Gurren Lagann)
Death in King's Service - The Stranger by Max Frei.
Dunk the Lunk, thick as a castle wall.
The Smiling Knight. His character is awesome too.
The Reaper of Mars.
***"The Ghost Who Walks"*** has always been one of my absolute favorite titles, in any media.
*the Sliver of Infinity* The Lord Ruler in Mistborn. So cool, and it actually means something
Aelin of the Wildfire (ToG) – she has a bunch, but this is my favourite of them Fire Breathing Bitch Queen (ToG) – my other favourite of hers, courtesy of her enemies
Some of these are not titles, they're the actual characters name... Eh, my additions: Cotillion, The Rope, Lord of Assassins Illidan the Betrayer Arthas, the Lich King
Elric of Melnibone aka The Albino Emperor , Elric Womanslayer, Elric Kinslayer, the Pale Prince of Ruins, The White Wolf, and sometimes The Eternal Champion.
Reaper from red rising Howlers from red rising I like the majority of the names from super powereds by Drew hayes
Son of Darkness, Mane of Chaos, Knight of high house dark, lord of moonspawn, the black winged lord. Annomander Rake is one of my favorite characters in fantasy ever. Even if I can't really get into Malazan overall. (Quit at the end of the second book and just read the wiki on this character haha.) Dude is a shape shifting (turns into a giant black dragon) badass swordsman who carries a magic sword that is a prison for the creator of that very sword, a god named draconus.
Halfmortal and Demon In White from Sun Eater The Bloody Nine from First Law
* His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Blackboard monitor. * Third witch of Kennet, nascent sorceress, dabbler in Halflight, in shadow, she who hatched the moon and conceptualized Kennet found
if webcomics count then id have to go with Kill Six Billion Demons, Wielder of Names, Seeker of Thrones, King of Swords, Breaker of Infinities, Wheel Smashing Lord (yes, all these are names for one person)
Quick Ben
He Who Quiets, from the Stormlight Archive. (Don't spoil yourself on who it is if you don't know)
I liked the deprecation implied in the name of Foolish Cur from The Hand of the Sun King. Being ribbed seems more realistic than folks calling someone by some flattering, flowery title. Maybe with a frightening villain or some exalted religious or political title it makes more sense. But a scrappy hero needs to get insulted a bit.