Alternate names for America(s)

Emperor RyRy · May 8, 2015

I was thinking of starting a Native American TL, couldn't decide which tribe, decided to get other facts first, and realized that I didn't want "America/ga", but also hated the overused "Columbia".

Any ideas for other names? Perhaps the name of a Spanish monarch? Some alternate Genovese explorer (Savonia

).

Napoléon Caesar Augustus · May 8, 2015

Vespuccia.

Major Crimson · May 8, 2015

Arcadia is a good one, Vestland or Westland for geography. Atlantis is somewhat overused. Newfoundland if you're feeling particularly uncreative. Vinland of course or Markland, Liefland on the same theme of Lief Erikson. The name of the discoverer is always possible; Drakeland or Francoisia or something along those lines.

I've always found the poetic ones the best though, Jerusalem, Arcadia, Paradise, (New) Eden, Avesta, Mag Mell (could become Magia or Magmel), Aaru, Elysia, the list goes on. Anything meaning a heavenly or sacred place.

Emperor RyRy · May 8, 2015

Angry Celt said:
Arcadia is a good one, Vestland or Westland for geography. Atlantis is somewhat overused. Newfoundland if you're feeling particularly uncreative. Vinland of course or Markland, Liefland on the same theme of Lief Erikson. The name of the discoverer is always possible; Drakeland or Francoisia or something along those lines.

I've always found the poetic ones the best though, Jerusalem, Arcadia, Paradise, (New) Eden, Avesta, Mag Mell (could become Magia or Magmel), Aaru, Elysia, the list goes on. Anything meaning a heavenly or sacred place.

I like the idea of heavenly place... I'll save those for a Eurowank.

But for a native TL that doesn't have them get utterly smashed... I think something less "paradise" and more "Well, there are tons of angry natives... maybe we shouldn't settle... BUT THEY HAVE COCAINE AND FURS!"

Clandango · May 8, 2015

Antilia would be good. And as for those furs, keep in mind that the French went for those, but only used some trappers instead of settlers. The stuff was very useful in the cold years Europe was having and the waterproof beaver pelts made marvelous hats. Though the teeth were a bit uncomfortable. Come to think of it, why not have people refer to it as the Occidental?

Ziemniak · May 8, 2015

Well, Australia comes from the Latin word for south. Maybe we could follow the same logic and call a continent to the west Occidentia.

EDIT: Dang it. Clandango beat me to it.

Alienspacebats · May 8, 2015

If Only Super-Carthage

New Adamt(New land) in Punic.

That is all

Desmond Hume · May 8, 2015

Hesperia, if the namer is in to classical imitation.

Emperor RyRy · May 8, 2015

Alienspacebats said:
New Adamt(New land) in Punic.

That is all

*high-fives*

Soon my friend, I have dozens of ideas backed up, I get into and out of things quickly. I might just do that.

Zorqal · May 8, 2015

I came up with Cristophoria several years ago, for the Italian spelling of Columbus's name. It also has religious connotations.

Ricard (i.e. Rdffigueira) · May 8, 2015

Angry Celt said:
Arcadia is a good one, Vestland or Westland for geography. Atlantis is somewhat overused. Newfoundland if you're feeling particularly uncreative. Vinland of course or Markland, Liefland on the same theme of Lief Erikson. The name of the discoverer is always possible; Drakeland or Francoisia or something along those lines.

I've always found the poetic ones the best though, Jerusalem, Arcadia, Paradise, (New) Eden, Avesta, Mag Mell (could become Magia or Magmel), Aaru, Elysia, the list goes on. Anything meaning a heavenly or sacred place.

When I first read the name "Newfoundland" on the map, I couldn't believe it was a real name. It seemed incredibly unoriginal

I agree that Atlantis is overused, although it has a special meaning for "some unknown far away island" in Western culture.

Answering to the OP, I can't recall where I saw it, but I remember some TL here used the name "Hesperides" owing to the mythological place of the same name, involved in one of Hercules' 12 Labors, and was regarded by the ancients as a paradisical place in the west.

I don't know anything about Amerindian names... it wasn't until recently I discovered that "Canada" comes from a native word

Ziemniak · May 9, 2015

If you're looking for classical/mythological names, you could use Ophir. It is mentioned in the Bible as a place that Solomon imported gold from and other than that we know literally nothing about it. If the Spanish or another Christian power find gold soon after landing, I could see them making the connection and labeling the Americas as the long lost land of Ophir.

galanx · May 9, 2015

Rdffigueira said:
When I first read the name "Newfoundland" on the map, I couldn't believe it was a real name. It seemed incredibly unoriginal

Larry Niven was good for that in his science fiction.

Like the planet WeMadeIt- capital, Crashlanding City

Or Mount Lookitthat on Plateau

The Forty-Eighth Rōnin · May 9, 2015

Emperor RyRy said:
But for a native TL that doesn't have them get utterly smashed... I think something less "paradise" and more "Well, there are tons of angry natives... maybe we shouldn't settle... BUT THEY HAVE COCAINE AND FURS!"

Permission to sig this?

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As for the name, it might depend on the POD. Whoever European gets first might earn the right to give his name for the new continent. If you're gonna do a Native American TL, might as well use their language for a (temporary) name.

Hrvatskiwi · May 9, 2015

Alienspacebats said:
New Adamt(New land) in Punic.

That is all

That would be 'Qrt-Hdmt', iirc.

funnyhat · May 9, 2015

I don't see what's so bad about some names being "overused". If they're used a lot, it's probably because they're logical and/or culturally-relevant names to 15th/16th-century Europeans.

Clandango said:
Antilia would be good. And as for those furs, keep in mind that the French went for those, but only used some trappers instead of settlers.

Oh, there were some settlers.

Emperor RyRy · May 9, 2015

Captain Orange said:
Permission to sig this?

-----

As for the name, it might depend on the POD. Whoever European gets first might earn the right to give his name for the new continent. If you're gonna do a Native American TL, might as well use their language for a (temporary) name.

Go ahead!

And yes, I was thinking native names for the regions, but not for the whole continent. You know? An Ohlone dominated California (ooooh a good idea) would be Wakwarep, but the whole continent would probably be European.

othyrsyde · May 9, 2015

Mohawks call the continent Anówara, which means Great Turtle, hence Turtle Island.

In Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs and Mesoamerica's lingua franca), there's Cemanahuac. It generally implies the entire world, but it could (and has for the most part in OTL) change to imply more the Americas.

Then in the dominate language of the Taino, the mainland is called Amikekiya. Some have proposed that 'America' might have in fact derived from this word, but who knows.