Naming Historical Figures

[Devouring Wolf]

When I write names and made-up words, I try to keep them as they would be pronounced by a native speaker of the language they originated from rather than converting them into the dominant language which everyone in my story is using. However I'm not sure if when spelling the names of historical figures, I should use the pronunciation that makes sense for the culture they were originally from or for the culture that they were important to.

For example, I have a historical figure who 3,000 years before the start of the story was exiled from his homeland and traveled to the land where the story takes place and united all the warring kingdoms into a single entity. Now in his native language his last name would've been Wyntrikaide, but in the language of the people he conquered he would've been called Hventrikaide. To make matters even more complicated, in the story there's a character in the story claiming to be his descendant who's last name is Wyntrikaide so on the one hand I'm tempted to keep his name Wyntrikaide so they'll have the same last name, but on the hand he's a cultural figure to the people he conquered not to the people he left behind in his old homeland and I feel his name should reflect that.

Thoughts?

 

[CupofJoe]

I'm tempted to keep it simple. If the difference of name is not fundamental to the story then use the one that is most common at the time of the story...
Which version of the name will be most used/familiar in the story?
If you character is claiming heritage then they will probably want to associate themselves with the older name...
Is having them called "Wyntrikaide, heir of Hventrikaide" feasible?

 

[skip.knox]

I don't think it matters. I as reader can't pronounce either one of them. Readers often pronounce character names differently from how the writer intended them. Just ask Tolkien (whom I called Tol-kyen for much of my life).

 

[ThinkerX]

Rule with names:

Keep them short. Or failing that, memorable. Otherwise, the names tend to get glossed over in the readers mind. Once in a while you can get away with introducing a character with the proverbial 'mile long name,' but that's usually a minor figure. If a regular, use the short version.

Long dead heroes are among the exceptions to this. But even their names can be shortened, or they can be referred to via a title or some such.

 

[Bekka King]

I'd go with their original name from where they came from. It adds flavor and context to the story be educating the reader about another aspect of the world you've created (i.e., explain something about where the character came from).
Changing their name to fit the language in the place they've gone would be like giving Aristotle a new name today - rather than using his historical Greek name - because no one (or almost no one, anyway) names their children Aristotle today.

 

[AJ Stevens]

I think you can do a bit of both. There's an excellent passage in one of the Malazan books where a group of 'Teblor' youths stumble upon a trapped creature. They recognise it as a 'Forkassil.' The true name of the creature is 'Forkrul Assail,' which the youths are somewhat aggressively reminded of after they rouse the creature in question. She also informs them that the true name of their own people is 'Toblakai.'

So, names can change over years, and when passed from language to language. Ye Olde English is a fine example of that. I think you can play around with it, for sure, but I'd say that the link needs to be obvious, and use it sparingly or it gets annoying.