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Post by SARCASM on Aug 22, 2011 14:59:47 GMT -5
In the Warriors books, the naming of cats follows a certain pattern. Every cat has a name to be identified by. They call each other by their given names at birth. It is up to the mother to decide the names of the kits. In a Clan, the name of a new kit is given with the suffix -kit at the end. In Twoleg territory, cats giving birth do not name their own kit. Most of the time a Twoleg does it for them. However, in some cases, a cat may name her own kits and get away from the Twolegs.
CLAN NAMES!
The names of Clan cats are constructed from two words (for example Bramble+claw or Squirrel+flight). Both of these words pertain to things or notions known to the Clan cats, and usually describe the appearance and / or the personality of the cat. These can be something like:
Colors/Patterns: White, golden, dark, spotted, etc.
Attributes: Brave, sharp, sweet, wild, etc.
Body parts: Claw, heart, foot, tail, fur, etc.
Plants/Animals: Birch, holly, hawk, tiger, flower, etc.
Nature: Cloud, sand, stream, stone, moon, etc.
Phenomena: Fire, mist, night, storm, etc.
Action: Pounce, running, leap, swift, etc.
Names are short, containing generally two or three syllables.
Prefix
The first part (prefix) is given by the kit's parents upon its birth. The names can be of the following:
• something pertaining to the kit's appearance (Storm- for a dark coloring, Fox- for a reddish pelt, Long- for a long/tall limb)
• something displaying the kit's personality (Swift- for an energetic kit, Lion- for a strong/brave kit)
• in honor of another cat (Leaf- in honor of Leafstar and Spottedleaf, Tiger- in honor of Tigerstar)
• other, seemingly unrelated (Holly-, Petal-)
Suffix
Kits, apprentices, and leaders do not get a choice on their suffix- they are given the suffix -kit, -paw, and -star respectively.
Example: Whitekit, Whitepaw, Whitestar
The suffix of warrior and medicine cat names are assigned by the Clan Leader (or medicine cat, respectively), though they can request a specific name for themselves, if they wish. This is not very common, though.
Example: Whitestorm, Whitetail, Whitewing
Reserved Words
The following notions are generally not used in Clan names (although some have been occasionally):
• -star, -paw, and -kit are reserved as leader, apprentice, and kit suffixes respectively.
• Spirit, Star, and Moon as either prefixes or suffixes, as they represent sacred notions (Moonstone, Moonpool, StarClan, etc)
• Shadow-, River-, Thunder-, Wind-, and Sky- in honor of the Clan founders, who first had the names.
Addressing Each Other
Clan Cats call each other by their full names, even if they are kin. They do not use pet names, shortened names or titles.
It is considered rude and disrespectful to address a cat by his or her former name (that referred to a lower rank), for example, to address a warrior by their apprentice name, or a leader by their warrior name.
Name Change
If a name does not suit a Clan cat anymore, the Clan leader can decide to change their name via a Name Changing Ceremony. This often happens when a cat receives a significant injury, although it also happens when a warrior retires to the elder's den. For example, after Sparrowpelt had lost part of his tail in a fight with a badger, he was renamed Halftail. The Clan leader can also change a name at the request of another warrior.
LONER/ROGUE NAMES!
Similarly to Clan cats, loners and rogues have names pertaining to things or notions known to them (like Barley or Patch). Loners or rogues living close to Twolegs (or those who used to be kittypets) may assume the names given to them by the Twolegs (like Sasha or Smoky).
Cats who live in the Twolegplace may have names of Twoleg words, such as Dodge, Raindrop, or Skipper.
Upon joining a Clan, a loner or rogue may agree to change their name into a Clan name (like Hawk becoming Hawkpaw or Scratch becoming Sharpclaw), or not (like Boulder or Millie).
A loner or rogue may change their own name by their own initiative, like Tiny changing his to Scourge.
KITTYPET NAMES!
Kittypets assume the names given to them by the Twolegs (like Jake or Susan). This hints that they understand Twoleg speech to some degree.
Upon joining a Clan, a kittypet may agree to change their name into a Clan name (like Rusty becoming Firepaw), or not (like Millie).
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