• Hello!

    Please be aware that our content warnings system has recently been updated! Please refer to this thread for more information, or if you're unsure, feel free to contact a Workshop staff member!

    Thank you all for helping us ensure our community is a safe and healthy one, and for your continued patronage in our Library and Workshop.

DISCUSSION: Fictional Creature Collective Nouns

Instrutilus

Instrutilus

Me am stalking bug
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
2,773
Reaction score
151
So in the Writers Workshop, I mentioned to @SuperTrainStationH that I'd seen discussions on the collective names for fiction creatures, specifically that dragons have collective names like a 'clan' or a 'dignity.' A 'lagoon' was also considered for aquatic dragons, but regardless, I bring this topic for a simple question: What would you use for a collective of a fictional species?

Pokémon, I imagine, would probably be at the forefront of discussion, as we are on a Pokémon forum. However, don't worry about bringing up other fictional species, like aforementioned Dragons, as they all fall under the same general "Fictional Creature" aspect.

Anyway, to start off, I like the idea of using a Lagoon for more aquatic dragon-type Pokémon, like a lagoon of Kingdra, and Dignity for other dragon-types, like a dignity of Dragonair. Charizard, I would use lounge, the noun for lizards (since it's more of a lizard than a dragon, Lizardon and all). But would you use the noun yourself? Or would you attempt to create a new noun? A murder of Murkrow or a cauldron of Murkrow?
 
Uh, this word of mine isn't quite as specific as "murder" for Murkrow (although that's adorable), but since I'm introducing cloned Pokemon in my fic, I had to come up with appropriate terminology. They aren't biologically cloned, but rather, perfect digital clones (a la the Emerald Cloning Glitch). I examined lots of ancestry terms and eventually settled on "primogenitor" for the clones' "original ancestor." So that's kind of cool! I hope that's an example of what you were looking for, ha.
 
To be fair, a group of crows is a murder of crows. Ravens have "unkindness" and "Conspiracy." Yup, a conspiracy of ravens. There's also an ostentation of peacocks and a parliament of owls.
 
Usually I'd advocate using as many real terms that fit, as much because it's one of those cases where truth will probably always be stranger than fiction. That being said, some ideas did come to me in the shower:

A cairn of Geodude
A cloud of Swablu or Altaria
An avalanche of Snover
A rout of Pawniard
 
For most "common-esque" Pokémon you can use collective nouns like troop, pack or flock and it should work well. Beyond those, the main issue is trying not to sound too singular or esoteric unless the collective noun is intended to be "transparent" (as in, used as if it was totally common knowledge in the world you are describing). In that sense, sticking to the word that also associates with the Pokémon's IRL inspiration, such as a murder or Murkrow or a flock of Mareep, makes the most sense IMO. With inorganics that gets somewhat esoteric, but you can always use for example "a chain of Klefki" or "a cluster of Roggenrola".

And I'd say there's no reason to not come with your own, after all English at least already allows for more than one collective noun for a species (although some of them I think can mean different things depending on context, such as "a school of fish"). I'd for the most part use common known ones for Pokémon very similar to IRL species, and then try to come with my own or homage some present in fiction for more esoteric species or particular cases.

I have to approve much of @Beth Pavell 's suggestions, too. In particular a cloud of Swablu, I'm totally adding that one to my canon.

Regarding dragons particularly, I've heard of some authors that use "wing" or "flight". There's also "weyr", a term introduced in Anne McCaffrey's works. Final Fantasy XIV's mythology uses the term "horde" although I'm not sure if that's a collective noun or a title for the collectives represented in the game. While I can't find a source for it, I've at least in one place read a "danger" of dragons. Fits them well. If the aquatic dragons you were commenting of are modeled like Final Fantasy's Leviathan, like, kinda serpentine, I'd suggest using a "stream" or a "whorl" of dragons as a collective noun. For groundbound, flightless dragons or drakes I'd take a page from IRL and use "bank" of dragons, as a display of reverence towards our very own meatspace dragon, the Komodo Dragon.
 
So I got bored and did a bit of research. Turns out the reason animal collectives are so strange is because they were made when people were trying to be poetic. For example, a murder of crows was due to people thinking crows got together and decided which souls would be going with them.

With that in mind, what do you think about 'a catastrophe of Absol'? A single Absol is a herald of disaster, so what does a group mean?
 
Instrutilus said:
So I got bored and did a bit of research. Turns out the reason animal collectives are so strange is because they were made when people were trying to be poetic. For example, a murder of crows was due to people thinking crows got together and decided which souls would be going with them.

With that in mind, what do you think about 'a catastrophe of Absol'? A single Absol is a herald of disaster, so what does a group mean?
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting. Hmm. Part of me wonders whether people would really end up needing a collective noun for things that aren't often seen in groups, poetry or no. Is Absol really a sociable pokémon?
 
diamondpearl876 said:
Yeah, a catastrophe of absol works. What about a storm of absol? A flood of absol? The name of the group could be based upon the type of disasters they bring. I'm not sure it's ever really specified, is it?
Click to expand...
Well, some animals do have multiple collective nouns, like cats (a clouder of cats, a clutter of cats and a nuisance of cats are all legit), but I don't think it's for specific events. So perhaps a general disaster term would be best suited for Absol.

Beth Pavell said:
Now that's interesting. Hmm. Part of me wonders whether people would really end up needing a collective noun for things that aren't often seen in groups, poetry or no. Is Absol really a sociable pokémon?
Click to expand...
I don't think so, though I suppose if something big happened, multiple Absol would turn up. That would probably be enough to get people thinking.
 
Instrutilus said:
With that in mind, what do you think about 'a catastrophe of Absol'? A single Absol is a herald of disaster, so what does a group mean?
Click to expand...
An apocalypse. Or would we say.... an absocalypse?

Other than that, one thing I realized is that having collective nouns for Absol be related to the disaster that follows them is something that's descriptive, not prescriptive - unless you can somehow figure out from the Absol what are they trying to warn you about, you will be able to call them that way only after the fact, ie.: only after the disaster hits. Hence, disaster-collective names would probably be seen as an element of historical or poetical nature.

Here's one interesting: presumably each Eeveelution gets their own collective name but what about the collective noun for an assortment of heterogeneous Eeveelutions? Ditto for for example Ralts: is the collective noun for a mixed group of Gardevoir and Gallade the same as the collective noun for Gardevoir as the collective noun for Gallade?
 
solovino said:
An apocalypse. Or would we say.... an absocalypse?

Other than that, one thing I realized is that having collective nouns for Absol be related to the disaster that follows them is something that's descriptive, not prescriptive - unless you can somehow figure out from the Absol what are they trying to warn you about, you will be able to call them that way only after the fact, ie.: only after the disaster hits. Hence, disaster-collective names would probably be seen as an element of historical or poetical nature.
Click to expand...

True, except if there's a recurring pattern based on location and weather pattern (ie. a tornado hits Fortree every time absol show up or something) then the collective noun related to the type of disaster might stick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom