The character in question is the god of air. She is Brazilian, and by all definitions, beautiful. She loves killing and can be very seductive. Even though she has those flaws, she works for the greater good. But for the love of god, I can't come up with a name that suits her. So what pops into your guys heads? (First post)
Randall! Just kidding. You know, you might get grilled later on for posting a naming thread, but since this is your first post, I'll be nice. It depends on you. If you want to go for the ironic edge, you could name her something frilly and delicate. I remember reading a book (Poison Study) about a woman who was the first to kill a snow cat, proving her masculinity. Her name was Ambrosia. But, to me, she sounds like a "Raksha", which means "demon". This could mean that the woman herself is a demon, or that she defeats her own demons throughout the course of the book. But it's Telugu, not Portugese, so I'd advise against it.
Try something from the native language that you feel suits her. Generally I go with my gut on naming characters. I usually look up names and find one I like and if I feel it's right I go with it.
The character is a goddess, so she probably predates the Portuguese arrival in Brazil, and for that matter, any human culture in Brazil's history. She'd have her own name that doesn't derive from any specific language, I think.
What pops into my head is if you are having this much trouble choosing a name for a character, how will you deal with the really difficult decisions you will encounter in writing?
She actually comes from the 21st century. Cogito, I can make other writing desicions easily, but naming is thehardest for me. To me a name has alot of meaning to it so I find getting the right name is very important.
Another thing that pops into my mind is, is your character developed enough? I don't know anything about your story, so you're the only one who can judge this. It all depends on the context and on what purpose this character plays in your story. Some characters can get away with being a bit extreme. But, if this is a main character, make sure she has some flaws and is relatable--when I first read "God of air, beautiful, can seduce/kill but works for the greater good" I kind of thought "hmm..." I mean you don't want your character to be a Mary Sue. You say that the seducing/killing is a flaw, but are you sure that it's really a flaw within the context of your story? Or does it just make her more powerful? Having a character who's good at everything he/she does AND is beautiful AND a god is usually not the best way to go. Again, I'm not trying to criticize or anything of that nature. I just thought I'd point it out because it's another big issue for writers to be aware of. Good luck with your story!!!!
How about Mya? I dont know if its brazillian... I Likes it lol! Good luck finding a name. When you do it will be just right im sure
Randall LMAO I think you are trying to find something to clever, just call her whatever at the moment, you can change it later.
Mallory has a point. Having such sway over men would make her powerful so is that really a flaw to her? It may be to others but it wouldn't hinder her in any way at all. As for the name since she is from the 21st century then you can name her something Brazilian sounding and get away with it. Besides if she's a goddess can't she choose whatever name she pleases? Or perhaps she has several names that different cultures have given her.
I'm brazilian, most names here don't have Y, K, Q, Z, etc. and woman's names almost always finish with an "A" Mya is not brazilian. If you want Mia, it is fine, but it is not common, never met one. I don't understand what name would you like, are you looking for a brazilian indian name, since your character is a goddess? If you are, most indian names here have a lot of "R" Tainara, Iracema, Maiara.
What did her parents name her? If you have trouble thinking of names, think of her parents. Think of who she might be named after. Remember, you're the author, so you get to choose the name as far as we're concerned. But in the storyworld, names get chosen by parents, and then the character has to grow up with that name. I'm named after my grandfather, an officer in WWII.
Use this post; it's very helpful (even for me who is thinking of making a Brazilian character, too). I know what you're going through here. I always have trouble naming a character, especially one of great importance. I'm always having trouble with names out of all the other problems concerning character development. I don't have a name that can come to mind, but you can try and pick up a baby book from your local library or bookstore (make sure it has names from all origins rather than predominantly European and/or American). While that book is in your possession, make sure to take note of every Brazilian name and underline it so that you can get back to it later. Make sure the meanings are there, too. Once you get back to that particular name, you yourself can be the judge of whether this name matches the character or not (seeing as your character sounds rather unique, I'd say that you should find a name that at least refers to your character's most defining feature). By the way, your idea of a Brazilian god of air caught my eye. I've never heard of such a thing (maybe that's because I don't read enough fiction?) Either way, I'm liking where this is headed.
You know you can always change the name if you decide you aren't happy with it later. There's a thing on Open Office (and probably Word) where you can replace all of one word (such as a name) with another word. I did that with what I'm working on right now. I changed one of the character's names from Gabriel to Tristan because Tristan suits him better. Once the character developed I decided I didn't like Gabriel on him.
When I have trouble with names I like to visualize my character physically and run through a scene in my head like a movie. Listen to her voice, see how she moves, watch her mannerisms. Then I start slowly sounding out the letters of the alphabet to see which one I latch onto. That's the first letter of the name. From there I just start sounding out vowels and other consonants until I come up with a name. Strange process, I know, but it usually works for me. Writing the progression of the name also works well for me. Visualize the character and start with a letter and starting adding to it one at a time, like that old ghostwriter game. When you run into a block or don't like how the name is sounding, change a letter. Keep at it until you get to something that feels right for the character, then tinker with it until you have something you like. Remember, you can always change the name later.
