Note for Navajo words: Some of these pronunciations will be approximations, as Navajo is a tonal language with a lot of sounds that don't occur in English, or which can't really be described. Also note that letters with single accents on them are tonal indicators; á = high tone. a = low tone. aá = rising tone. áa = falling tone. In pronunciation brackets, rising tones will be indicated with CAPITAL LETTERS. And double letters (ii, ee, aa) in Navajo are the same as single letters, but held slightly longer.
Aashabahk [ah shah bok] – One of the Faery races, specifically one of the group of races known as lilin. Like all lilin, Aashabahk are skin-changers, having a human form and a bird form, usually a raptor. Aashabahk both eat the emotion of hope and cause hope to increase in those around them.
Ævintýrichor [eye ven tear ee core] – One of the Faery races. Extremely old, extremely powerful, extremely knowledgeable. Humanoid, usually have horns. Their blood is so purple it's almost black.
Abuela [ah-bway-lah] – Spanish word for “grandmother.” Dalia and her siblings call Grandma Kahina Ravenstone this.
Annwn [ah noon] – One of the Faery worlds.
Basilisk [baz-il-isk] – A two-legged, partially feathered reptilian creature native to Tirffiniol, resembling a cross between a chicken and a small dinosaur. Their gaze can knock people out, and the parts of their bodies not covered in feathers emit a strong acid that they use to protect themselves and their nests. Basilisks come in a range of sizes, but the biggest are no taller than three feet tall at the shoulder.
Celt [kelt] – The Celts were a culture of various tribes native to Europe. Some of their culture remains, including words and music.
“Chase the sleepy man/woman out of your bed” - Navajo reservation slang, basically means “make your bed or the sleepy man/woman in your bed will be calling all day long for you to join them.”
Diné [dean-AY] – Navajo word for their own people (“Navajo” being a name foisted on them by outsiders). Since their term for their language is “Diné Bizaad,” it can also be used to refer to their language.
Familiar – A familiar is an animal that has developed a telepathic and/or telempathic connection with a human being. This connection allows the human and animal to be aware of each others' thoughts and feelings, and even to use the sensory organs of the other to gather information. This connection also gives the animal increased intelligence, and the human may or may not develop traits similar to their familiar.
Fairy/Faery = Magical non-humans of various species with origins from another universe, such as Goblins, Gnomes, and kitsune, who hail from Tirffiniol. This is distinct from “extraterrestrial,” a broader term that also includes people from other planets in this universe. But in the Ravenstone universe, the only extraterrestrials are fairies; so far, Earth has not been visited by aliens from outer space. This means that encounters with aliens are actually encounters with fairies.
Fear inducement – A type of magic that allows the user to telepathically detect the victim's greatest fear, and even to use it against them by creating hallucinations of that fear. It is generally considered a dark art by the witch community, though some individuals use the power for good. Part of why it is considered a dark art (aside from the obvious) is that – like telepathy and telempathy – it is extremely difficult to detect when in use.
Gaelic [gal-ick] = A language from Ireland, the UK, and parts of Europe such as France. The language name refers to the people known as the Gauls.
Gyehmahl [gyeh-mall] = A name.
Kitsune [Kit-soon-ay] – One of the Faery races. Skin-changers, they have a human form and a fox form. They are naturals at fire magic and illusions. Knowledgeable witches believe they look like foxes because they are related to foxes that slipped through the Veil into Tirffiniol thousands or millions of years ago, became tuunderfeerf animals, then evolved into something new.
Kwanj [kwainj, rhymes with strange] – One of the three sexes of Goblins.
Krevjavroq [krehv-jayv-rohk] – A Goblin city near Fae Springs.
Locs – Proper term for what are commonly known as “dreadlocks.” The term “dreadlocks” is racist, because the origin of the term was white people calling the loc style “dreadful locks” which got shortened to “dreadlocks.”
Nimá [nee MAH] – Navajo word meaning “your mother.” In this story, it is only used occasionally in reference to Nizoni.
Pentagram – In this story's context, a five-pointed star made of overlapping lines, which can be drawn without lifting your pen from the paper. It is a religious symbol, symbolizing in ancient times the four earthly elements (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water) and the fifth element of Spirit. The prominent point, when pointed upwards, then represents spirit above all the world. The pentagram was also used by pre-Renaissance Christians to symbolize the five wounds of Christ on the cross. Those in the know about the original symbolism of the pentagram will know that when the point faces downward, it usually means “focusing on the body over the spirit.” (Though opinions vary.)
The pentagram also serves as a protection from dark and even demonic forces. This was especially true among Christians prior to the Renaissance. Its mistaken association with Satanism was likely due to people in the Renaissance era claiming to be summoning demons, which they would supposedly contain inside these protective symbols so as to not be killed or possessed by the demon, as the pentacle was in wide use by Christians prior to that time – used almost as much as the crucifix was – and then suddenly fell out of favor after the era of supposed demon summonings.
Pentacle – A pentagram contained inside of a circle. This form of the pentagram is now most commonly associated with the modern religion called Wicca, but the pentagram and the pentacle are ancient symbols, and can be used by anyone. Even some modern Christians have been known to use the pentagram or pentacle, like the pre-Renaissance Christians before them did.
Samhain [Saw wen] – Old Celtic holiday celebrated around October 30th to November 2nd, depending on the year. It celebrates the passing of the autumn into winter as part of the Wheel of the Year. In modern practice, it is considered the Witches' New Year, and is the time of year when spirits of the dead are said to be most able to cross over into our world, thus is often celebrated to honor ancestors and/or deceased loved ones.
Shádí [shAW-dEE] – Navajo word, means “my older sister.” Vedya calls Dalia this.
Shadow-Fax – A form of artifact-induced shadow-walking that sends a letter or package through the shadows automatically from one shadow-fax box to another. Even people who don't know how to shadow-walk can use a shadow-fax box.
Shadow-walking – A form of magical transportation that involves sending persons, animals, or objects through the shadows. Can also be done via mists, or by hiding from observation and then closing your eyes.
Shadow-walk portal – Another artifact-based form of shadow-walking, using an artifact that creates a shadow portal to another paired portal device.
Shimá [sheem-AH] – Navajo word, means “My mother.” Dalia and her siblings call Nizoni Hatathli-Ravenstone this.
T’éénzííd [TAYn-zEEd] – Diné (Navajo) for “You wake up!” (Capital letters after initial letter are high tones. Also, the T' is T pronounced with a pop of air, and don't forget double letters are held longer; that applies here, too.)
Telepathy [tell-ep-uth-ee] – The ability to send/receive words, images, or other thoughts between two minds without the use of language. People with this skill are called telepaths. The skill is also known as “telepathic powers.”
Telempathy [tell-em-puth-ee] – The ability to send/receive emotions and other feelings between two minds without the use of language. People with this skill are called empaths. The skill is also known as “empathic powers.”
Tirffiniol [Tear fin ee ul] – One of the Faery worlds, the one easiest to get to from Earth.
Tsiiyéeł [sih-yAY-ul] - The name of a traditional Navajo hairstyle. (Hold the “ih” in “sih” longer than normal.)
Tuunderfeerf [Toon dur fear-f] – A human who has, whether by accident or by heritage, become overly acclimated to Faery by becoming a Faery human, complete with the associated weaknesses against iron and certain herbs.
Veil, the – Short for “the veil between the worlds.” It is a relatively recent term used to refer to the trans-dimensional energy barrier that keeps the different universes apart from one another. When working properly, only witches and fairies can detect it. It is known, however, to fluctuate and allow things to slip between worlds by accident, and this fact has been utilized by witches and fairies to slip between the worlds on purpose. On Earth, the Veil most readily slips people into Tirffiniol, though other realms like Annwn are not unheard of. The Veil has even been reported to cause people to slip backwards or forwards in time, usually on a temporary basis.
Zee, zeer(s), zeerself = Genderless pronouns. When used, “zee” replaces “he” or “she,” “zeer” replaces “his” or “her,” “zeers” replaces “his” or “hers,” and zeerself replaces “himself” or “herself.” (Note: This is the author's own variation on an existing genderless pronoun set.)
If you are in a position to know of any mispronounced words in real languages here, or know I've made some other translation mistake, please email me about it.
Note: As these names come from different languages, how they are spelled does not necessarily reflect how they are pronounced. There's nothing as wild as Gaelic pronunciations (where words like 'sidhe' and pronounced 'shee') in the fantasy names, though.
Asís [Ah cease] – A surname of Spanish origin.
Bonewits [bonn-uh-wits] – A surname.
Calandra [Kuh-lawn-druh] – A name of Greek origin.
Cally [Kal-e, rhymes with 'Sally'] – Nickname for 'Calandra.'
Chooli [Choo lee] – A name of Navajo origin.
Dalia [Doll yuh] (or [Dolly-uh]) - A name, in this case from the Hebrew. Pronunciation may or may not be correct.
Doñela [Dohn-yay-lah] – A Spanish name.
Joaquin [Wah-keen] – A Spanish name.
Maddy – What Dalia and her siblings call Morgana Ravenstone.
Nizoni [Nih zone ee] – A name of Navajo origin.
Orpheus [Or fee us] – A name of Greek origin.
Persephone [Per-seff-uh-nee] – A name of Greek origin.
Raul [Raw-ool] – A name of Spanish origin.
Sutekh [Soo tek] – A name of Egyptian origin.
Vedya [Ved yuh] – A name harking from India.
If you are in a position to know of any mispronounced words in real languages here, or know I've made some other translation mistake, please email me about it.
(Ones marked with asterisk * are sometimes seen in other languages, too.)
(Please note that accented letters in Navajo indicate tonal stress and not a difference in pronunciation.)
ay = ay as in say, pray, weigh.
í = ee
ai = I as in I/eye
o = Oh as in goat, boat, moat
u = oo
á = Ah as in baa, la, maw
e = eh
er = er as in word, bird, heard
I/i = Ih; the i as in “is”
ae = A as in cat, bag, and “al.”
au = ow as in “cow,” “sow,” and “chow.”
áá = Same as á, but drawn out longer.
ĵ = S as in treasure, pleasure, measure, or j from the French journal.
Ḥ / ḥ = Makes a sound like trying to get a popcorn kernel out of the back of your throat. (*)
For ævintýrichor language (Hehvehwesh):
ꭓ = Voiceless velar fricative. Makes a sort of hissing noise. Found in words like the Scottish word “loch.” But in this language’s case, sounds closer to the first sound of the parseltongue word for “open” (ꭓahsee’eth) in the Harry Potter movies.
S’s in this language tend to be more sibilant than in English.
Double S’s (ss) are even more sibilant, as well as drawn out.
Double A’s are drawn out a couple seconds. In fact, double letters are almost always drawn out for at least one second. Triple letters are drawn out even longer.
Dashes ( - ) are used to separate syllables, and have no sound.
Apostrophes are used to connect two words together. For instance, if done in English, the word for eel would be fish’serpent.