I was wondering the words

[Bassoony]

I was wondering how you find your own name inthe Speech. I was just wondering!

[alla]

Well, the description that is given in the books, as to how the Wizards figure out (not really find) their own names in the Speech seems to involve a long survey including a bunch of questions whose answers make up who you are. Things like favourite colour and the last book that you read - have a look at High Wizardry when Dairine's manual is asking her all the questions at The Crossings. Thats the kind of thing that I assume all wizards have to go through, although for those without an electronic manual, I assume that it is harder, because they would have to sit down and think about who they really are.

[Emi]

That's got to be incredibly hard, trying to figure out who you are. I mean especially at their age, they're like what 12-15? And the tough part is, what if you miss something about yourself? Ahhh, I'd hate to have to end up writing my name in Speech.

[Gwendi]

Yeah, i agree, it would be hard to find out your name in the Speech, but if I was just figuring it out for fun, not to do a spell, I would also like to know how to find my name in the Speech.

[tensai]

Originally posted by Emi:
That's got to be incredibly hard, trying to figure out who you are. I mean especially at their age, they're like what 12-15? And the tough part is, what if you miss something about yourself? Ahhh, I'd hate to have to end up writing my name in Speech.

I think of it as being more along the lines of finding pi or another natural constant.

Sure, you can do rough calculations if you assume pi=3.14, but if you want something more accurate, you have to find (or know) pi to even more decimal places.

So, to that extent, I'm not sure that omitting information is a bad idea; worse is actually getting the information wrong, and changing yourself.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Tensai, that's an excellent analogy: I like it. :-)

Reminds me of the people who think that π should be legally defined to be 3, since that's what 1 Kings 7:23 says it is. :-) (Yes, I know it's an urban legend.)

[tensai]

Heh, thanks. See where a philosophy major gets me?

[Wiccangixie]

When I think about how one would have to write their name in the Speech to begin with, I think the hardest part would be limiting yourself to what can be "described" as you in the first place. The worst part is the fact that you would have to enter simple things that you may not like about yourself. You would kind of have to confront yourself about what is the truth for you, as well as what you think of yourself. If you change, its even harder. You would to actually "see" the changes you went through.

[tensai]

I think that's referenced in one of the Feline Wizard books; seeing your name change, and having to decide whether to use the old version or the new one. I'll see if I can find the reference.

[Wiccangixie]

Wow! I haven't read the Feline Wizards books yet, but I'd like to.

[Onix]

my name in the spech is Onixus

[SimilisPastor]

Hmm...

I guess that the Name would be as long as needed -for instance, my friend talking to me probably wouldn't call me "SimilisPastor", they'd say "Sim". And in a spell, when telling the Universe who you are, you need only enough information to make yourself un-confusable (is that a word?) with another life form. (I'm sure there's only one human who goes by Nita Callahan, with a father named Harold and sister named Dairine, who is a wizard on Earth.)
And maybe, in more detailed spells such as, say, a tracking wizardry, the subject's name (and maybe also the speaker's?) would have to be very detailed to avoid confusion with similar objects/people.

[Ronan]

I think wizards tend to grow up a little when they discover their name in the Speech. Because it is yer identity and it describes who yeh are not just in the sense of superficiality but yer...essence...inner being, I suppose, eh? And there is no one like you in the entire universe, which is why reincarnation is not...entirely possible (and if it is...it's not understood clearly by humans, that's fer sure). Only one of you can exist...there can be many forms of yeh (in parallel universes as such)...but they are all you, aspects of you that yeh cannot reach/comprehend/see.

So to find a name that describes yerself, yeh'd need a name that describes ALL of yerself and I think that's a very important step in wizardly growth, eh? Yeh see who yeh are, get glimpses of other "yous" and have to come to terms with yer strengths as well as yer weaknesses. It's a journey, I'd say, one that most non-wizard folk don't take until they're older (and one that a lot of people never actually undergo).

*shrugs* At least, this is how I see it.