What about those "obscure" names?

[Spiderman]

Is there a story behind all of the weird names that crop up in Magic, or did WOTC just throw them out (they might have in the beginning but I don't know if they consolidated a story behind them since then).

Like Nevyrral, or Barl, or Delif, or Sulieman...

This came up while I was going through old cards...

 

[FoundationOfRancor]

I know Barl was featured in the book The Gathering Dark, he was Marsil's second in command. He tried to kill this blue mage with a crossbow, but she disenchanted it and killed him.

I cant remember who the mage he was trying to kill was....

As to the rest, or most of the obscure names in early magic, I have no idea.

 

[Spiderman]

They're all in books? What if you don't/can't read them? There isn't anything on the Web that gives a brief rundown on them?

C'mon, you storybook people!

 

[Lotus Mox]

Nevinyrral is Larry Niven (an author) reverse.

IIRC Suleiman is a character in the Arabian Nights book, like Aladdin or Ali baba.

some other names are anagrams, like Ydwen = Wendy, Mangara = Anagram, Sol Grail = Gorillas, Mijae = Jamie or Telim'tor = Mr.Toilet.

 

[Spiderman]

So what you're saying is because some are anagrams there's no story behind them?

I thought Ydwen was something, like a lesser Phyrexian demon or something....

 

[Ihsans Shade]

No, up until like the Rath cycle, all the names were pulled from anywhere WotC felt like. Like Barbary Apes. Barbary Apes in the real world are Apes that live on the Barbary Coast of Africa, because Barbary Pirates used to terroize U.S. ships when the country was starting out.

Well, I've rambled enough.

I am...
Ihsan's Shade

Hey, Barbary Pirates.... There's an idea for a card.

 

[Spiderman]

No one went back and tried to make it coherent or anything? Like Keldon Warlord; that existed since at least Revised, but I don't remember a specific land of Keld until much later.

I was always curious about those "one name" entities...