Inigo Montoya is one of the greatest names in literature. People who have never read the book or seen the movie have heard of Inigo. People who don’t even know what movie and book he comes from can quote him. (It’s The Princess Bride by William Goldman, fyi)
It is a powerful name. A name that draws a hero from the brink of death, propels them on, and pushes the boundaries of strength and power. It is a name of vengeance, of revenge, of honor, and love.
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
This mantra has saved worlds.
Some names carry with it a power beyond its story. It transcends the written word and pushes long past the boundaries of its novel. Names have power. Names have the ability to touch people who don’t even read.
Sherlock Holmes has become synonymous with mysteries and crime solving. Ebenezer Scrooge’s last name has come to literally means someone who is cheap and miserly. Romeo and Juliet have long since been freed of their namesake play and have become a symbol for great love and great tragedy.
Think about how saturated with expectations and mental imagery the name Alice has become. Alice who? Oh, you know who I mean.
And Tom Sawyer? Heck, most people don’t even know his book is not titled “Tom Sawyer” but “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and most of those people have never even read the book but could tell you what the book is about or at least recite several scenes with Tom in them. How is that possible? Because Tom has become a vivid part of his time period and a strange idealistic Great American History, regardless of the fact Tom Sawyer isn’t non-fiction. But he just feels so real.
What do you think are some of the most powerful character name in literature? Add your ideas to the Linky Tools below!
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Today I’d like to give a shout out to the very cool and gracious hosts of this blog challenge. Without them, I wouldn’t be as exhausted as I am right now, but I’d also not be having nearly as much fun. So thank you so much for everything you’ve put into this. From my little corner of the internet I can tell you, it has been an awesome success.
- Lee, the mastermind behind it all, at Tossing it Out
- Alex J. Cavanaugh was my link to this challenge. Thank you Alex!
- Talli Rolland, whose H post is totally me.
- You know how there are some bloggers whose personality and voice make you want to go have tea with them? Jen Daiker is like that for me.
- The Misadventures in Candyland by Candace Ganger: I’ve posted about her before. She’s such a wild blogger. She’s crazy I think! And awesome.
- Coming Down the Mountain with Karen G. I’m least familiar with Karen but so far I really enjoy her writing blog.
- Thanks to Jeffrey Beesler I CAN’T STOP SINGING HUMAN BY HUMAN LEAGUE IN MY HEAD THANKS A LOT JEFF. (Ok I forgive you, but only because all your other posts are so freaking great.)
- Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs has some great space posts for the A to Z challenge with fascinating information for sci-fi nerds.
