About the name 'Geraden'

by Geraden

One of my earliest articles, revised and re-published with graphics.

Every so often people ask me where my nickname Geraden comes from. Sometimes I am asked, 'Is it German'? So here all will be revealed.

There is indeed a German word 'gerade' meaning 'straight', with a hard 'g' as in 'gas' and the accent on the second syllable. But my name has nothing to do with this. The way I pronounce it (with a soft 'g') the name sounds a bit like 'Geraldine'. One of my online friends, noted for his sensa'umour, has been known to call me that, but don't you even think about it!

When I became active in the Internet community in about 2002, I decided to use a nickname. Have you ever had to choose a nickname or a password in a hurry? Not easy!

I definitely wanted a name, not a collection of letters and numbers. I love Tolkien's Middle Earth and I considered taking a name from there. I very nearly chose 'Beren', but I backed away from Tolkien in the end. Somehow it seemed wrong to take the name of a hero of Middle Earth.

OK, so where does the name Geraden come from?

Well, at the time I had been reading a fantasy novel in two volumes by Stephen Donaldson, called Mordant's Need. I must confess that I am not the greatest fan of Donaldson – much of his writing, such as The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, is too psychological for my taste. However, Mordant's Need suffers from this defect (if you think it is a defect) less than some of Donaldson's other works. Actually, if you like this genre, it is quite a good read.

Geraden is the unlikely hero of the novel. In the world of Mordant, mirrors show images of remote places and they have magical properties of transportation to and from those places. They are crafted by very skilled and powerful people called Master Imagers. Geraden is the oldest apprentice Imager. He is a likeable enough chap, but everyone despairs of his ever attaining the status of Master on account of his clumsiness.

Through his chance encounter with the heroine Terisa, a young woman from our own world, there is a progressive manifestation of Geraden's true status as an Adept (a rare Imager whose natural talents exceed those of the Masters). Together Geraden (gaining in confidence and losing his clumsiness) and Terisa (who is gradually revealed as having the highest talent of all) rescue the land of Mordant from the evil designs of renegade Imagers.

So there you are! Maybe there is something of Geraden in me – who knows? But having chosen the name Geraden, I am more or less stuck with it, because people online have got to know me by that name. When I suggested changing it, friends objected. A few close online friends know my real name and use it offline, but online everyone calls me Geraden. Or something like that: I have been called G, Ger, Mr G, Gee – I don't mind. In some circles I am even called 'Tights': I do draw the line at 'Geraldine' however!

I have reserved the name geraden for myself on Google Mail. Someone already had that name on Yahoo, so on YIM I am geradenadept, which is the ID I also use on MSN.