Fvadini v'Rihannsu

....... Names are of extreme importance in Rihannsu society, a Rihanha's most important possession, saying more about its owner than one's face, clothes, or physical attributes. A Rihannsu name can have up to four parts: 1) the primary, or first name; 2) the secondary, locative name; 3) for members of the nobility, the hfihar (noble house or family) name; and 4) the rehei, or private name.  All Rihannsu have both a proper (first) and a locative (second) name at the very least.The first, or primary name is generally given by one's parents.  Each name has its own meaning and significance and tells all who hear it something about the nature of its owner. Its meaning reflects the parents' hopes and aspirations for their child, although not often in a literal sense. For example, parents might name a child 'Ael' which means 'winged,' in the hopes that she will soar to the limits of his abilities. Perhaps they would choose the same name with the intention of associating the child with the qualities of the Element of Air. Or, they may have any of a dozen other reasons. The shadings and connotations of a name go far beyond its simple dictionary definition. Although the first name is bestowed by the parents before they know much about the character of their baby, children most often grow into their names, although not always in the way their parents had anticipated. The above named Ael, for example, might end up as an atmospheric transport pilot, showing her wings in flight as the birds do. Not perhaps what her parents had intended, but Ael nonetheless.

......The second name is locative, and is determined by the Rihanha's birthplace/place of origin.  There are three forms of locative names, each describing a different type of background and distinguished by the name's prefix. The first form of place name begins i-, meaning "from the city of." If our example person Ael had been born in the city of Mhiessan, she would be known as Ael i-Mhiessan. The second form of place name begins ir-, meaning "from the region of."  A region is a rather nebulous term encompassing any thing from a small province on ch'Rihan or ch'Havran, to an entire colony world, depending on the local population. If our Ael had been born in the Mnaehe province of ch'Rihan, she would be called Ael ir-Mnaehe, "Winged One of the Mnaehe Province." The final and rarest form of the locative name is used only by nobility who have a family name other than the one they were born with.  Usually, this happens through marriage, although occasionally adoption will require it.  In this case, the person changing their name would take their former family name as their locative name, using the prefix e-, meaning "of the family of."  Continuing with an example, let's say Ael is a noble of the Rllaillieu family, with a full name of Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu. She wishes to marry another noble, a man of the Sahen family from Ra'tleighfi.  His name is Nniol i-Ra'tleighfi tr'Sahen. When they marry, however, he changes his name to Nniol e-Sahen tr'Rllaillieu.  She would still be Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu, since she is not leaving her family to join another.

......A Rihanha's third name determines the noble house they are affiliated with, and only Rihannsu who are members of noble families have hfihar (noble house or family) names.  In order to use a house name, one must be associated with a noble house;  this may be by birth, by employment, or by adoption.  Thus, commoners have but two names. The house itself possesses a name, for example, Rllaillieu, and a Rihanha who is related to the house uses a prefix for that name: t' for females, and tr' for males, while the neuter prefix for the hfihar in general is s'. Thus, Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu is a female member of house Rllaillieu, and Nniol i-Ra'tleighfi tr'Sahen is a male member of house Sahen.  Only members of the nobility or those who are indentured to noble families have hfihar names. If Ael were a commoner, she would simply be known as Ael i-Mhiessan. The primary name is generally not used alone except between equals, family, or friends. The house name may be used alone, except in circumstances where it is not unique, in which case the addition of the primary name must be used. For example if several s'Rllaillieu were present, Ael would be addressed as Ael t'Rllaillieu.  The exception to this form of address is those who honor the ancient style, and prefer to be addressed by a single, primary name (often, but not necessarily, beginning with S' to honor S'Task). Rihanha who prefer this style may have a house name as well,  but the primary name is used alone unless differentiation is required-- and then the house name or locative name is used.  An example would be using the name S'Task i-Ra'tleighfi, or S'Task tr'Sahen, if several people named S'Task were present. Finally, some Rihannsu develop a fourth name, a rehei, which is a deeply personal name, discovered by its owner, not given. It is intensely private and shared only with intimate friends and family. To find your rehei, you look inside yourself and if you look carefully enough, you will find the correct one. The meaning of a rehei is that which best describes its owner. As such, the rehei is shared only with close family and intimate friends, because to know a person's rehei is to understand the depths of their soul. This name is not used in any public manner of address, and is generally never even written except in intimate, personal communications.

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