Noble titles of the Northern Alliance

[esr]

This is information for translators of The Hammer Of Thursagan.

I introduced the terms "Lord Protector" and "Lord Companion" into the world of this campaign. I was trying to come up with something more original than the usual King/Count/Duke. Mordante asked me to explain them and suggest how to translate them into other languages.

The term "Lord Protector" is historical in English. There is a good explanation at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Protector. I meant it to suggest Oliver Cromwell, who was a warlord/ruler without being of noble birth. He adopted the titlle from an older use for the chief noble of a regency. This has a fairly obvious translation in many languages; in Swedish, for example, "Riksföreståndare" will do.

The term "Lord Companion" is my invention. It has the sense of Latin "comitatus", that is a companion or bodyguard of a ruler. It is intended to suggest that the original Lord Companions were Tallin's allies on his quest, like Hamel of Knalga, and that as the political of the Allance settled down after Tallin's victory it became an appointive office.

The Dutch "Stadhouder", German "Statthaller" and Swedish "Ståthållare" are not literal translations of this idea, but they will work. In Romance languages, whatever word is cognate to English "Legate" will do.

[West]

The term "Lord Protector" is historical in English. There is a good explanation at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Protector. I meant it to suggest Oliver Cromwell, who was a warlord/ruler without being of noble birth. He adopted the titlle from an older use for the chief noble of a regency. This has a fairly obvious translation in many languages; in Swedish, for example, "Riksföreståndare" will do.

Actually, I think Riksmarskalk is preferrable to Riksföreståndare, as the latter sounds a bit too contemporary.

[King of Polo's heart]

In french, I think it will be :"Régent" for Lord protector and "Conseiller" for the lord companion.

[Seren]

In french, I think it will be :"Régent" for Lord protector and "Conseiller" for the lord companion.

According to Wikipedia.fr ( not the best source of information but..), Cromwell's title was translated in french as "Lord Protecteur".

[King of Polo's heart]

You can see it like this, but "Lord" isn't French, and it's better like this : "Protecteur du Seigneur"

[Seren]

You can see it like this, but "Lord" isn't French, and it's better like this : "Protecteur du Seigneur"

Lord Protector does not mean "Protector of the Lord", Lord is part of the title itself, not a distinct person, it would rather be "Seigneur Protecteur".

FYI, under Oliver Cromwell, the King James was beheaded, so Cromwell was not really the protector of "lords", "Lord Protector" rather means "Protector of England".

[King of Polo's heart]

Yes, it must be right.

You know, I am not English, I am french so I don't know the English's history.
So, thank you for this lesson^^