What's In a Name?

SPOILERS

Here you will find a collection of proper names from Amber, and their likely sources. None of this is confirmed by the author, that I'm aware of, and is purely conjecture. Please email me with any corrections or additions. Thank you!

Avalon

In Arthurian Legend, Avalon is that mythical and magical island where Arthur's sword Excalibur was created. By invoking Avalon in the Corwin Chronicles, Zelazny is making the direct and deliberate implication that the Avalon of Shadow Earth (and associated Arthurian legends) were but mere shadows of Corwin's actual place, Avalon, which was his surrogate Amber over which he ruled (as a tyrant) for potentially centuries. Numerous other references to the Arthurian legends spring up throughout The Guns of Avalon, including King Uther, Arthur (the arms dealer), Melkin, and Lancelot.

Avernus

From Wikipedia: Avernus was an ancient name for a volcanic crater near Cumae (Cuma), Italy, in the region of Campania west of Naples. Part of the Phlegraean Fields of volcanoes, Avernus is approximately 3.2 km in circumference. Within the crater is Lake Avernus.

Avernus was believed to be the entrance to the underworld, and is portrayed as such in the Aeneid of Virgil. 

Benedict

There is no obvious reference here, but the name is used by many Popes throughout history. Perhaps Zelazny wanted the reader to think of Benedict as a pious, wise, elder, apolitical type, as this is the role Benedict plays in the Amber series.

In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, the lead male character is Benedick. The spelling is slightly different, but given Zelazny's deep familiarity with Shakespeare, this can be viewed as a possible influence.

Bleys

Possible variation on "Blaise", who was the master of Merlin, introduced by French poet Robert de Boron in a 12th/13th century poem (called Merlin). Boron's poem was a rework of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, which lays down the legends surrounding King Arthur and Merlin. There is no doubt that Zelazny was familiar with Geoffrey, and he draws heavily upon the Arthurian legends throughout the Amber series. We can't say for sure whether Zelazny read Boron's work, or whether "Bleys" is derived from Boron's introduction of "Blaise", but it would not be surprising.

Caine

The most obvious reference here is from The Caine Mutiny, a 1951 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk. The story takes place on the fictional destroyer the U.S.S. Caine. As Prince Caine is completely associated with Amber's Navy, and ships, the connection here is likely not coincidental. The Caine Mutiny became a film in 1954, about a decade before Zelazny began contemplating Nine Princes in Amber.

There is a second possible meaning here, which is a reference to Cain (no "E"), the biblical character who is the son of Adam, and the first murderer. In the book of Genesis, Cain commits fratricide, killing his brother Abel. Besides this being an ongoing theme throughout the Amber series, with brothers continually threatening and attempting to kill each other, Cain is ultimately the only Prince of Amber to actually kill one of his brothers: Brand.

Carl Corey

Roger Zelazny's best friend from childhood was Carl Yoke, who wrote the first full-length scholarly examination of Zelazny's work in 1979. Carl is also the name of the narrator in The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth.

In 2022, the HBO series House of the Dragon paid homage to Zelazny with a minor character named Qarl Correy. 

Deirdre

From Wikipedia: "Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows". Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland." 

There is some overlap with the story of Deirdre in Nine Princes in Amber, as the legend of Deirdre has her escaping the evil king Conchobar, and fleeing with two brothers, only to be recaptured. In Nine Princes, Zelazny is clearly dabbling heavily in Irish folklore, as he invokes Moire, Tir-na Nog'th, Deirdre, Oisen, and Lir, all within a couple of chapters.

Eric

A very common old Norse name, given to many past kings of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. To the extent that Zelazny was looking for a moniker for the antagonist King in Amber whose name might strike fear in any challengers, this was an ideal pick.

Florimel (Flora)

Florimell (spelled with two "L's") is a character from The Faerie Queen, an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published in 1590, which touches on Arthurian themes. Florimell is one of many characters in the poem; she is a love interest who goes looking for her knight, and is captured by the sea god Proteus. Zelazny studied Elizabethan and Jacobean drama in graduate school at Columbia, and would undoubtedly have been familiar with Spenser's work. 

Florimel (one "L") is also the main character/heroine in The Maiden Queen (1667) by Jon Dryden. Coming nearly a century later than Spenser, this Restoration tragicomedy features Florimel as the heroine. The part was played by Nell Gwyn, a celebrity figure of the day, and mistress to King Charles II. 

Additionally, Zelazny's mother was named Josephine Flora Sweet Zelazny. 

So there are possibly multiple references here -- his mother, plus the Spenser/Dryden characters.

The Forest of Arden

The Forest of Arden is the romanticized setting for Shakespeare's play As You Like It. It is based upon the real Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, England.

Ganelon

According to Wikipedia, Ganelon (French) is "the knight who betrayed Charlemagne's army to the Saracens, leading to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. ... He is based upon the historical Wenilo, the archbishop of Sens who betrayed King Charles the Bald in 858." He makes his first appearance in literature in the 11th century work, The Song of Roland.

What is most interesting about the reference to the historical & fictional Ganelon is that the character is known for his act of betrayal. (Ganelon also appears in Dante's The Divine Comedy as one who is banished to the ninth circle of Hell for his betrayal.) And this, of course, is exactly the role that Ganelon plays in Zelazny's Amber -- he betrays his Lord Corwin in Avalon (though later becomes his friend, when Oberon takes on the Ganelon disguise). So Zelazny is lifting both the name and the mythology. This is expected, as Avalon, Ganelon, Lancelot, and much of The Guns of Avalon are all lifted from Arthurian legends. These are intended as direct, rather than indirect, references.

Lorraine

This is a reference to the region in Northeastern France the borders of which have been contested over the centuries. It is an apt name for the small shadow that lies near to Avalon, that is embroiled in a war for control when Corwin arrives there. Zelazny even makes a later reference (in the Merlin Chronicles) to Lorraine, saying that Eregnor is "their Alsace-Lorraine... a large, rich area between Kashfa and Begma."

Merlin

The fictional wizard from the legends of King Arthur. Read more about the origins of "Merlin" on Wikipedia.

Morgenstern

The name of Julian's mighty horse. "Morgenstern" is German for "Morning Star". (It is mildly interesting that Corwin's horse, who comes later in the story, is named "Star".) Morningstar also appears in Jack of Shadows, and is generally noted as a fallen angel in charge of Hell.

Oberon

This is a clear reference to the famous character in A Midsummer Night's Dream: Oberon, King of the Fairies. The name has roots further back in French heroic song; read about it on Wikipedia.

Oisen

The River Oisen flows through the Valley of Garnath, near Amber, and is used by Corwin and Bleys to escape the burning of the valley. This is yet another reference to Irish mythology employed by Zelazny, particularly in Nine Princes in Amber. From Wikipedia:  "Oisín, Osian, Ossian, or anglicized as  Osheen was regarded in legend as the greatest poet of Ireland, a warrior of the Fianna in the Ossianic or Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the demigod son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and of Sadhbh... and is the narrator of much of the cycle and composition of the poems are attributed to him."

Osric

Osric is the name of various Anglo-Saxon kings. Osric is a courtier in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, appearing in Act 5, overseeing the duel between Hamlet and Laertes. Given that Zelazny studied Shakespeare at Columbia, and the book is filled with other Shakespearean references, he very likely pulled the name Osric from Hamlet.

Rinaldo

The name of Brand's son from the Merlin Chronicles is likely derived from Reynaldo, a minor character in Act II of Hamlet.

Tir-na Nog'th

In the Amber series, this is the ghost city, a dreamlike reflection of Amber in the night sky, full of omens and portents for its visitors. From Wikipedia: "In Irish mythology Tír na nÓg (Irish for "Land of the Young") or Tír na hÓige ("Land of Youth") is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld, or perhaps for a part of it. Tír na nÓg is best known from the tale of Oisín and Niamh."

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