# What is another name for death bringer?



## GenkiWorld

Hello everyone. I am working on an e-book right now. The genre is supernatural and the idea was born from a video game I collaborated on years ago, but it unfortunately never took off. The main character of this book is a shinigami/death god.

                Originally I had the story set up in a Japanese city. But now considering this will only attract certain readers, I want to take a more general approach and perhaps make it seem like this is taking place on a city anywhere else in the world that all sorts of readers can identify with and properly visualize. There are many other races being mentioned in this book along with humans, such like it has been made popular on many other books already. But with this book I wanted to bring a unique element to supernatural stories by bringing in a race of characters that is almost never talked about, yet has a huge appeal. These is where the idea for the shinigami as a main character came in to place.
But I don’t want them referred to as shinigami. I was looking for alternative names for shinigami. Death bringer has a nice ring to it, but perhaps there are other options that I could be considering.

                I was hoping that some of you very creative and unique writers would throw a few suggestions my way and help me come up with an appealing name for my race of shinigami.

Thank you!


----------



## Sonata

Is the "Grim Reaper" too obvious?


----------



## Pea

Good idea, but I feel that 'Reaper' alone makes it less cliché and more eye-catching/interesting.


----------



## Jeko

Why would a setting only attract a certain kind of audience? _Black Butler_ didn't put off the Japanese because it was set in England. A foreign country often helps a fantasy setting, as long as that country has similar normalities to work with (which Japan definitely does)

Anyway, I was going to use 'Undertaker' for a WIP that got cancelled - human connotations with sinister undertones, but enough neutrality to make it work for a heroic character. 

'Mara' is a Hindu word pertaining to death and also has a nice, foreign ring to it.

You could also use 'Dullahan', depending on how many of your readers you think have read/seen _Durarara!!._


----------



## escorial

soul taker


----------



## Sonata

How about Azrael, the Archangel of Death.


----------



## T.S.Bowman

You could always use an online translator to find out how to say Bringer of Death (or something similar) in other languages and base the name off that.


----------



## Phil Istine

I'm not clear what level of fantasy you are looking for with the naming i.e. something closely based on an already well known term or something from total fantasy that has a much looser connection with a current term.
Just a few things popping into my head:
Mortrangers, Mortwelts, Sinsleepers, Finalizers, Departers, Wormfeeders, Gaspers, Mortae are, perhaps, the sort of names that might have been in a Harry Potter type of fantasy.  Perhaps a little closer to known words might be Medusa or maybe adapt one of the names here ( http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Thanatos.html ).
Maybe even "Levellers" as death is referred to as the "Great leveller" - though this may need care as the Levellers were also a political movement in the English civil war.

Perhaps these aren't the sort of things you are looking for though?


----------



## GenkiWorld

I like the ring of undertaker, or the undertakers as it is a whole race. I am mostly thinking of those readers that have no connection to Japan, or even the world of anime, I just wanted to perhaps make things easier for them, but over all I think you are right.


----------



## Jeko

> I am mostly thinking of those readers that have no connection to Japan, or even the world of anime, I just wanted to perhaps make things easier for them



Think of it another way: 'Shinigami' is an easy-to-read but foreign word; the reader googles it and comes across _Death Note_ or something similar; they watch _Death Note_ or something similar; they get into anime.

Boom! The number of otakus worldwide doubles overnight (or something). 

Speaking of otakus, I have more _Baka to Test_ to watch...


----------



## GenkiWorld

You do have a very valid point there. I think by changing it I might do more harm to the story than good.

                Awesome! That is one great anime J


----------



## escorial

a thaed...death backward


----------



## ppsage

Harbinger


----------



## SMScoles

My favorite is Carnifex. Latin for executioner, if my memory serves.

Fun fact: Carnifex was always one of my first choices for a character name in games. Lol.


----------



## voltigeur

> What is another name for death bringer?





United States Marine

Sorry Flashback


----------



## Patrick

Apollyon (Greek for the Hebrew Abaddon) of Revelation 9:11, which means destroyer. I'd make a word. But I conlang and combine multiple words to fit my novel's themes.


----------



## Stormcat

Psychopomp


----------



## Noelle

Harbinger of death


----------

