We’ve unofficially named our house The Eolian, and a gold-engraved slate sign is hanging proudly by our front door. Fans of The Kingkiller Chronicle will recognise the moniker from the The Name of the Wind, which is one of our favourite books.
I love naming things: our degus, our cars, and now our house. Each name has held specific meaning or quirky connections for us, and The Eolian is no different. It’s interesting that the fantasy series also has a high regard for naming (as suggested in the title of the first book). There’s power in a name!
In the series, The Eolian is a music hall/tavern in the fictional town of Imre. It’s a place where the main character, Kvothe, feels at home with his lute and best friends. The scene where Kvothe earns his Talent Pipes is one of my favourite moments from the book, and I fell in love with The Eolian, its heart and scutten1‘A powerful black wine from the foothills of the Shalda mountains’. With music, drinks, friendship, laughter, hope, success … it’s all the things we’d love to emulate in our own home!
“The Eolian lay at the heart of Imre, its front doors facing out onto the city’s central cobblestone courtyard. There were benches, a few flowering trees, and a marble fountain …”2(The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss)
The word, Eolian (spelled ‘Aeolian’ here in the UK), not only has a strong musical connection, but it can also be defined in geological terms as ‘produced or carried by the wind’.3https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/aeolian Our house is set quite high on a hill, and we’re often battered by strong winds. Jan is currently working on a fantasy map of our suburb; our house – while not directly featured on the map – inspired a section called ‘The Venting’. It really does get windy here!
“We drank and joked about small things…”4(The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss)
I love that our house’s new name reflects what shapes it, both inside and out.
This is Jan’s fantasy map – it’s a work in progress, but it looks fantastic so far! I’ll have to write a story to go with it.
