Hebrew Tongue Twister: Character Names from the Susa Chronicles by Megan Schaulis

Character Names in The Susa Chronicles

Authors have a love-hate relationship with naming their characters, and I am no exception. Given all the time that went into naming these beloved characters, I couldn’t resist sharing some of the meanings and inspirations with you. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek at character names from The Susa Chronicles.

What’s in a character name?

When you find the perfect name, satisfaction spills through you—until you realize you spent 45 minutes googling “exotic baby names” just for some minor character who’s only mentioned on two pages. It’s a delightful part of the writing process and a horrendous time-suck.

To avoid this, I’ve been known to write entire scenes between [NAME 1] and [NAME 2]. But eventually every author has to take the time to determine the perfect name for each character. And with 38 named characters in The Susa Chronicles, it was quite an undertaking.

Actual notes from brainstorming names

Avoiding character confusion

For the characters who have a Biblical counterpart, I wanted names that either sounded similar or had a similar meaning to the historical figure. Others just needed to be cool yet pronounceable. I also had to be careful about names that look or sound alike. No one wants to flip back through pages to sort out Jon, Jonah, and Jonas. The whole thing was one big word puzzle—in Hebrew.

My best friend—also an author—and I frequently text each other things like: What’s a good name for an unscrupulous doctor that doesn’t start with A, M, N, S, or Z? (Spoiler: You’ll meet Dr. Parnak in book two.)

Here’s a quick rundown of who you’ll meet in The Susa Chronicles.

The Alphanites

Alpha and Alphanites: name of God from Revelation 22:13 and a made-up derivative for His people

Novalise/Astra: both mean star, same as Esther

Declan: inspired by MorDECai, Esther’s cousin and guardian

Hatch: inspired by Hathach, the eunuch who delivers secret messages between Esther and Mordecai

Berg: I was staring at my brick fireplace but didn’t want to name him Brick. (38 characters, y’all. Don’t judge.)

Lennox: popped into my head and I knew it was perfect

Ryn: named for my niece Kathryn

The High Council

Zadien Ahasuerus: Zadien means lion, a fitting name for the long-haired king and one possible meaning of Ahasuerus, the Hebrew version for King Xerxes

Each member of the High Council was named for one of the seven advisors to Xerxes mentioned in Esther 1:13-14.

Karesh: Carshena

McKenna: Memucan, who suggested the bridal recruitment plan

Admatha: Adlam (the name I changed the most times)

Tanis: Tarshish (not named until book two)

Marten: Marsena (not named until book two)

Hayden: ummm…another MAJOR figure in Esther 😉

The Enhanced

Commander Hej: inspired by Hegai, head of Xerxes’ harem

Vastri: sounds like Vashti, Xerxes’ deposed queen

Prentis, Sheena, Lynelle, Dahlia: Just cool words