[Fluff] Balders Gate is the name of a street in Oslo, Norway
[Fluff] Balders Gate is the name of a street in Oslo, Norway
I hope this fluff post will be allowed if I actually share some facts about DnD and etymology
Balders Gate is named after the Norse god Baldr/Balder/Baldur
Baldur in DnD is named after a legendary explorer Baldurian from Faerûn, name obviously inspired by the norse god's name.
The word Gate means street in Norwegian, as well in Swedish/Danish/Icelandish but its spelled differently in those languages
The word Gate in English is a cognate with the word Gate in Norwegian, meaning they stem from the same root word, incidentally they are also spelled the same way today, which is not a requirement to be a cognate, Gate in English is also a cognate with the word for street in other nordic languages even though they spell it differently.
Swedish still spell it the same as in Old Norse, Gata, which at the that point meant path, road, or way, which is how it is used in current day nordic languages, but you can see how the English word Gate is now used for an entrance with a door of some kind. Other English definitions for the word gate, like a manner of walking or even a path, among others also stem from the same root word.
You also have Baldursgata in Reykjavik, Iceland :) https://maps.app.goo.gl/adqvJC96vBcttEXM7
Said to have one of the highest concentrations of paladins and wizards in the world
I like fluff and found it interesting.
Now, yes now, they are famous because of the game. 😉But can you Balder skate there?
Fun story, when I was younger I was out with a guy called Balder, and he was messing around with his skateboard, and he broke, I think it was his collarbone, He said his mother was at work and not at home, so I helped him get to the ER... His mother was a nurse attending the ER. She wasn't surprised about her son, but she was thankful I had helped him.
well guess I lost track of that guy even before the corona times