I’ve been writing a story with my son and one of the little plot devices we’re using is that some of the characters’ names are inspired by our favorite fictional wizards.

The trouble is that my son only knows Gandalf and Dumbledore.  (We aren’t including Harry Potter or the secondary characters as the main wizards of the story.)  So it’s been up to me.  And I’ve come up with a couple from my reading.  So here’s my list so far:

1. Gandalf.  How can he not be number 1?  He must be, and he is.
2. Dumbledore.  Almost as awe inspiring as Gandalf.
3. Belgarath.  From the David Eddings works – The Belgariad, and Belgareth the Sorcerer.  Right up there with the top two.
4. Harry Dresden.  Jim Butcher’s wizard is as cool as they get.
5. Marla Mason.  Tim Pratt’s sorcerer has progressed far beyond mere wizard status.
6. Walter “Wiz” Zumwalt.  The hero of Rick Cook’s Wizardry books.
7. Max Zadok.  Laura Resnick’s centuries-old wizard in her Esther Diamond books.

Maybe I’ll come up with some more.  If you’re reading this blog, and you have a name, any name, toss it out there.  I’d love to hear it.

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