"Calormen" vs. "Calormene"
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:34 pmSomething that there is often confusion over is the usage of "Calormen" vs. "Calormene". Since that detail is becoming relevant to more than just one or two characters in our story, it seems like a good time for some clarification.
According to the books, "Calormen" is a country. "Calormene" indicates nationality/place of origin. So a character (Rabadash, for example) is not Calormen, and he isn't from Calormene. He is a Calormene from Calormen, like Tumnus is a Narnian from Narnia.
Here's an example from The Horse and His Boy. It's a little long, but it illustrates the point well.
According to the books, "Calormen" is a country. "Calormene" indicates nationality/place of origin. So a character (Rabadash, for example) is not Calormen, and he isn't from Calormene. He is a Calormene from Calormen, like Tumnus is a Narnian from Narnia.
Here's an example from The Horse and His Boy. It's a little long, but it illustrates the point well.
The Horse and His Boy, Chapter 4: Shasta Falls In With the Narnians wrote:It was quite unlike any other party that they had seen that day. The crier who went before it shouting "Way, way!" was the only Calormene in it. And there was no litter; everyone was on foot. There were about half a dozen men and Shasta had never seen anyone like them before. For one thing, they were all as fair-skinned as himself, and most of them had fair hair. And they were not dressed like men of Calormen. Most of them had legs bare to the knee. Their tunics were of fine, bright, hardy colors--woodland green, or gay yellow, or fresh blue. Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side. A few were bare-headed. The swords at their sides were long and straight, not curved like Calormene scimitars. And instead of being grave and mysterious like most Calormenes, they walked with a swing and let their arms and shoulders go free, and chatted and laughed. One was whistling. You could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn't give a fig for anyone who wasn't. Shasta thought he had never seen anything so lovely in his life.