Jeff Lilly
@druidjournal.bsky.social
Linguist who talks to computers + creates languages. Druid wanderer writing fiction, snapping pics, and sketching dreams. He/him.
A month or two ago, while writing Crown of Crows, I unexpectedly found myself in desperate need of a language for dragons. I'm pretty happy with the result. Here I offer a look at how Draconic might…
https://axonfirings.com/2025/10/12/the-linguistic-legacy-of-dragons-a-worldbuilding-case-study/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/10/12/the-linguistic-legacy-of-dragons-a-worldbuilding-case-study/
October 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
A month or two ago, while writing Crown of Crows, I unexpectedly found myself in desperate need of a language for dragons. I'm pretty happy with the result. Here I offer a look at how Draconic might…
https://axonfirings.com/2025/10/12/the-linguistic-legacy-of-dragons-a-worldbuilding-case-study/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/10/12/the-linguistic-legacy-of-dragons-a-worldbuilding-case-study/
My dear fur-child Rowan, not creeping me out at all
September 27, 2025 at 4:34 PM
My dear fur-child Rowan, not creeping me out at all
New chapter live on Patreon: 'Åedhladerth' - The Dragon's Price. Sarah and her companions carry the weight of their choices toward an uncertain sanctuary. #FantasyWriting #Patreon
www.patreon.com/post...
www.patreon.com/post...
August 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
New chapter live on Patreon: 'Åedhladerth' - The Dragon's Price. Sarah and her companions carry the weight of their choices toward an uncertain sanctuary. #FantasyWriting #Patreon
www.patreon.com/post...
www.patreon.com/post...
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 5
#conlang
rucalugh
/ɹukələ/
Mid Eng rewcalugh, OE reocaleoh.
PGmc /ɹewkaleuɣ/, from PIE root h1rewg-leuk-.
Smoke + Light.
A nebula, galaxy, or other stellar object with a cloudy or hazy appearance.
Ex. Orion's Belt is adorned with bright stars and hazy rucalughs.
#conlang
rucalugh
/ɹukələ/
Mid Eng rewcalugh, OE reocaleoh.
PGmc /ɹewkaleuɣ/, from PIE root h1rewg-leuk-.
Smoke + Light.
A nebula, galaxy, or other stellar object with a cloudy or hazy appearance.
Ex. Orion's Belt is adorned with bright stars and hazy rucalughs.
August 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 5
#conlang
rucalugh
/ɹukələ/
Mid Eng rewcalugh, OE reocaleoh.
PGmc /ɹewkaleuɣ/, from PIE root h1rewg-leuk-.
Smoke + Light.
A nebula, galaxy, or other stellar object with a cloudy or hazy appearance.
Ex. Orion's Belt is adorned with bright stars and hazy rucalughs.
#conlang
rucalugh
/ɹukələ/
Mid Eng rewcalugh, OE reocaleoh.
PGmc /ɹewkaleuɣ/, from PIE root h1rewg-leuk-.
Smoke + Light.
A nebula, galaxy, or other stellar object with a cloudy or hazy appearance.
Ex. Orion's Belt is adorned with bright stars and hazy rucalughs.
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 4
#conlang
yorey
/joɹæə/
Middle English ioray, Old English iræġ.
From Proto-Germanic /iɹaij/, from PIE root h1er-ḱey-.
Goat + Settle.
One who is good at handling and herding goats. A goat whisperer.
Ex. A yorey in a tattered cloak was milking his goats from door to door.
#conlang
yorey
/joɹæə/
Middle English ioray, Old English iræġ.
From Proto-Germanic /iɹaij/, from PIE root h1er-ḱey-.
Goat + Settle.
One who is good at handling and herding goats. A goat whisperer.
Ex. A yorey in a tattered cloak was milking his goats from door to door.
August 4, 2025 at 6:40 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 4
#conlang
yorey
/joɹæə/
Middle English ioray, Old English iræġ.
From Proto-Germanic /iɹaij/, from PIE root h1er-ḱey-.
Goat + Settle.
One who is good at handling and herding goats. A goat whisperer.
Ex. A yorey in a tattered cloak was milking his goats from door to door.
#conlang
yorey
/joɹæə/
Middle English ioray, Old English iræġ.
From Proto-Germanic /iɹaij/, from PIE root h1er-ḱey-.
Goat + Settle.
One who is good at handling and herding goats. A goat whisperer.
Ex. A yorey in a tattered cloak was milking his goats from door to door.
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 3
#conlang
kevackell
/kevækəl/
Middle English kevackuell, Old English cefæcwel.
From Proto-Germanic /kevakwel/, from PIE root ǵebh-ǵhwel-.
Jaw + Bend.
A habitually loquacious or gossipy person.
Ex. Aye, that kevackell did prate of every man’s debt and damsel.
#conlang
kevackell
/kevækəl/
Middle English kevackuell, Old English cefæcwel.
From Proto-Germanic /kevakwel/, from PIE root ǵebh-ǵhwel-.
Jaw + Bend.
A habitually loquacious or gossipy person.
Ex. Aye, that kevackell did prate of every man’s debt and damsel.
August 4, 2025 at 2:17 AM
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 3
#conlang
kevackell
/kevækəl/
Middle English kevackuell, Old English cefæcwel.
From Proto-Germanic /kevakwel/, from PIE root ǵebh-ǵhwel-.
Jaw + Bend.
A habitually loquacious or gossipy person.
Ex. Aye, that kevackell did prate of every man’s debt and damsel.
#conlang
kevackell
/kevækəl/
Middle English kevackuell, Old English cefæcwel.
From Proto-Germanic /kevakwel/, from PIE root ǵebh-ǵhwel-.
Jaw + Bend.
A habitually loquacious or gossipy person.
Ex. Aye, that kevackell did prate of every man’s debt and damsel.
In Proto-Indo European times, a bhaǵhabhel signaled that one's deeds and gifts were aligned with divine favor.
Ex. No warrior would wear a backavell of thorn unless his vow was unshaken.
2/2
Ex. No warrior would wear a backavell of thorn unless his vow was unshaken.
2/2
August 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM
In Proto-Indo European times, a bhaǵhabhel signaled that one's deeds and gifts were aligned with divine favor.
Ex. No warrior would wear a backavell of thorn unless his vow was unshaken.
2/2
Ex. No warrior would wear a backavell of thorn unless his vow was unshaken.
2/2
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 1
#conlang
hinkaneth
/hinkənəθ/
Mid Eng hinkanauth, OE hincanæuþ.
PGmc /xinkanaɣwθz/, from PIE root ke(n)g-nokʷts.
Hook + Night.
A night set aside for catching fish such as carp and trout.
Ex. He missed hinkaneth for a girl, and the gods soured his net for seven summers.
#conlang
hinkaneth
/hinkənəθ/
Mid Eng hinkanauth, OE hincanæuþ.
PGmc /xinkanaɣwθz/, from PIE root ke(n)g-nokʷts.
Hook + Night.
A night set aside for catching fish such as carp and trout.
Ex. He missed hinkaneth for a girl, and the gods soured his net for seven summers.
August 2, 2025 at 12:53 AM
#NewWordsDaily2025 Aug 1
#conlang
hinkaneth
/hinkənəθ/
Mid Eng hinkanauth, OE hincanæuþ.
PGmc /xinkanaɣwθz/, from PIE root ke(n)g-nokʷts.
Hook + Night.
A night set aside for catching fish such as carp and trout.
Ex. He missed hinkaneth for a girl, and the gods soured his net for seven summers.
#conlang
hinkaneth
/hinkənəθ/
Mid Eng hinkanauth, OE hincanæuþ.
PGmc /xinkanaɣwθz/, from PIE root ke(n)g-nokʷts.
Hook + Night.
A night set aside for catching fish such as carp and trout.
Ex. He missed hinkaneth for a girl, and the gods soured his net for seven summers.
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 31
#conlang
sined
/sinəd/
Mid Eng seenad, OE senæde.
PGmc /senaðe/, from PIE root sen-dheh1-.
Old + Place.
A ruin, antiquity, or monument; a holy site; a graveyard.
Ex. The moss-stone stands on the moor, a sinad of the tribe that once danced the fire-ring there.
#conlang
sined
/sinəd/
Mid Eng seenad, OE senæde.
PGmc /senaðe/, from PIE root sen-dheh1-.
Old + Place.
A ruin, antiquity, or monument; a holy site; a graveyard.
Ex. The moss-stone stands on the moor, a sinad of the tribe that once danced the fire-ring there.
July 31, 2025 at 11:18 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 31
#conlang
sined
/sinəd/
Mid Eng seenad, OE senæde.
PGmc /senaðe/, from PIE root sen-dheh1-.
Old + Place.
A ruin, antiquity, or monument; a holy site; a graveyard.
Ex. The moss-stone stands on the moor, a sinad of the tribe that once danced the fire-ring there.
#conlang
sined
/sinəd/
Mid Eng seenad, OE senæde.
PGmc /senaðe/, from PIE root sen-dheh1-.
Old + Place.
A ruin, antiquity, or monument; a holy site; a graveyard.
Ex. The moss-stone stands on the moor, a sinad of the tribe that once danced the fire-ring there.
Entrance to Newgrange when we visited a couple of years ago. The purpose of the barrier stones at the entrance is disputed; personally I think they were to keep out bears.
#photography
#photography
July 31, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Entrance to Newgrange when we visited a couple of years ago. The purpose of the barrier stones at the entrance is disputed; personally I think they were to keep out bears.
#photography
#photography
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 30
#conlang
yonnalen
/jɔnələn/
Mid Eng yonailen, OE iunælen.
PGmc /junaelen/, from PIE root H₂yuHn̥-H₁elH₁ēn.
Young + Deer.
A fawn; a young deer, especially one still under its mother’s care.
Ex. She moved like a yonnalen through the meadow, fleet and wide-eyed.
#conlang
yonnalen
/jɔnələn/
Mid Eng yonailen, OE iunælen.
PGmc /junaelen/, from PIE root H₂yuHn̥-H₁elH₁ēn.
Young + Deer.
A fawn; a young deer, especially one still under its mother’s care.
Ex. She moved like a yonnalen through the meadow, fleet and wide-eyed.
July 30, 2025 at 5:17 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 30
#conlang
yonnalen
/jɔnələn/
Mid Eng yonailen, OE iunælen.
PGmc /junaelen/, from PIE root H₂yuHn̥-H₁elH₁ēn.
Young + Deer.
A fawn; a young deer, especially one still under its mother’s care.
Ex. She moved like a yonnalen through the meadow, fleet and wide-eyed.
#conlang
yonnalen
/jɔnələn/
Mid Eng yonailen, OE iunælen.
PGmc /junaelen/, from PIE root H₂yuHn̥-H₁elH₁ēn.
Young + Deer.
A fawn; a young deer, especially one still under its mother’s care.
Ex. She moved like a yonnalen through the meadow, fleet and wide-eyed.
Eg. sycamore, birch, or plane tree bark.
Ex. Children stripped wisseter from sycamores for whistles and tokens of the summer fair.
2/2
July 29, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Eg. sycamore, birch, or plane tree bark.
Ex. Children stripped wisseter from sycamores for whistles and tokens of the summer fair.
2/2
Originally referred to the checking of an animal's teeth before purchase.
Ex. The customer, upon performing his tanthara, declared the bale to be half flax and half broom.
2/2
Ex. The customer, upon performing his tanthara, declared the bale to be half flax and half broom.
2/2
July 28, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Originally referred to the checking of an animal's teeth before purchase.
Ex. The customer, upon performing his tanthara, declared the bale to be half flax and half broom.
2/2
Ex. The customer, upon performing his tanthara, declared the bale to be half flax and half broom.
2/2
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 27
#conlang
quanque
/kwænkwə/
Mid Eng quainque, OE cfaincu.
PGmc /kvainkw/, PIE ghh1bh-h3engw-.
Take + Anoint.
Ancient name for St John's Wort; used for consecration and blessing.
Ex. We burned quanque at sunrise and left the ashes on the sill to ward off bad dreams.
#conlang
quanque
/kwænkwə/
Mid Eng quainque, OE cfaincu.
PGmc /kvainkw/, PIE ghh1bh-h3engw-.
Take + Anoint.
Ancient name for St John's Wort; used for consecration and blessing.
Ex. We burned quanque at sunrise and left the ashes on the sill to ward off bad dreams.
July 27, 2025 at 4:40 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 27
#conlang
quanque
/kwænkwə/
Mid Eng quainque, OE cfaincu.
PGmc /kvainkw/, PIE ghh1bh-h3engw-.
Take + Anoint.
Ancient name for St John's Wort; used for consecration and blessing.
Ex. We burned quanque at sunrise and left the ashes on the sill to ward off bad dreams.
#conlang
quanque
/kwænkwə/
Mid Eng quainque, OE cfaincu.
PGmc /kvainkw/, PIE ghh1bh-h3engw-.
Take + Anoint.
Ancient name for St John's Wort; used for consecration and blessing.
Ex. We burned quanque at sunrise and left the ashes on the sill to ward off bad dreams.
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 26
#conlang
warkaver
/wæɹkəvəɹ/
Mid Eng warkaver, OE weorcæfer.
PGmc /weɹkavez/, PIE werǵ-pes-.
Arugula, esp. as an aphrodisiac.
In medieval times, warkaver edged monastery gardens, but was rarely planted inside.
Ex. Warkaver hath the virtue of stirring man and mare alike.
#conlang
warkaver
/wæɹkəvəɹ/
Mid Eng warkaver, OE weorcæfer.
PGmc /weɹkavez/, PIE werǵ-pes-.
Arugula, esp. as an aphrodisiac.
In medieval times, warkaver edged monastery gardens, but was rarely planted inside.
Ex. Warkaver hath the virtue of stirring man and mare alike.
July 26, 2025 at 11:43 PM
#NewWordsDaily2025 July 26
#conlang
warkaver
/wæɹkəvəɹ/
Mid Eng warkaver, OE weorcæfer.
PGmc /weɹkavez/, PIE werǵ-pes-.
Arugula, esp. as an aphrodisiac.
In medieval times, warkaver edged monastery gardens, but was rarely planted inside.
Ex. Warkaver hath the virtue of stirring man and mare alike.
#conlang
warkaver
/wæɹkəvəɹ/
Mid Eng warkaver, OE weorcæfer.
PGmc /weɹkavez/, PIE werǵ-pes-.
Arugula, esp. as an aphrodisiac.
In medieval times, warkaver edged monastery gardens, but was rarely planted inside.
Ex. Warkaver hath the virtue of stirring man and mare alike.
"Mist Over the Brackenlands" is not a sprightly little travel adventure full of hijinks and merry laughter. The word cloud for this chapter features things like "go back", "path", "thick", "eyes", "horn", and "cursed". No joke.
#Fantasy #Fiction #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity
1/2
#Fantasy #Fiction #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity
1/2
July 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
"Mist Over the Brackenlands" is not a sprightly little travel adventure full of hijinks and merry laughter. The word cloud for this chapter features things like "go back", "path", "thick", "eyes", "horn", and "cursed". No joke.
#Fantasy #Fiction #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity
1/2
#Fantasy #Fiction #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity
1/2
Hyacinths outside our local art museum.
July 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Hyacinths outside our local art museum.
$5 tier subscribers get:
-> Access to all serialized fiction (currently Crown of Crows) as it's written, usually a short-story-length section each week as a downloadable ebook
-> Free copies of all books once they're complete
Hope to see you there!
patreon.com/user?u=1...
10/10
-> Access to all serialized fiction (currently Crown of Crows) as it's written, usually a short-story-length section each week as a downloadable ebook
-> Free copies of all books once they're complete
Hope to see you there!
patreon.com/user?u=1...
10/10
June 27, 2025 at 12:05 AM
$5 tier subscribers get:
-> Access to all serialized fiction (currently Crown of Crows) as it's written, usually a short-story-length section each week as a downloadable ebook
-> Free copies of all books once they're complete
Hope to see you there!
patreon.com/user?u=1...
10/10
-> Access to all serialized fiction (currently Crown of Crows) as it's written, usually a short-story-length section each week as a downloadable ebook
-> Free copies of all books once they're complete
Hope to see you there!
patreon.com/user?u=1...
10/10
Free subscribers also get downloads of my fanfic, which includes:
-> The Hobbit cozy murder mystery novella "Strange as News from Bree", in which the unlikely Shire detective Perry Flockfoot solves a dastardly murder on the Great East Road.
8/10
-> The Hobbit cozy murder mystery novella "Strange as News from Bree", in which the unlikely Shire detective Perry Flockfoot solves a dastardly murder on the Great East Road.
8/10
June 27, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Free subscribers also get downloads of my fanfic, which includes:
-> The Hobbit cozy murder mystery novella "Strange as News from Bree", in which the unlikely Shire detective Perry Flockfoot solves a dastardly murder on the Great East Road.
8/10
-> The Hobbit cozy murder mystery novella "Strange as News from Bree", in which the unlikely Shire detective Perry Flockfoot solves a dastardly murder on the Great East Road.
8/10
Latest update on my novel "Crown of Crows": up to 74K words as I do my summer writing sprint.
#FantasyFiction #IndieAuthor #CrownOfCrows #Patreon #WritingCommunity #conlang #Worldbuilding #FeministFantasy
1/10
#FantasyFiction #IndieAuthor #CrownOfCrows #Patreon #WritingCommunity #conlang #Worldbuilding #FeministFantasy
1/10
June 27, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Latest update on my novel "Crown of Crows": up to 74K words as I do my summer writing sprint.
#FantasyFiction #IndieAuthor #CrownOfCrows #Patreon #WritingCommunity #conlang #Worldbuilding #FeministFantasy
1/10
#FantasyFiction #IndieAuthor #CrownOfCrows #Patreon #WritingCommunity #conlang #Worldbuilding #FeministFantasy
1/10
A little progress report, a little linguistic nonsense, and a few excerpts of recent writing.
https://axonfirings.com/2025/06/13/summer-writing-sprint-2025/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/06/13/summer-writing-sprint-2025/
June 13, 2025 at 8:32 AM
A little progress report, a little linguistic nonsense, and a few excerpts of recent writing.
https://axonfirings.com/2025/06/13/summer-writing-sprint-2025/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/06/13/summer-writing-sprint-2025/
Article about my ongoing development of the languages of the world of Crown of Crows. I've been working on Pizan, a language with a complex fictional history rooted in Spanish colonization and subsequent…
https://axonfirings.com/2025/03/22/creating-pizan-the-language-of-conquistadors-and-conquest/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/03/22/creating-pizan-the-language-of-conquistadors-and-conquest/
March 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Article about my ongoing development of the languages of the world of Crown of Crows. I've been working on Pizan, a language with a complex fictional history rooted in Spanish colonization and subsequent…
https://axonfirings.com/2025/03/22/creating-pizan-the-language-of-conquistadors-and-conquest/
https://axonfirings.com/2025/03/22/creating-pizan-the-language-of-conquistadors-and-conquest/
January 22, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Chapter 8 of Axon is available!
When your startup reads minds, but you can't reach your own sister. Silicon valley success meets family complexity.
www.patreon.com/post...
#scifi #sciencefiction #novel #ebook #fiction
When your startup reads minds, but you can't reach your own sister. Silicon valley success meets family complexity.
www.patreon.com/post...
#scifi #sciencefiction #novel #ebook #fiction
January 13, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Chapter 8 of Axon is available!
When your startup reads minds, but you can't reach your own sister. Silicon valley success meets family complexity.
www.patreon.com/post...
#scifi #sciencefiction #novel #ebook #fiction
When your startup reads minds, but you can't reach your own sister. Silicon valley success meets family complexity.
www.patreon.com/post...
#scifi #sciencefiction #novel #ebook #fiction
How do you launch a mind-reading startup without getting killed? Simple: broadcast your thoughts to the world. In the latest chapter of AXON, going public might be the only way to stay alive - if the founders don't crack under the pressure first.
#sci-fi #novel
www.patreon.com/post...
#sci-fi #novel
www.patreon.com/post...
December 31, 2024 at 12:28 AM
How do you launch a mind-reading startup without getting killed? Simple: broadcast your thoughts to the world. In the latest chapter of AXON, going public might be the only way to stay alive - if the founders don't crack under the pressure first.
#sci-fi #novel
www.patreon.com/post...
#sci-fi #novel
www.patreon.com/post...