this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2025
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The part you're missing is that it's the Feywild, often known for trickery and being literal with language. I.E. The classic "can I have your name?" being a Fey asking to steal your identity.
In the Feywild specifically, the DM's pun could have literal power in that the characters would take a literal fall, and players in the Feywild should be prepared for such shenanigans.
Which always annoys me. I'm just giving them my name, not my identity. And definitely not any sort of power over me.
Once upon a time it was believed that to know a thing's true name was to have complete power over it.
This isn't commonly held today )why would it be) but I think that's where this trope comes from.
Source? I've heard people say that, but I don't know of any stories where that happens. I've seen something saying Rumpelstiltskin is an example, but as far as I can find the queen got to keep her baby because Rumpelstiltskin agreed to let her if she guesses his name. It doesn't look like knowing his name itself had any effect.
Also, if that is true, then this fey taking things literally would have the opposite effect. If you just tell the fey your name, or they find out through any other method, then they'd have power over you. But if they literally take your name, then it's their name, and now you know their name and you can control them.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IKnowYourTrueName
Scroll to the bottom and expand the "Myths & Religion" section for historic examples, including the Bible.
I don't see fey mentioned in any of them. Why do I always hear about this in the feywild?
The myths and legends podcast covers them in a good number of stories. I can’t remember any of them but a cursory search shows that Isis and Ra have a story involving true names and their power. https://mythology.stackexchange.com/questions/4770/which-cultures-have-the-concept-of-a-true-or-secret-name
Edit: I completely forgot…the Jews also believed this in regard to God’s name.
Any involving fey?
I can’t remember.
No clue where I learned that. So take it with a grain of salt.