About elf names: The names elves give humans when they visit the magic realm are not their own, or even their familiar name. Elves act on a ‘true name’ system whereby their real real name is kept secret from everyone, their familiar name is the name that people call them, and then a human name, which is a short name translated or abbreviated into the local language from some element of their familiar name, since elves don’t like to hear elf names spoken by human tongues. The names are rarely straightforward, and the long forms can occasionally be very long. It should also be noted that they sound much better in the original elvish.
Some of the translations of familiar names in full are:
Oak's full name is ‘The Great Oak That Spreads Its Branches Wide and Delves Its Roots Deep’
Ash’s full name is ‘The Flame That Burns Gives Life’
Holly’s full name is ‘Little Prince of the Waning of the Year’
Rose’s full name is ‘Where Beauty is Found Certain Danger Lurks Nearby’
Dune’s full name is ‘The Sand that Rises in the Wind’
Maple’s full name is ‘The Blood of Life that Rests in Winter and Rises in the Spring’
Toby’s full name is ‘Life Under a Roof of Trees’ (Unlike the others, Toby merely abbreviated his name, rather than translate it)