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"I am Ergo, The Magnificent, Short in Stature, Tall in Power, Narrow of Purpose, and Wide of Vision."

Ergo, The Magnificent, Short in Stature, Tall in Power, Narrow of Purpose, and Wide of Vision, Krull
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If there's one way to impress upon the viewer the general awesomeness of a character, it's to give him the titles to show for it. Often, the first mention of a character with loads and loads of titles is, or will be closely followed by, a formal introduction or a signature of a formal letter.

Another common vector for the Long List is a Badass Boast, especially if the titles were awarded for martial achievements or general badassery. Done improperly, he'll just come off as "Jimmy the Longwinded, He of Many Titles."

This is very much Truth in Television, in that many reigning monarchs tended to possess an impressive array of titles. In the modern day, loads and loads of titles can be found on accomplished British citizens.

A subtrope of Long List and The Magnificent. May be combined with Overly Long Name. Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking is likely to be involved, as the most impressive titles will generally be listed first. Compare Some Call Me... Tim, They Call Me Mister Tibbs, I Have Many Names, and Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom. Contrast Just the First Citizen, The Master and similarly styled Names to Run Away From Really Fast, where brevity is the soul of intimidation. If they also happen to announce it (or someone else does it for them) a lot then it's also a Large Ham Title.

Examples of Try to Fit That on A Business Card include:

Anime and Manga[]

  • President Führer King Bradley of Fullmetal Alchemist, although "King" is just his very appropriate first name. He is both president of the country and head (Führer) of the military.


Comic Books[]

  • Cable: Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani'son Summers. Or as Deadpool calls him, Priscilla.
  • The Proximen in The Ballad of Halo Jones acquire extra words in their names as a sign of increased status.
  • In The Sandman, Dream "collects names like others collect friends". His official titles: Lord of the Dreamworld, Prince of Stories, Monarch of the Sleeping Marches, His Darkness Dream of the Endless.


Fan Works[]

  • Marissa Amber Flores Picard Gordon, Princess and Heir to the Throne of the Planet Essex, Commanding Admiral of Starfleet, Titleholder of the Triple Crown, and Lord High Commander of All Kids Crews Everywhere. Did we mention that she hates titles?


Film[]

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"I give to you, the seeker of serenity, the protector of Italian virginity, the enforcer of our Lord God, the one, the only, Sir Ulllrrrich von Lichtenstein!"

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    • Also, Adhemar makes a dig at William's pseudonym when they first meet.
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Adhemar: And you are?
William: Well, I am, um...
Adhemar: You've forgotten, or your name is "Sir Um"?
William: Ulrich von Lichtenstein, of Gelderland.
Adhemar: Well, I'd forget as well. What a mouthful.

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  • In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, during the first scene King Arthur introduces himself as: "Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon from the castle of Camelot, Defeater of the Saxons, sovereign of all England."


Literature[]

  • In a book-title example, the Ntozake Shange book For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. For the theatrical version, they shortened it to For Colored Girls which makes one wonder if light-skinned and/or male people are allowed into the production.
  • Gulliver's Travels: "Golbasto Momarem Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue, most mighty Emperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the universe, whose dominions extend five thousand blustrugs [about twelve miles in circumference] to the extremities of the globe; monarch of all monarchs, taller than the sons of men; whose feet press down to the centre, and whose head strikes against the sun; at whose nod the princes of the earth shake their knees; pleasant as the spring, comfortable as the summer, fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter"
  • Discworld:
    • Pyramids: His Greatness the King Pteppicymon XXVII, Lord of the Heavens, Charioteer of the Wagon of the Sun, Steersman of the Barque of the Sun, Guardian of the Secret Knowledge, Lord of the Horizon, Keeper of the Way, the Flail of Mercy, the High-Born One, the Never-Dying King. He prefers "Teppic".
    • The Fifth Elephant: Ambassador Extraordinary to Uberwald, His Excellency, His Grace Sir Samuel Vimes, Duke of Ankh-Morpork, Commander of the City Watch, Blackboard Monitor.[1]
    • Mort: The Stealer of Souls, Defeater of Empires, Swallower of Oceans, Thief of Years, The Ultimate Reality, Harvester of Mankind, the - All right, all right. I can see myself in.
    • And in the same book "Queen Kelirehenna I, Lord of Sto Lat, Protector of the Eight Protectorates and Empress of the Long Thin Debated Piece Hubwards of Sto Kerrig." A reference to Queen Elizabeth, whose titles were even longer. (See Real Life below)
    • Vampires tend to collect names and titles as a hobby, though we've never been privy to a full one, mostly because they take up pages.
    • Rincewind simultaneously holds at least eighteen different posts at Unseen University, most of which are meaningless titles that nobody wanted; he is most commonly known as the Assistant Librarian and Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography. Ponder Stibbons holds another twelve posts, but in his case the positions are ones which involve actual work and have some importance—Ponder's many jobs mean that he reports to himself and has more votes on the university council than everyone else combined.
    • From Unseen Academicals, we get Professor Macarona, D.Thau (Bug), D.Maus (Chubb), Magistaludorum (QIS), Octavium (Hons), PHGK (Blit), DMSK, Mack, D.Thau (Bra), Visiting Professor in Chickens (Jahn the Conqueror University [Floor 2, Shrimp Packer's Building, Genua]), Primo Octo (Deux), Visiting Professor in Blit/Slood Exchanges (Al Khali), KCgfJ, Peciprocating Professor of Blit Theory (Unki), D.Thau (Unki), Didimus Supremius (Unki), Emeritus Professor in Blit Substitute Determinations (Chubb), Chair of Blit and Music Studies (Quirm College for Young Ladies). Becomes an Overly Long Gag when he insists the cheerleaders use his entire title, resulting in a simple cheer that takes up more than a page.
    • Averted by founder of the Agatean Empire, One Sun Mirror. He was considered so awesome, he crossed the Bishonen Line of Long List titles and was known simply as One Sun Mirror.
  • Dracula: Abraham Van Helsing, M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc., etc
  • Harry Potter: Albus Pervival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Grand Sorcerer.
    • And Chocolate Frog Card... guy. Fittingly, he seems fonder of that last one than any of the others.
  • The Hobbit: At one point, Bilbo makes a Badass Boast that consists of titles he claims, including Clue Finder, Webcutter, Ringwinner, Luckwearer, He Who Walks Unseen, and Barrel Rider. Long after his death, Bilbo was turned into a fairytale character known as "Mad Baggins".
  • Honor Harrington's full title is Admiral of the Fleet and Captain HMS Unconquered Lady Dame Honor Stephanie Harrington KGC MC PMV SG, Duchess and Steadholder Harrington, Countess White Haven.
    • Also, W.E.B. Du Havel has an unspecified amount of Ph.D.s, most of which aren't honorary, Nobel-Shakra Prize for Human Aspiration and the Solarian Medallion
    • Honor's boss is Elizabeth Adrienne Samantha Annette Winton, Grand Commander of the Order of King Roger, Grand Commander of the Order of Queen Elizabeth I, Grand Commander of the Order of the Golden Lion, Baroness of Crystal Pine, Baroness of White Sand, Countess of Tannerman, Countess of High Garnet, Grand Duchess of Basilisk, Princess Protector of the Realm, and, by God's grace and the will of Parliament, Queen Elizabeth III of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, and Empress Elizabeth I of the Star Empire of Manticore.[2]
  • Happens in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series as Arthur acquires more and more territories, and with them the titles due to their ruler. Parodied at one point when Suzy adds "Eater of the Biscuit" to the list.
    • Master of the Lower House, Lord of the Far Reaches, Duke of the Border Sea, Commander of the Glorious Army of the Architect... Anointed Heir to the Kingdom, New Architect (Art to his friends, still eats biscuits), temporarily a Sorcerous Supernumary, 2nd Lieutenant Ray Green in the Glorious Army of the Architect, and probably a large number more.
  • The King's titles in Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy stories:
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"John IV, by the Grace of God, King and Emperor of England, France, Scotland, Ireland, New England and New France, King of the Romans and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Defender of the Faith."

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    • That's the short version. The long one includes a bunch of knightly orders and additional Alternate Universe name-drops (e.g. Supreme Chief of the Moqtessumid Clan).
  • The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Chieftain of the Dunedain of the North, King of Arnor, King of Gondor, and Lord of Adunie (It bears mentioning that Adunie now lies at the bottom of the sea.) Also known as Elssar Telcontar, Strider, Wingfoot, Longshanks, and Thorongil, alias Estel.
  • A Song of Ice and Fire provides much the same styling for all the kings, but the longest of them is: Joffrey of the Houses Baratheon and Lannister, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
    • Dany is a close contender with: Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Khaleesi of Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Shackles and Mother of Dragons.
    • Balon Greyjoy the Ninth of his Name since the Grey King, King of the Iron Islands and the North, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind, Lord reaper of Pyke.
    • And you don't even need to be a king to get in on this! How about Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, and Hand of the King?[3]
  • Most rulers in The Wheel of Time tends to have this kinds of titles, for instance, the Amyrlin seat is: "Watcher of the Seals, Keeper of the Flame of Tar Valon" and a bunch of others.
    • While Rand is named a truly astonishing number of things, though some are carry overs from his last incarnation, Lews Therin Telamon (though not all of Lews Therin's carried over), so he is: The Dragon Reborn, Car'a'carn, the Coramoor, Lord of the Morning, Prince of the Dawn, True Defender of Light, King of Illian, and is effectively the overlord of Andor, Cairhien, Tear, Mayene... He actually sometimes intentionally introduces himself with none of them whatsoever, using simply his name or perhaps just his primary title, in a display which seems to simply intensify the effect and make people even more conscious of just how much of the Westland is under his control (answer, around halfish).
    • Lampshaded as being a predilection chiefly of the southern monarchs; the northern ones, particularly on the Borderlands, tend to avert this. Lan is this trope though, but he almost never uses his doorstopper title.
      • Both Rand and Lan have additional titles given by the Aiel, "He who comes with the dawn", and "Aan'allein" (One Man) repespectively. Rand is also the Coramoor to the Seafolk.
  • Prince Caspian, when Peter sends his challenge to Miraz and has to "recall to his mind the language in which he had written such things long ago in Narnia's Golden Age":
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"Peter, by the Gift of Aslan, by election, by prescription, and by conquest, High King over all Kings in Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands and Lord of Cair Paravel, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion, to Miraz, Son of Caspian the Eighth, sometime Lord Protector of Narnia and now styling himself King of Narnia, Greeting."

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  • Emperor Mage opens with one of these about Prince Kaddar leading into a prosaic wish for his Tortallan visitors to show up so he can stop baking in the heat.
  • An in-universe example of noticing it... In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Priory School, Holmes and Watson are beseeched for help by an illustrious educator. Watson comments the man's list of honors and positions looks too long for his business card. He's there on the behalf of a Duke whose only son has gone missing. Holmes checks his reference book on current nobility for the Duke and reads aloud thus: "'Holdernesse, 6th Duke. K.G., P.C.' — half the alphabet!" (note: positions were often abbreviated. So Justice of the Peace would be J.P.) "'Baron Beverly, Earl of Carston' — dear me, what a list! 'Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshire since 1900. Married Edith, Daughter of Sir Charles Appledore, 188. Heir and only child, Lord Saltire. Owns about two hundred and fifty thousand acres. Minerals in Lancashire and Wales. Address: Carston House Terrace; Holdernesse Hall, Hallamshire; Carston Castle, Bangor., Wales. Lord of Admiralty, 1872l Chief Secretary of State for' — Well, well, this man is certainly one of the greatest subjects of the Crown!"
  • Good Omens: The Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness. Or Adam.
  • Belisarius Series: While Eon's full name, Eon Bisi Dakuen, is brief, that of his father, the king of the Ethiopians, is not. The formal name: "Kaleb Ella Atsbeha, son of Tazena, Bisi Lazen, King of Axum, Himryar, Dhu Raydan, Saba, Salhen, the High Country and Yamanat, the Coastal Plain, Hadramawt, and all their Arabs, the Beja, Noba, Kasu, and Siyamo, servant of Christ".
    • Notably, the Ethiopians are scrupulous about removing from that list the name of any land they no longer rule.
    • Eon's title reflected his military unit membership. That is, it was a title given him for his own ability to endure the Ethiopian version of "boot camp" and not just an authority that comes with being royalty. In other words, in American military lingo, his title is "specialist." That remains his favorite title long after he becomes king because of how it was earned.
    • The Persian King's title is "Emperor of Iran and Non-Iran". Because anything non-Iranian is unimportant.
  • John Brunner's Traveler in Black put down any comment by saying he had many names but one nature.
  • The Knight and Rogue Series has "The man who's name is not Jack Bannister" who, admittedly, in neither the one who came up with that title nor using the name Jack Bannister anymore. It's mostly how Fisk refers to him.
  • John Carter of Mars has numerous egotistical Evil Overlords as villains, which results in more than a few of these floating around. Particularly notable is the High Priest of the Path of Inspiration: Matai Shang, Holy Hekkador of the Holy Therns, Father of the Therns, Brother of Issus, Master of Life and Death Upon Barsoom. The self-deified Issus is supposed to have over ninety titles, though mercifully only one (Goddess of Life Eternal) is generally used.
    • John Carter himself is Dotar Sojat Chieftain of the Tharks, Prince of Helium, Jeddak of Jeddaks, Warlord of Mars.
  • The main character of Andre Norton's first published book, The Prince Commands, a Spare to the Throne newly notified that he was royalty — and now the Crown Prince — had not only an Overly Long Name but lots and lots of titles. A complete list was never given, but he was:
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"Your Royal Highness is the Colonel of the Prince's Own, of the Red Hussars, of the Mounted Rifles, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force,[4] Military Governor of Rein, Commander of the Fortress of St. Sebastian, Grand Master of the Order of St. Sebastian, Companion of the Order of the Crown, Hereditary Knight of the Palace, Champion of the King, Wearer of the Sword of St. Michael, Duke of Casnov, Baron of Urnt, Count of Kelive, Knight of Klam—"[5]

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Live-Action TV[]

  • One Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch has the camera pan over an overly long name plate [6] reading: "Professor Sir Sir Adrian Furrows F.R.S., F.RC.S., F.R.C.P., M.D.M.S. (Oxon), M.A., Ph.D., M.Sc. (Cantab), Ph.D. (Syd), F.R.G.S., F.R.C.O.G., F.F.A.R.C.S., M.S. (Birm), M.S. (Liv), M.S. (Guadalahara), M.S. (Karach), M.S. (Edin), B.A. (Chic), B.Litt. (Phil), D.Litt (Phil), D.Litt (Arthur and Lucy), D.Litt (Ottawa), D.Litt (All other places in Canada except Medicine Hat), B.Sc.9 Brussels, Liège, Antwerp, Asse, (and Cromer)".
  • Red Dwarf: Rimmer, sad pathetic weasel of a man that he is, would give his full title as Arnold J. Rimmer, BSc, SSc - in this case they stand for Bronze Swimming Certificate and Silver Swimming Certificate. This is made even worse when it's stated in one episode that he can't swim, meaning he was self-aggrandizing with forged/stolen swimming certificates, of all things!
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed." Her daughter Deanna mocks this in one episode, reminding her that, "The Sacred Chalice of Rixx is an old clay pot with mold growing inside it!"
    • In the novel Star Trek: The Battle of Betazed, other Betazoid nobles are shown to have equally lengthy titles: Sark Enaran is the scion of the Fourth House of Betazed, Heir to the Blessed Books of Katara, and Holder of the Sacred Scepter of Betazed.
  • Parodied in Kaamelott, with the meeting between Merlin and a rival wizard:
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Merlin: Elias de Kelliwi'ch; Great Enchanter of the North, Caller of the Caledonian Wolves, Slayer of the Dragon of Snows, Creator of the Potion of Omnipotence, Seer of...
Arthur: (interrupts) Enough! You don't need to spout off his entire resume, do you?
Merlin: It's a wizard thing; it's how we greet each other...
Elias: Merlin; Enchanter of Britain, Defeater of the Winchester Weasel, Creator of the Potion of Ingrown Nails Cure, Author of the scroll Druidism for Old Folks...
Merlin: (interrupts) Yeah, alright, alright. (to Arthur) You were right, it's gonna take forever.

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Hear ye, hear ye! Announcing the arrival of her royal highness, daughter of the King of Esterhagen, Duchess of Baravia, lady in waiting to the dowager queen of Lichtenstein, heiress apparent to the Barony of Lowengrau, grand-niece to the Duke of Groustark, first cousin to the Count of Montevillio, third cousin once removed to the burgermeister of Camenbrau, the betrothed of King Charles of Caronia, her royal highness, Princess...(pauses, looks confused, leaves, then returns a few seconds later)...Marta!

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  • Lampshaded by Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory: I'm Dr Sheldon Cooper, BS, MS, MA, PHD, and SCD. ... OMG, right?
  • In Crossing Jordan, when Dr. Jack Slocum takes over, the sign on his door reads "Dr. Jack Slocum, MD, PHD, JD". Lily calls it "terrifying".
  • Lampshaded in the first episode of Psych: Gus learns that Shawn named his Phony Psychic detective agency "Psych" and sarcastically suggests that he call it "Hey, we're fooling you and the police department; hope we don't make a mistake and someone dies because of it." Shawn, in an extremely hilarious example of Comically Missing the Point, responds "Gus, that name is entirely too long, it would never fit on the window."


Myths & Religion[]

  • The Qu'ran opens "In the name of Allah, the All Beneficent, The Most Merciful in Essence, The Compassionate, The Most Gracious..." and according to Islam, although there's no definitive list, there's another 95 attributes of God.
  • Many religions give their god (or gods) many names; although Islam (at 99) takes the cake (the Baha'i have 100, but it's the Muslim list plus one), many other religions send God's names into double digits; this includes Judaism, where one of the most common names of God is...The Name (Ha Shem in Hebrew). Even those religions which feature more than one deity often give each deity many names and titles; for instance, Classical Mythology gives us Zeus Meilichios, Zeus Chthonios, Zeus Plousios, and so on, each referring to a different aspect of Zeus; the same is true of Athena Parthenos, Tritogeneia, Ageleia, Itonia, Athena Ergane, Athena Polias...


Tabletop Games[]

  • In Dungeons & Dragons, Gnomes, or at least the ones from Dragonlance, are said to collect names like some people collect stamps. They start out with a birth name and a family name, then get a childhood nickname, adult name, and any earned nicknames along the way. Their towns are named in a similar fashion. The capital's name is "Mount Nevermind," "nevermind" being what a human ambassador hastily interrupted with when he made the mistake of asking what the gnomes called it.
  • The Celestial Bureaucracy in Exalted is made of this trope. Just for reference, terms like the "Bureau of Destiny"? Those are the unofficial names; the real name is Most Excellent Designers of Destiny and Sidereal Conjunctions, and the rest of the Bureaucracy has similarly lengthy and grandiose titles.
  • The Ordo Dracul in White Wolf's Vampire: The Requiem loves long and florid titles. For example: "Philosopher of the Burning Terror, Sworn of the Dying Light, Guardian of the Mountain, Kogaion of the City."


Theater[]

  • Famously Gilbert and Sullivan's Pooh-Bah from The Mikado who is: Master of the Rolls, Master of the Buckhounds, Groom of the Backstairs, First Lord of the Treasury, Solicitor, Lord Chamberlain, Attorney-General, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Privy Purse, Lord Chief Justice, Leader of the Opposition, Paymaster-General, Lord High Auditor, Archbishop of Titipu, First Commissioner of Police, Private Secretary, Groom of the Second Floor Front, Lord Mayor and Judge Ordinary. Indeed the only position in city government he does not hold is that of Lord High Executioner. Modern productions like to add some titles, to introduce more contemporary humour. Examples would be "Director of Homeland Security" or "Husband of Elizabeth Taylor"


Video Games[]

  • This is why World of Warcraft doesn't let you display more than one of the titles you've earned at a time. Otherwise, at least one Troper would be "Associate Professor Brewmaster Ambassador Arcanedamage Jenkins the Patient, the Astral Walker, the Kingslayer, of the Ashen Verdict, Guardian of Cenarius, Defender of a Shattered World." Still, one would think abbreviations could solve this: "Assoc.Prof. BM Amb. Arcanedamage Jkns Pat AW KS AV Go C DSW".
  • Can happen to just about anything in Dwarf Fortress if they kill enough, even animals. Also in DF, when you encounter a demon in adventure mode they will give a huge list of titles, names, and deeds when they introduce themselves (before lighting you on fire and beating you to death with their elf bone crown.)
  • Before the final level of Tyrian, recurrent annoying pest Captain Nob declares himself "Supreme Intergalactic Ruler of Everything Nob, Commander of Microsol Super Fleet Alpha, Leader of Everyone, Master of All, Well-Liked by Animals".
  • On Noveria in Mass Effect, you find an irritating (even for a salarian) administrator named Rannadril Ghan Swa Fulsoom Karaten Narr Eadi Bel Anoleis. He apparently sees himself as the big shot in the port city where you land, but later you have the option of busting him for corruption.
    • Long names are actually a Salarian trait and they usually shorten them when dealing with other races.
  • Quoting from the Dude, Where's My Respect? page, "Hello, I'm Sheogorath, god of madness, Archmage of the mages guilds, Master of the fighters guild, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Gray Fox of the thieves guild, Grand Champion of the Arena, The Hero of Kvatch, Savior of Bruma, Champion of Cyrodiil, and Divine Crusader. I wear the infinity plus one armor of Nigh Invulnerability, my spells can bring doom to anything in my path, my sword will eat your soul, and I will summon a greater daedra to beat the shit out of you."
    • In Skyrim, the Dragonborn can become Slayer of Alduin, Harbinger of the Companions, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild and Nightingale of Nocturne, Thane of every hold in Skyrim, Hero of the Stormcloaks/Imperial Legion and Member of the Bards' College.
  • In Crusader Kings, the players themselves tend to get titles like this, and even if you leave out the claims, they can get quite long...
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Henryk Piast,
King of Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, Germany, Burgundy, Italy, Sweden, France and Denmark,
Duke of Auvergne, Benevento, Bosnia, Barcelona, Champagne, Pecs, Pomerania, León, Modena, Upper Burgundy, Nyitra, Pomeralia, Spoleto, Upper Lorraine, Hereford, Greater Poland and Yatviags,
Count of Venezia, Slupsk, Danzig, Marienburg, Kuchawy, Gnieznienskie, Poznanskie, Kaliskie, Opole, Upper Silesia, Praha, Hradec Kralove, Plzen, Cieszyn, Krakowskie, Sieradzko-Leczyckie, Plock, Sandomierskie and Sacz.

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  • The Warden in Dragon Age, particularly if you play as the Human Noble, can eventually get their title stylised as;
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His/Her Royal-Highness Lord/Lady Cousland, Prince/ss-Consort of Ferelden, Teyrn/a of Gwaren, Arl/essa of Denerim, Arl/essa of Amaranthine, 2nd-in-line to the Teyrnir of Highever, Warden-Commander of the Order of Ferelden Grey Wardens, Hero/ine of Ferelden.

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  • The Pretenders of Dominions are assigned titles after their name dependent on a variety of factors known and unknown, including magic skills, form, and scales. So a god's full name can stretch to something like, to give an actual example, "Manvale, Lord of Fear and Trembling, King of Suicides, the One Always at the Shoulder, Guardian of the Dead, Lord of Plagues."
  • In the Overlord series, the player's Evil Overlord will gain an increasing number of titles that reference specific accomplishments in the games, often varying depending on the choices they made. You only ever hear them from Quaver, though.


Web Comics[]

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Mab: Friend of the beer-wenches?
Dan: Hey now! I earned that title just like the rest!

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  • Miko of Order of the Stick introduces herself to the Monster in the Darkness as "Miko Miyazaki, samurai of the Sapphire Guard, loyal vassal of Lord Shojo, daughter of Eyko, and paladin of the Twelve Gods of the South". The MITD comments about how it's hard to put all that on her business cards.
    • Earlier, she attempted to introduce herself to Roy the same way when asked for her name, but Roy stopped paying attention.
  • Schlock Mercenary has Lota, Longshoreman of the Apocalypse, Hero of the Stationwaist, Foodlord of the Eatonrun, Portlord of the Poles, Grand Marshall, and King of the Second Age of the Free City State of Credomar. You may use pronouns, but only occasionally. Later, also Long-Gunner of the Apocalypse.
    • Keep in mind that "Longshoreman of the Apocalypse" is not a title—it's his given name.
    • And later another AI "raised" by Para started a collection of fancy-sounding titles. Once is a fluke, twice is a trend? "Chinook, of Eina-Afa... Goddess of Earth, Wind and Plumbing... Our Sentinel of Perpetual Overwatch... Cryptkeeper, Vaultminder, Stormtender, Spider Queen... Wealservant, Avenging Deputy... Warm Breath Upon the Holy Wind..."
      • Later this slightly changed. Still, "Keeper of the acid anvil and the alkali anvil, Mind of the spindle, Minder of the world, Goodness made manifest, and goddess of sea, soil, and sky".

Western Animation[]


Real Life[]

  • Kim Jong Il had over a thousand official titles, including stuff like "Guardian Deity of Earth" and "Supreme Commander at the Forefront of the Struggle Against Imperialism and the United States".
  • Nicholas the Second, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, King of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonesos, Tsar of Georgia, Lord of Pskov, and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia, and Finland, Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalia, Samogitia, Belostok, Karelia, Tver, Yugra, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgaria and other territories; Lord and Grand Duke of Nizhni Novgorod, Sovereign of Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Beloozero,[7] Udoria, Obdoria, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislavl, and all northern territories; Sovereign of Iveria, Kartalinia, and the Kabardinian lands and Armenian territories - hereditary Lord and Ruler of the Circassians and Mountain Princes and others; Lord of Turkestan, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig–Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Oldenburg, and so forth, and so forth, and so forth.
  • Charles I, Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, of Slavonia, of Galicia, of Lodomeria, and of Illyria, King of Jerusalem, and so forth, Archduke of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany and of Cracow, Duke of Lorraine, of Salzburg, of Styria, of Carinthia, of Carniola and of the Bukovina, Grand Prince of Transylvania, Margrave in Moravia, Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla, of Auschwitz and Zator, of Teschen, Friuli, Ragusa and Zara, Princely Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca, Prince of Trient and Brixen, Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria, Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, and so forth, Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro and of the Wendish Mark, Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia, and so forth, Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece
  • "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor, Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular, King of Scotland". And yes, that last title was self-granted. This would be funnier if the man didn't murder upwards of 100,000 of his own people.
  • One of the ur-examples is probably Naram-sin son of Sargon the Great: "King of Sumer and Akkad, Lord of the Four Corners of the Universe, God of Akkad"
  • Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. The doctorate's honorary, but the knighthood isn't.[8]
  • Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA, D.Phil., Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
  • Dave Barry spoofed this at one point with a list of titles for the British prince (Prince of Wales, Knight of the Trouser, Top of the Morning, Vice President of Marketing, and much, much more...). Another was a proposed reform of the government where any person with more than three titles on his door would be given five minutes to clear his desk.
  • Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith, Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Merioneth, Baroness Greenwich, Duke of Lancaster, Lord of Mann, Duke of Normandy, Sovereign of the Most Honourable Order of the Garter, Sovereign of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Sovereign of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Sovereign of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick, Sovereign of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Sovereign of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Sovereign of the Distinguished Service Order, Sovereign of the Imperial Service Order, Sovereign of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Sovereign of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Sovereign of the Order of British India, Sovereign of the Indian Order of Merit, Sovereign of the Order of Burma, Sovereign of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, Sovereign of the Royal Family Order of King Edward VII, Sovereign of the Order of Mercy, Sovereign of the Order of Merit, Sovereign of the Order of the Companions of Honour, Sovereign of the Royal Victorian Order, Sovereign of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. She prefers "Lilibet".
    • The above were her styles and titles upon becoming Queen. With the further development of The Commonwealth, 'Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas' has been replaced by 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis'. She is also Paramount Chief of Fiji, though no longer the head of state there.
    • Her complete list of titles is so long that, according to rumor, if she's ever late for an engagement the herald will just keep on reading them until she arrives.
  • The Guinness record of number of nobility titles, however, is currently held by Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th and present Duchess of Alba de Tormes, who has "eight other ducal titles, 15 marquesal titles, 19 comital titles and is 20 times a Grandee of Spain." Full list here.
  • The Roman Emperors had long lists of titles, but for the distinctly practical reason that Augustus needed to keep the Senate for PR reasons, so he merely took every important office there was short of Consul.
  • The Pope. As of now: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God. There used to be a "Patriarch of the West" somewhere in there as well...
  • Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington, Marquis of Douro, Earl of Wellinton in Somerset, Viscount Wellington of Talavera, Baron Douro of Wellesley; Prince of Waterloo; Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, Duc de Brunoy; Duque of Vittoria, Marquis of Torres Vedras, Count of Vimiero; Grandee of the First Class of Spain; Privy Councillor of the United Kingdom; Commander-in-Chief of the British Army; Colonel of the Grenadier Guards (and seven or eight other regiments); Field-Marshal of Great Britain, a Marshal of Russia, a Marshal of Austria, a Marshal of France, a Marshal of Prussia, a Marshal of Spain, a Marshal of Portugal, a Marshal of the Netherlands; Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Holy Ghost, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of Hanover, Knight of the Black Eagle, Knight of the Sword of Sweden, Knight of St. Andrew of Russia, Knight of the Annuncio of Sardinia, Knight of the Elephant of Denmark, Knight of Maria Theresa, Knight of St. George of Russia, Knight of the Crown of Rue of Saxony, Knight of Fidelity of Baden, Knight of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria, Knight of Alexander Nevsky of Russia, Knight of St. Hermenegilda of Spain, Knight of the Red Eagle of Brandenburg, Knight of St. Januarius, Knight of the Golden Lion of Hesse-Cassel; Lord High Constable of England, Constable of the Tower of London, Constable of Dover Castle, Warden of the Cinque Ports, Chancellor of the Cinque Ports, Admiral of the Cinque Ports, Privy Councillor, Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire Lord-Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets, Ranger of St. James's Park, Ranger of Hyde Park, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society. Former ambassador, governor of Ireland, military governor of France, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
  • Irish Ministers of State have very long titles—Máire Hoctor is the current Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (with special responsibility for Services for Older People), while Conor Lenihan is Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (with special responsibility for Integration Policy).
  • The Song dynasty period in Imperial China had a civil service system that made every bureaucrat like this. It shares some similarities with the "rank and commissions" system in modern military—but they have separate administrative and pay ranks, and these ranks and commissions is on top of an nominal assignment titles. Which complicate matters was that all these assignment, rank and commission titles look like titles of office, and so needs to be listed together in official documents. God forbid when the person bore honours—historian Sima Guang signed his Zizhi Tongjian with a title of 47 characters of length, including 2 assignments, rank titles, a commission, and two honours—including a "Founding Duke of Henai County (Fief 2,600 houses with 1,000 bestowed)" for the latter. At the time, he was just a sinecure with a stipend.
  • His Imperial Majesty The Sultan Süleyman I, the Sovereign of the Imperial House of Osman, Sultan of Sultans, Khan of Khans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Protector of the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem,Emperor of The Three Cities of Constantinople, Adrianople and Bursa, and of the Cities of Damascus and Cairo, of all Azerbaijan, of the Magris, of Barka, of Kairuan, of Aleppo, of Arabic Iraq and of Ajim, of Basra, of El Hasa, of Dilen, of Raka, of Mosul, of Parthia, of Diyar-i bekr, of Kurdistan, of Cilicia, of the Vilayets of Erzurum, of Sivas, of Adana, of Karaman, of Van, of Barbary, of Abyssinia, of Tunisia, of Tripoli, of Damascus, of Cyprus, of Rhodes, of Candia, of the Vilayet of the Morea, of the Marmara Sea, of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and also its coasts, of Anatolia, of Rumelia, Baghdad, Greece, Turkistan, Tartary, Circassia, of the two regions of Kabarda, of Georgia, of the plain of Kypshak, of the whole country of the Tartars, of Kefa and of all the neighbouring countries, of Bosnia and its dependencies, of the City and Fort of Belgrade, of the Vilayet (District) of Serbia, with all the castles, forts and cities, of all Albania, of all Iflak and Bogdania, as well as all the dependencies and borders, and many other countries and cities would like all to know that he will soon shorten his title. He didn't like Kefa anyway.
    • In all seriousness, an actual example of a formal salutation (at least in part) is as follows:
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"...Slave of God, powerful with the power of God, deputy of God on earth, obeying the commands of the Qur'an and enforcing them throughout the world, master of all lands, the shadow of God over all nations, Sultan of Sultans in all the lands of Persians and Arabs, the propagator of Sultanic laws (Nashiru kawanin al-Sultaniyye), the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Khans, Sultan, son of Sultan, Suleyman Khan... Slave of God, master of the world, I am Suleyman and my name is read in all the prayers in all the cities of Islam."

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  • Subverted by the current king of Sweden, whose full title is "King of Sweden".
    • It used to be longer, but it was streamlined in 1973 (technically 1971, but it didn't come into effect until the death of the old monarch in 1973) to remove the bits that were excessively archaic ('King of Gothia') or no longer applicable ('King of Wendia').
  • His Imperial Majesty Joshua Abraham Norton the First of these United States and Protector of Mexico, Saint Second Class of the Discordian Religion, Patron Saint of the Joshua Norton Cabal, Begotten Son of Eris. Pretty short relative to some actual monarchs, but none the less impressive for a man whose only qualification was being a Cloudcuckoolander of the highest order. Even more impressive is the fact that his self-appointed title of Emperor was actually respected to some degree, at least in San Francisco.
    • Inspired by Norton, and being the ultimate authority of their religion, many Discordians invent and award titles to themselves and others. Any given Discordian could legitimately lay claim to a number of titles limited only by their imagination and patience.
  • His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield, Companion of the Order of Companions of Honour, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada.
  • Ancient Romans tended toward this. Firstly, family was very important, so your full name would include your family surname, your father, and your grandfather. They were also given a generic, relatively unimportant forename at birth simply to differentiate them from their siblings until they got their other name, a cognomen that was essentially a nickname (it later became hereditary, and identified branches of a family). This is all before titles even get involved. For example, Julius Caesar was deified as "Caius Iulius Caii filius Caii nepos Caesar Imperator" (Gaius Julius, Gaius' son, Gaius' grandson, Caesar the Emperor).
  • Subverted by management in the US civil service: in general, the longer your job title is, the less important you are. "Secretary of the Treasury" is more important than "Secretarial Assistant to the Assistant Secretary to the Second Undersecretary of the Secretary of the Treasury"
    • One notable exception was the precursor to the "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff", Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, who served as "Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy" during World War II.
  • Until 1972, Danish Kings and Queens would style themselves as being By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, King of the Wends, King of the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Duke of Holstein, Duke of Stormarn, Duke of Ditmarsh, Duke of Lauenburg, and Duke of Oldenburg.
  • Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire had pretty long list of titles: Charles, by the grace of God, Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King of Germany, King of Italy, King of all Spains, of Castile, Aragon, León, Navarra, Grenada, Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Majorca, Sevilla, Cordova, Murcia, Jaén, Algarves, Algeciras, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, King of Two Sicilies, of Sardinia, Corsica, King of Jerusalem, King of the Western and Eastern Indies, Lord of the Islands and Main Ocean Sea, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Lorraine, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Limburg, Luxembourg, Gelderland, Neopatria, Württemberg, Landgrave of Alsace, Prince of Swabia, Asturia and Catalonia, Count of Flanders, Habsburg, Tyrol, Gorizia, Barcelona, Artois, Burgundy Palatine, Hainaut, Holland, Seeland, Ferrette, Kyburg, Namur, Roussillon, Cerdagne, Zutphen, Margrave of the Holy Roman Empire, Burgau, Oristano and Gociano, Lord of Frisia, the Wendish March, Pordenone, Biscay, Molin, Salins, Tripoli and Mechelen.
  1. "Blackboard Monitor" is just as important as the other titles — it shows that the dwarves, whose approach to retaining information tends toward the obsessive, trust Vimes enough to let him wipe information away.
  2. or Beth to her friends
  3. Ned to his friends
  4. A single barely-flyable plane.
  5. There are discrepancies in the spellings of some of those place names.
  6. It actually goes off the edge of the desk and around two walls, including a liftable section in front of the door.
  7. You might think that this was cleverly inserted into the list as a joke based on the length of the list and a pun on "below zero" temperatures. You would be wrong.
  8. though valid only in Jordan
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