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Epic Voice Guy: Travel to Westeros, a place where everything is the Thing of Nouns.
King Robert: The Hand of the King!
Sam Tarly: Light of the Seven...
Brienne of Tarth: Brienne of Tarth.
Ygritte: Lord of Bones...
Lord Beric: Lord of Light...
Lord Tywin: Master of Coin...
Queen Daenerys: Mother of Dragons...
Shagga: Son of Dolf.
Melisandre: Son of Fire...
Melisandre: Warrior of Light...
Tyrion: Bank of Braavos...
Lord Stark: Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North...

An extremely popular title and naming convention in almost every media and most genres, including Real Life. This is one of the oldest known naming formulas; it is already an established formula in One Thousand and One Nights, with internal stories named things like "The Tale of the Bull and the Ass" and "The City of Brass".

Some of the most common variant formulas are:

  • The (Common Noun) of (Proper Noun) (e.g. The Sword of Shannara, The Riddlemaster of Hed, The Tale of Genji, The Chronicles of Amber);
  • The (Common Noun) of (Common Noun) (e.g. The Valley of Fear, The Ambassadors of Fear, Attack of the Clones);
  • The (Proper Noun) of (Placename) (e.g. Elric of Melnibone, The Phantom of the Opera).

The presence or absence of articles ("the", "a", and "an") and their placement create even more variants, as do the optional use of adjectives before either the "X" or the "Y".

A sub-convention is Character Name and the Noun Phrase. Please put examples that fall into that convention on that page, not here. For the related form "The Adjective Noun" see Mad Lib Thriller Title.

Revenge of the Sequel looks like a Sub-Trope, and its examples usually overlap, but it's actually the broader "Sequel title announces something's reappearance."

A large number of entries are also Work Info Title, saying something about the work in the title... Such as with some of its Sub Tropes listed below.

Sub Tropes:



Example Subpages:

Other Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime & Manga 

    Arts 

    Asian Animation 
  • Happy Heroes: Quite a few of the official English episode titles follow this naming convention.
    • Season 1 episode 46, "A Tale of Food Revenge".
    • Season 2 episodes 1 and 2 (Multi-Part Episode), "The Trail of Careful S."
    • Season 2 episode 8, "The Crisis of Being Late".
    • Season 2 episode 12, "Loss of Gravity".
    • Season 2 episode 23, "Hearts of Gold".
    • Season 2 episode 30, "The Escape of Boss Lightbulb".
    • Season 2 episode 38, "The World of Careless S."
    • Season 2 episode 49, "The Secret of the TV Station Boss".
    • Season 2 episode 52, "Race of Champions".
    • Season 7 episode 9, "The Arrival of the Royal Cat Guard".
    • Season 7 episode 26, "A Change of Heart".
    • Season 7 episodes 47 to 50 (forming a Story Arc), "God of War Legend". It's called this in the English-dubbed episodes themselves but is known as "Battle God" in the Amazon listings, averting the trope.
    • Season 8 episode 2, "Magical Fellow, Part 2: Token of the Old Grand Master".
    • Season 8 episode 30, "The Secret of Gnomes".
    • Season 8 episodes 39 and 40 (another multi-part episode), "The Ancestor of Magic".
  • Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf has the seasons Joys of Seasons and War of Invention.

    Comic Books 

    Fairy Tales 

    Fan Works 

    Films — Animation 

    Films — Live-Action 

    Game Books 
  • Fighting Fantasy uses it extensively:
    • The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
    • The Citadel of Chaos
    • The Forest of Doom
    • City of Thieves
    • Island of the Lizard King
    • Caverns of the Snow Witch
    • House of Hell
    • Talisman of Death
    • Temple of Terror
    • The Rings of Kether
    • Seas of Bood
    • Demons of the Deep
    • Sword of the Samurai
    • Trial of Champions
    • Masks of Mayhem
    • Creature of Havoc
    • Crypt of the Sorcerer
    • Phantoms of Fear
    • Chasms of Malice
    • Slaves of the Abyss
    • Stealer of Souls
    • Daggers of Darkness
    • Armies of Death
    • Portal of Evil
    • Vault of the Vampire
    • Fangs of Fury
    • Dead of Night
    • Master of Chaos
    • The Keep of the Lich-Lord
    • Tower of Desruction
    • Siege of Sardath
    • Island of the Undead
    • Knights of Doom
    • Revenge of the Vampire
    • Curse of the Mummy
    • Howl of the Werewolf
    • Kharé — Cityport of Traps
    • The Crown of Kings
  • Every book in the GrailQuest series:
    • The Castle of Darkness
    • The Den of Dragons
    • The Gateway of Doom
    • Voyage of Terror
    • Kingdom of Horror
    • Realm of Chaos
    • Tomb of Nightmares
    • Legion of the Dead
  • The Lone Wolf series is rife with this:
    • The Caverns of Kalte
    • The Chasm of Doom
    • The Kingdom of Terror
    • The Jungle of Horrors
    • The Cauldron of Fear
    • The Dungeons of Torgar
    • The Prisoners of Time
    • The Masters of Darkness
    • The Plague Lords of Ruel
    • The Captives of Kaag
    • The Legacy of Vashna
    • The Deathlord of Ixia
    • Dawn of the Dragons
    • The Curse of Naar
    • The Buccaneers of Shadaki
    • The Fall of Blood Mountain
    • The Hunger of Sejanoz
    • The Storms of Chai
  • The Return of Zaltec
  • The Time Machine series:
    • Secret of the Knights
    • Sword of the Samurai
    • The Rings of Saturn
    • The Mystery of Atlantis
    • Secret of the Royal Treasure
    • Blade of the Guillotine
    • Flame of the Inquisition
    • Sword of Caesar
    • Death Mask of Pancho Villa

    Literature 

By Author

By Work:

    Live-Action TV 
  • Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Andy of Mayberry, an alternate title for The Andy Griffith Show used for repeats aired during the first run of the program.
  • Battlestar Galactica
    • "The Eye of Jupiter"
    • "The Tomb of Athena"
    • "The Arrow of Apollo" (which has led many, many fans to make terrible puns referring to a character whose callsign is, in fact, Apollo)
  • Children of the Stones
  • Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders had "Citizens of the World," "The Ripper of Riga," and another ep that's listed on Ballad of X.
  • CSI-verse:
    • CSI had quite a few.
      • "Sounds of Silence"
      • "Slaves of Las Vegas"
      • "Burden of Proof"
      • "Anatomy of a Lye"
      • "The Execution of Catherine Willows"
      • "Random Acts of Violence"
      • "Coming of Rage"
      • "Turn of the Screws"
      • "Spark of Life"
      • "Pirates of the Third Reich"
      • "Time of Your Deatht"
      • "Law of Gravity"
      • "The Case of the Cross Dressing Carp"
      • "The Theory of Everything"
      • "Miscarriage of Justice"
      • "The Descent of Man"
      • "House of Hoarders"
      • "Targets of Obsession"
      • "Father of the Bride"
      • "Dead of the Class"
      • "Ghosts of the Past"
      • "The Book of Shadows"
      • "Angle of the Attack"
      • "Merchants of Menace"
    • CSI: Cyber only had one: "Shades of Grey."
    • CSI: Miami had some.
      • "Evidence of Things Unseen"
      • "One of Our Own"
      • "Curse of the Coffin"
      • "Point of Impact"
    • So did CSI: NY.
      • "Creatures of the Night"
      • "City of the Dolls"
      • "Charge of This Post"
      • "Heart of Glass"
      • "A Daze of Wine and Roaches"
      • "The Cost of Living"
      • "Point of No Return"
      • "Pot of Gold"
      • "Point of View"
  • Dark Night of the Scarecrow
  • The CBS (later ABC) soap opera The Edge Of Night.
  • Flights of Fantasy
  • Flight of the Conchords
  • Game show examples:
  • Hart of Dixie
  • House of the Dragon
    • "The Heirs of the Dragon"
    • "King of the Narrow Sea"
    • "The Lord of the Tides"
  • Kingdom Adventure: A MacGuffin that is implied to have some magical effects is The Ring of Promise, essentially the engagement ring that the Prince gave to the Princess.
  • The King of Queens
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
    • "A Shadow of the Past"
  • Mare of Easttown
  • Match Of The Day: It's about a football match that happened on each broadcast day.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus spoofs this with "Njorl's Saga", detailing the lineage of the story's hero, Erik Njorl.
    ...son of Frothgar, brother of Hangnor, son of Gudlief, half brother of Thorgier,the priest of Ljosa water...(etc., etc.)
  • The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nóg
  • Next of Kin
  • Power Rangers uses this format for about 10% of all episodes (except in Power Rangers S.P.D., which uses one-word titles), including:
    • "Day of the Dumpster"
    • "Wheel of Misfortune"
    • "Return of the Green Ranger"
    • "Rangers of Two Worlds"
    • "The Gardener of Evil"
    • "Day of the Dino"
    • "Legacy of Power"
  • Queen Of Oz
  • Reign of the Gargoyles
  • The Secret World of Alex Mack
  • Shoestring: Eddie's show is called "The Private Ear of Eddie Shoestring".
  • Star Trek was not immune:
    • "Dagger of the Mind"
    • "The Conscience of the King"
    • "Balance of Terror"
    • "The Squire of Gothos"
    • "The Return of the Archons"
    • "A Taste of Armageddon"
    • "This Side of Paradise"
    • "Errand of Mercy"
    • "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
    • "A Piece of the Action"
    • "Patterns of Force"
    • "Spectre of the Gun"
    • "Wink of an Eye"
    • "Elaan of Troyius"
    • "The Mark of Gideon"
    • "The Lights of Zetar"
    • "Day of the Dove"
    • The Wrath of Khan
    • The Search For Spock
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation continues the adventure:
    • "Code of Honor"
    • "Coming of Age"
    • "Heart of Glory"
    • "The Arsenal of Freedom"
    • "Skin of Evil"
      • (note: the last four titles occurred in a 5 episode span)
    • "A Matter of Honor"
    • "The Measure of a Man"
    • "Shades of Gray"
    • "The Ensigns of Command"
    • "A Matter of Perspective"
    • "Sins of the Father"
    • "Ménage à Troi" (Francophone bonus!)
    • "The Best of Both Worlds"
    • "A Matter of Time"
    • "Cost of Living"
    • "Realm of Fear"
    • "Man of the People"
    • "A Fistful of Datas"
    • "The Quality of Life"
    • "Chain of Command"
      • (Once again, the last three titles occurred in a row, and one was a two-parter)
    • "Face of the Enemy"
    • "Frame of Mind"
    • "Force of Nature"
    • "Eye of the Beholder"
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine carries on:
    • "Rules of Acquisition"
    • "The House of Quark"
    • "Heart of Stone"
    • "The Way of the Warrior"
    • "The Sword of Kahless"
    • "Sons of Mogh"
    • "Rules of Engagement"
    • "Soldiers of the Empire"
    • "Children of Time"
    • "Blaze of Glory"(previous three all consecutive)
    • "Sacrifice of Angels"
    • "Change of Heart"
    • "The Sound of Her Voice"
    • "Tears of the Prophets"
    • "The Siege of AR-558"
    • "Field of Fire"
    • "The Changing Face of Evil"
    • "The Dogs of War"
  • With Star Trek: Voyager, the trend began to fade:
    • "Eye of the Needle"
    • "State of Flux"
    • "Persistence of Vision"
    • "Day of Honor"
    • "Year of Hell"
    • "Bride of Chaotica!"
    • "Barge of the Dead"
    • "Blink of an Eye"
    • "The Haunting of Deck Twelve"
  • Star Trek: Enterprise had a single example, "Shadows of P'Jem".
  • Walker, Texas Ranger: Several episodes have this title:
    • "In the Name of God"
    • "Night of the Gladiator"
    • "The Legend of Running Bear"
    • "Badge of Honor"
    • "Line of Fire"
    • "The Return of LaRue"
    • "Hall of Fame"
    • "The Trial of LaRue"
    • "Heart of the Dragon"
    • "Sons of Thunder"
    • "Last of a Breed"
    • "The Soul of Winter"
    • "Circle of Life"
    • "Test of Faith"
    • "Code of the West"
    • "The Children of Halloween"
    • "Eyes of a Ranger"
    • "Way of the Warrior"
    • "A Matter of Faith"
    • "A Matter of Principle"
    • "The Day of Cleansing"
    • "Soldiers of Hate"
    • "Home of the Brave"
    • "The Winds of Change"
    • "Child of Hope"

    Manhua 

    Manhwa 

    Music 
  • Cannibal Corpse: The album Gallery of Suicide, which itself has a Title Track and the song "Chambers of Blood".
  • Gojira: The Way of All Flesh and its title track.
  • The Lovin' Spoonful's third album was titled Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful.
  • Joni Mitchell's "Refuge of the Roads" from Hejira.
  • Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
  • Savatage's "The Hall of the Mountain King", a Shout-Out to Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King".
  • Tears for Fears:
    • "Start of the Breakdown"
    • "Sowing the Seeds of Love"
    • The Seeds of Love
    • "Standing on the Corner of the Third World"
    • "Year of the Knife"
    • "Rhythm of Life" note 
    • "Lord of Karma"
    • "Sketches of Pain"
    • "Queen of Compromise"
    • "The Madness of Roland"
    • "War of Attrition"
    • "Size of Sorrow"
  • The They Might Be Giants song "The Bee of the Bird of the Moth".
  • The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" (from The Christmas Attic), "Queen of the Winter Night," "For the Sake of Our Brother," and "The Wisdom of Snow" (from The Lost Christmas Eve), and "The Dreams of Candlelight" (from Beethoven's Last Night).
  • Frank Zappa's The Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar.

    Radio & Podcasts 

    Roleplays 

    Tabletop Games 
  • A very popular naming pattern for magic items in many fantasy games. Examples from Dungeons & Dragons: Breastplate of Command, Mace of Smiting, Potion of Healing, Ring of Invisibility, Sword of Sharpness.
  • Call of Cthulhu: Named after the first work of the Cthulhu Mythos that it's based on.

    Theatre 

    Theme Parks 

    Video Games 

    Visual Novels 

    Web Animation 

    Web Comics 

    Web Original 
  • Le Donjon de Naheulbeuk (The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk), and three of its seasons/novelization: La Couette de l'oubli ("The Quilt of Oblivion"), L'Orbe de Xaraz ("The Orb of Xaraz") and Le Conseil de Suak ("The Meeting of Suak")...
  • The Questport Chronicles is full of this trope. Examples include character names (the Lord of the Supreme Council, the Master of Darkness, the Queen of Rogues and Robbers), artifacts (the Tree of Light, the Harp of Remorse) and places (the Courts of Tenus).
  • RPC Authority: Multiple RPCs fit this trope:
  • SCP Foundation: It has a metric ton of them.
  • Whateley Universe: "Revenge of the Alphas", "The Case of the Unseen Switch"

    Web Videos 
  • The Great War: Various seemingly mundane inanimate objects are given impressive sounding names such as the Chair of Wisdom in which host Indy Neidell sits and answers viewer questions in the "Out of the Trenches" series, said chair's temporary replacement, the Chair of Madness, and the History of the Desk, an elaborate on the spot invented history of how the simple desk used in their set supposedly came from Byzantine Emperor Justinian.
  • From Kickassia, "The Fall of the Risen"
  • World War II: Indy's Chair of Infinite Knowledge in which he sits and answers viewer questions in the "Out of the Foxholes" series, as an Alternate Company Equivalent to the Chair of Wisdom from The Great War.

    Western Animation 

    Real Life 
  • Circuit of the Americas
  • The Summer of Love, and various sequels.
  • The Wars of the Roses
  • The War of 1812
  • Gates of the Arctic and Craters of the Moon National Parks.
  • Throughout history, many important battles in various wars are referred to as "The Battle of [important historical place]". Among the many examples are the Battle of New Orleans (which was famously used as the subject of a popular country song), the Battle of the Alamo, the Battle of San Jacinto, note  the Battle of San Juan Hill, and many others. One exception is the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, which was used by the press to refer to the "bulge" of the Allied front line inward (according to The Other Wiki).
  • The Tower of London
  • The Colossus of Rhodes
  • The Republic of Ireland

Alternative Title(s): The Noun Of Adjective

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