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{{trope}}
{{quote|
You know how when you're in a crowd, you can tell whenever someone says your name? Well, some villains can do that anywhere.
The core trope is that [[Be Careful What You Say|saying the name of the villain]] summons him. Rarely, though, is he [[Inconvenient Summons|summoned surprised and vulnerable]]; be assured that saying the name of this guy is a bad thing. Though probably just for you; he'll usually disappear afterward. The question of why everyone in the world often knows this name, despite the massive taboo against saying it, is rarely addressed.
This makes talking about the villain problematic, as he has to be referred to as "The Enemy" or [[Harry Potter|"He Who Must Not Be Named" or " You Know Who"]], or possibly just by a nickname, as with [[Satan]], who may be called "Old Nick" or "Mister Scratch". Sometimes these nicknames are conspicuously positive, just in case they're listening anyway, as with [[The Fair Folk]], because you do ''not'' want to face down a pissed-off faerie. If referring to him by any name summons him, well, then you're just screwed.
If attempting to talk to someone not in the know, this can easily lead to [[Poor Communication Kills]]. There also always remains the possibility of someone slipping up (especially when surprised or caught off-guard), or someone not in the know saying it. If you have another enemy you want to deal with, though, perhaps you can trick him into saying the name.
Another variation is that the villain's name must be said multiple times to summon him. In these cases, saying the name once is safe, so you probably don't need to worry about
summoning him accidentally, or being tricked into doing so (unless you have no idea what's going on and just come across a piece of paper saying "[[Schmuck Bait|Say Hastur 3 times]].") ([[Literal
The name comes from the old saying: "Speak of the Devil, and he will appear." Also known as He Who Must Not Be Named.
If saying the villain's name doesn't necessarily summon him, but may simply cause something bad, that's [[The Scottish Trope]].
If knowing someone's true name instead gives ''you'' power over ''him'', that's [[I Know Your True Name]]. If summoning him is not a bad thing, see [[Call
{{examples|Examples}}▼
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* The Rail Tracer in ''[[Baccano
* A subversion and running gag on ''[[Dinosaur King]]'': Ursula always knows when someone calls her an "old lady" no matter where they are in the world and immediately, and loudly, takes exception. She won't know ''where'' you are, much less be teleported there, but she will be pretty P.O.'ed when she meets up with you. This was once used to determine if the [[Terrible Trio|Alpha Gang]] was in the area.
* In ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'', the JSSDF begin an assault on NERV HQ, and one of the [[Bridge Bunnies]], Makoto Hyuga, states that he hopes they don't use non-nuclear mines. In the English dub, at least, Shigeru Aoba gives a [[Title Drop]] of this trope when the inevitable happens.
{{quote|
'''Hyuuga:''' Yeah, that or N2 mines --
''(BOOM)''
'''Aoba:''' Speak of the devil...!
'''Hyuuga:''' Damn! Haven't they ever heard of moderation?!
'''Fuyutsuki:''' That was a little much...
''(the JSSDF begins a [[Macross Missile Massacre]] on the Geofront)'' }}
** "It would be disastrous if an Angel turned up right now."
* In ''[[
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* In ''[[The Sandman]]'', characters refer to the Furies as "The Kindly Ones", as the ancient Greeks did; in this case, it's also to avoid attracting their attention.
** Also in ''[[The Sandman]]'', there is one instance of summoning the title character by saying his preferred name (Morpheus). The character Rose Walker is given a piece of paper by her protector, Gilbert, and told that she must read the word aloud if she finds herself in grave danger; she reads it when another character attempts to rape and murder her, causing Dream to appear in the room and come to her rescue. It's not made clear why this works, however; it may be {{spoiler|because Gilbert is actually a resident of Dream's kingdom, who has wandered off to do his own thing in the waking world, and is utilizing his own connection to Dream on her behalf. It is equally possible that it worked because Rose herself is the granddaughter of Dream's younger sibling Desire, and thus a blood relative of the Endless.}}
*** Though remember that Glob warns Brute not to say the name "Morpheus", because that could give him immediate entry to their sanctuary. Otherwise, Morpheus needs to take the long way around. Again we have dream creatures involved, so it is hard to say what would happen if a mortal said it under normal circumstances.
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* In [[Young Avengers]], Kang the Conqueror references this trope, and sort of uses it.
* A heroic version, [[The Phantom Stranger]] occasionally waits to show up until someone says the word "stranger". This is less of a summoning issue, and due more to the fact that he has a sense of dramatic timing. This has, needless to say, been lampshaded and parodied.
{{quote|
'''Phantom Stranger''': Did someone just use a sentence involving the word ''stranger''? }}
* In Brazilian comic [[Monica's Gang]], two characters have it: [[Grim Reaper|Lady]] [[Don't Fear the Reaper|McDeath]] appears whenever someone says "death" or something related to the verb "die"; and whenever something absurd occurs and someone asks "who would be nutty enough..." Nutty Ned appears.
* A more down-to-earth version of this is used for humor and to get around a real-world problem in [[G.I. Joe|the G.I. Joe comics]]. Hasbro created a character named Ghostrider, who is a stealth pilot. Nobody noticed that there was already a character in Marvel Comics with [[Ghost Rider|almost the exact same name]] before the figure went into production. Larry Hama worked around the issue by writing the character as being so stealthy that even his own teammates ''could never remember his codename''.
* In ''[[Zot
* In an issue of ''[[Wolverine]]'', it was revealed that perennial ''[[X-Men]]'' villain Spiral is aware (or alerted) whenever anyone anywhere mentions her. She used this to track Wolverine and Mystique, the latter of whom could not spit out the warning in time.
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[
** He's also sent back whence he came by saying his name three times.
** The full rhymes (from [[Beetlejuice (
{{quote|
''Still I conjure something scary''
''Ghostly hauntings I turn loose,''
''Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!'' }}
:::for bringing him into our world, and:
{{quote|
''Still I venture someplace scary''
''Ghostly hauntings now turn loose''
''Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!'' }}
:::when Lydia wants to enter the Neitherworld.
** ''Community'' used this for a [http://youtu.be/19FMU3M7Jtk stealth gag] that ran over the course of three years. Watch behind Annie at the end of the clip.
* The ''[[
** This hearkens back to the childhood myth of Bloody Mary.
* In the [[V for Vendetta]] film, {{spoiler|Lewis Prothero}} is listening to a recording in which he talks about V (specifically about how he wishes he could fight him man to man) only for a [[Mirror Scare]] to reveal V standing there. Just for clarification, there is nothing magical in this case, and it is just a coincidence (or possibly the ever-theatrical V was waiting for the perfect moment,) but [[Oh Crap|the look on the man's face suggests it might as well have been this trope.]]
== [[Literature]] ==
* In ''The [[Belgariad]]'', saying the name of Zedar allows him to listen in on your conversation. The protagonists eventually get around this by getting lots of storytellers to retell the tales of Zedar, so he won't notice them amidst all the noise.
* In Robert W. Chamber's ''[[The King in Yellow]]'', "Hastur" was originally a mysterious name, most likely a location, with only vague connections to the titular King. When [[August Derleth]] absorbed Hastur into the greater [[Cthulhu Mythos]], he started using it as the actual name of The King in Yellow, and [[Adaptation Decay|re-appropriated]] [[I Have Many Names|non-synonymous titles]] such as "Him Who Must Not Be Named," (likely another euphemistic name for Azathoth) and "The High Priest Not To Be Described" (a minion of Nyarlathotep who might actually be Nyarlathotep) as sobriquets. This spawned the idea in the [[Expanded Universe]] that referring to him in by name was a very bad idea. In particular, the 1980 [[Dungeons
** Not a bad thing but in fact quite good: In ''[[Persona 2]]'', saying "Hasturcomeforth" instead of your birth month to a fortune-telling girl would freak her out immensely and let you eventually summon him. (Hastur just loves hearing his name, basically.)
** In the [[Web Comic]] ''[[User Friendly]]'', Kuan is singing the Badger Song and Sid, annoyed, {{spoiler|gives him a Lovecraft version to sing, substituting "Hastur" for "Badger".}} It looks like {{spoiler|Kuan was [[Killed Off for Real]]}} as a result.
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* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' series, saying The Dark One's true name {{spoiler|Shaitan}} supposedly draws his attention, and certainly gives you a nasty fit of bad luck. He's the dark god, you know. So there exist many alternate names for him too - like "father of lies".
* Heroic example: [[Chrestomanci]], from the book series of the same name by [[Diana Wynne Jones]], will appear wherever his name is spoken. Chanting his name three times can summon him to another world. His enemies refer to him as "August Personage" to avoid attracting his attention.
* Used in ''[[Jonathan Strange
* In the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series Voldemort is ''literally'' called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by those who are afraid of saying (or printing) his name, though those using less formal diction call him You-Know-Who. His followers simply call him The Dark Lord. In the earlier books this is portrayed merely as people being monumentally afraid of Voldemort (and a sign of reverence, in the case of his followers). In the last book {{spoiler|Voldemort uses this to his advantage by placing a "Taboo" spell upon his name which causes the speaking of his name to break any protective charms on the area and reveal the location of the speaker to him. Seeing as the only people with the nerve to speak his name are Harry's group and (probably) The Order Of The Phoenix, this is quite clever}}.
** In a more benign case, house elves automatically Apparate to the location of their owner when their name is called, regardless of any curses or protective magic that should prevent them.
* In the ''[[Young Wizards]]'' series, speaking any of the Lone Power's nicknames has the danger of drawing Its attention. Even ''thinking'' its [[I Know Your True Name|true name]] is ''guaranteed'' to get Its attention unless something is keeping It distracted.
* [[Discworld]]:
** In
*** Although if you're close enough to a portal even these pseudonyms will draw them.
*** This is actually based on old folk beliefs; there's a reason the trope's called [[The Fair Folk]].
** Another [[Discworld]] example is Igor (any Igor). When the master calls him, Igor will appear directly behind to answer. Makes no difference if Igor was in the basement or on the roof at the time, somehow he will also be out of sight behind his master when the master calls. Just part of the Igor service package.
** Yet another [[Discworld]] example, especially in the early books such as ''[[
** Inverted with the Auditors, which are [[Too Dumb to Live|instantly destroyed]] if they refer to ''themselves'' in the first-person singular.
** Wizards are forbidden from saying the number eight because it draws the attention of the [[Eldritch Abomination]] Bel-Shamharoth, the Sender of Eight.
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' offers a sort of half-example; the words "Sauron" or "Mordor" are often avoided, but it's never made clear what, if anything, the consequences of using them are.
** There is also a case of inconsistent narration, since in the ''Fellowship of the Ring'' Aragorn claims that Sauron doesn't use his given name, and forbids his servants speaking or writing it (not really surprising when Sauron is elvish for "Abhorred"), but in the ''Return of the King'' we encounter a character called the Mouth of Sauron, who explicitly calls his master "Sauron the Great".
*** He might have been using the name for the benefit of the people he is talking to, since that it is the name they recognize for him. His original name of ''Mairon'' would not really have meant anything to the people of middle earth. Though it would have been funny to see the mouth refer to "Mairon The Great" only for Aragorn to reply "Who?".
*** Sauron was known by that name in Númenor (as the Númenoreans knew him from the Elves) and the Mouth of Sauron was a Black Númenorean, so he might have been using the name out of habit. Also, the taboo about not mentioning Sauron's name seems to be mainly a Gondorian thing ("He who we do not name" or "the Nameless Evil")
*** Let's not forget the whole [[Literary Agent Hypothesis]].
** I believe there is also magic involved when Gandalf calls Shadowfax.
** This trope is used often in the books: Gandalf is unwilling to pronounce the ring's verse in the dark, especially in the black speech. There is generally a reluctance from all the characters to use words or names associated with evil things when it is dark.
*** Since the Ring's verse is essentially an evil spell, it's quite understandable why Gandalf doesn't want to speak it in uncontrolled circumstances.
* Similar to [[The Lord of the Rings]], the ''[[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]'' has the Ranyhyn, the wild, free and intelligent horses. They have special magic that days or weeks before you call them, they know it and head for where you will be so that as soon as you whistle for them, they are there.
** And in the ''Second Chronicles'' we meet the Sandgorgons, who instantly know when their names are mentioned, even a great distance away, and will run at incredible speeds to find the person who did it {{spoiler|and kill them.}}
* A rather literal variant in the ''[[Thursday Next]]'' series, [[Religious and Mythological Theme Naming|Acheron Hades]] can hear his name if it's spoken within a hundred-mile radius.
* In the [[David Drake]] fantasy novel ''The Sea Hag'', [[The Hero]] is able to defeat the villain by tricking him into naming Serdic, his [[Old Master|old (dead) master]]...who then promptly appears and drags the villain away to a [[Nightmare Fuel]] fate, [[Chekhov's Gun|since he had promised the hero earlier this would happen the next time he was named]].
* In ''Snakecharm'', the second of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' [[Kiesha
* In ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'', [[Magnificent Bastard|Cao Cao]] had a tendency to show up whenever his name was being mentioned - so the saying goes, "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao is at the gates." Ironically, at one point, this was happening to the man himself - everytime he [[Tempting Fate|tempted fate]] by mentioning some character on the opposing side, that man would shortly show up.
* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[
* Similar to the ''[[The Sandman|Sandman]]'' example above in the ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' series by Rick Riodan, the use names of various mythological figures or places causes bad things like thunder and darkening of the skies to happen, so the characters tend to avoid using them.
** It's stated that this is because it gets their attention, and the lightning is only if they're upset with you.
** Unless you're Dionysus, who responds to Zeus's thunder with a bored "Blah, blah, blah."
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* [[Evie Scelan]] threatens people who seem like they are about to call the Bright Brotherhood by their proper name, {{spoiler|Fiana}}. For someone who doesn't mind handing out her true name, she seems surprisingly worried about this.
* In ''Jack of Shadows'', by [[Roger Zelazny]], Jack's powers include the ability to hear any person who speaks his name in shadow, and to continue listening in until they move out of it.
** In Zelazny's ''Dilvish the Damned'' stories, the evil wizard Jelerak won't himself show up if you speak his name, but one of the demons that serve him may, mistaking your use of his name for Jelerak summoning them. They'll be "unhappy" to be accidentally summoned that way, and may demonstrate this upon your person....
* [[Jack Chalker]]'s ''The Changewinds'' begins with the female protagonists learning that they are being threatened by an evil wizard. A mercenary to whom was entrusted the girls' safety decides that the villain is likely to pay better and attempts to attract his attention by saying his name now and then. The girls, discovering this, try to call on the wizard who brought them to this world by saying his name over and over. Of course, with a name like "Boolean", the girls just wound up giggling after a while. It should be noted that neither wizard was summoned, no matter how much their names were dropped.
* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] novel ''The Hour of the Dragon'', Zenobia fears it, even though it's a man being spoken of.
{{quote|
* The Bloody Mary version is weaponized in Seanan McGuire's short story [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706063447/http://www.apexbookcompany.com/2010/04/short-story-dying-with-her-cheer-pants-on-by-seanan-mcguire/ Dying With Her Cheer Pants On]
* Nearly used in the [[Solomon Kane]] story The Blue Flame of Vengeance, except that Solomon shows up right as the Fishhawk is about to say his name.
* In [[The
* In ''The Empire of the East'', the arch-wizard Wood (itself an alias) is too afraid to say the demon-prince [[Big Bad|Orcus']] name, or even think it. He still proposes to [[Sealed Evil in
* In The ''[[
▲== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* The [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|Spanish Inquisition]], whom nobody expects.
* "Say my name and I appear. Why have you summoned [[Power Rangers|Quagmire]] here?"
* In an early episode of ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', the boys fight Bloody Mary. Needless to say, this trope comes into effect. {{spoiler|They use it to defeat her, by summoning her and smashing the mirror.}}
** {{spoiler|Actually, smashing the mirror lets her out. The boys finish her off by getting her to look into a mirror and letting her own reflection turn her powers on her and destroy her}}.
* ''[[Good Eats]]''; not a villain but a [[Running Gag]]:
{{quote|
'''Deb Duchon, Nutritional Anthropologist''': That guy, there... naugahyde chair, green pants.
'''Alton''': Yeah, well, (through megaphone) thanks a lot, Mr. Talks-to-his-television! }}
* Rick and Neil on ''[[The Young Ones]]'' once summoned the demon Futumsch to their flat by saying his name, which had been printed in a newspaper article for no readily-apparent reason. Not that they ever noticed Futumsch was there, mind...
* In Brazilian sitcom ''Toma Lá, Dá Cá'', whenever the apartment manager's name is mentioned, she knocks at the door and comes in. At a certain point of the show, the [[Genre Savvy]] characters would try to stop whenever someone started saying her name.
* In ''[[
{{quote|
* The ''[[Tales
* WWF/E wrestler [[The Undertaker]] does a very [[Candle Jack]]-ish variation of this. Basically, if his name is brou
** Sorry about that; the previous troper should have known better. As he was saying, if his name is brought up in an offensive way while he's around (or even if he isn't), a gong will sound, and the lights will go off. Then he will appear behind the offender and usually chokeslam or Tombstone Piledrive them to the mat.
** Sometimes, Taker's name doesn't even need to be
* In [[Raising Hope]], the Dog-Head Man knows when people are talking about him. At least, according to Jimmy.
* In ''[[Nikita (TV series)|Nikita]]'', [[Techno Wizard|Birkhoff]] gets an alert whenever anybody online runs a search on his name.
* ''[[The Muppet Show]]'':
**
** In one episode the [[Butt Monkey| Newcaster]] reports that the temple of [[Never Smile At a Crocodile|an ancient Egyptian crocodile god named Rezal-evad-gib]]<ref>Which is "Big Dave Lazer" [[Sdrawkcab Name|spelled backwards]], a [[Mythology Gag|reference to the show's executive producer]].</ref> (the name of which he actually says twice for emphasis) has been discovered, and that said god would "wreak a terrible vengeance" upon anyone entering the tomb or even saying his name aloud. Well, you can probably guess what happens. He gets an excuse that time, but in ''the very next scene'', where Beauregard tries to warn [[Lynda Carter]] that they've discovered a dangerous word, but can't remember the hard-to-pronounce name, [[Too Dumb to Live|the Newscaster runs in ''and says it again''.]]
== [[Music]] ==
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cuz I'm the-*GUNSHOT*"
== Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends ==
* As mentioned above, [[Satan]] is the [[Trope Namer]].
** Depending on how strict their adherence to the 3rd Commandment is, some people refrain from saying God's name as well, though that's less out of fear of summoning Him (seeing as He's already, you know, omnipresent) and more because to do otherwise is seen as blasphemous.
* Various old folklore: Not only the Devil, as mentioned above, but [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms|Cao Cao]] in Chinese folklore, wolves in France, and various predators in various places.
** An especially interesting case is [[
*** Actually, we sort of do. Based on reconstructed Indo-European, the old Germanic word for bear would be "''urþaz''" (or something similar, from Proto-Indo-European ''hrtkós''); given that the current word in English has cognates in the other Germanic languages (for instance, the German "Bär"), the change probably occurred at the proto-Germanic stage, and the ancestors of the original English speakers stopped using the old word.
*** Similarly, the Slavic term for a bear is ''medved'', meaning "one who knows where the honey is." Which itself has been known to get substituted with euphemisms like "furry one".
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** This actually continues to this day. In Central America, [[Mayincatec|Mayans]] will never refer to the [[Panthera Awesome|jaguar]] by its name ("balam") for fear of invoking its presence. They refer to it as "chac mool", which means "red paw"
** This was so prevalent when it came to wolves in Sweden that the most common euphemism ("varg", meaning killer or strangler) became the ''proper'' name.
* The fairy Puck will appear if you say his name, in folklore and in [[Shakespeare]]'s works.
** An unlike in the Bard's play, encountering jolly old Robin Goodfellow in the older folklore tended to get you into far worse fates than growing some donkey ears.
* One old wives' tale is that of Bloody Mary, who supposedly appears and very violently murders anyone who says her name three times while looking in a mirror.
** Or seven times, and maybe you have to do it by candle light, or maybe you have to taunt her that you killed her baby. Myths are like that.
* [[Everybody Hates Hades|Hades]] of [[Classical Mythology|Greek Mythology]] is a good example. The Greeks believed saying his name drew his attention, so they called him by all sorts of nicknames and titles, like "The Wealthy One" or "The Host of Many."
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
*
** 3.5 has Truenaming, which around level 18 gives a feat that allows a character to do this with a use-name of their choice. Speaking the use-name, afterward, allows the character to know where you are, what the general situation is, and lets them decide whether or not to be teleported into the area. Depending on the character in question, this can either be an example of this trope, or [[Call
** Also from ''[[Dungeons
*** No, just towards Chaos. Evil is only <s> eventual</s> inevitable.
**** also in the 3.X Deities and Demigods Handbook it states that Deities are generally aware if anyone says their name, anywhere or any of their common titles. This generally won't summon the deity to you of course, but that does make it hard to mount an assault on the gods....
** One DnD sourcebook (likely ''The Book of Vile Darkness'') relates the story of a particularly huge prick of a merchant who would take advantage of this rule by selling a parrot to rich-looking individuals. When they got out of town and onto a deserted stretch of road, their new pet would fly away and start shrieking the name of
** [[Orcus
** [[Fridge Logic|Why]] doesn't Orcus kill the parrot?
*** Because if he does, Demogorgon will begin reciting the [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|dead parrot sketch]] at him.
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** Although its been referenced in several other tropes, the legend of the Serpent's Coil still (sort of) counts. A 2nd edition myth that made it into 3.0 before being retconned out at the end of 3.5, the myth went that Asmodeus, the king of Hell, was actually a very advanced illusion or perhaps an avatar of some sort; his ''true'' shape was a [[Eldritch Abomination|miles-long monstrosity of utter, incomprehensible evil]]. When he was hurled from the celestial planes into Hell, this form crashed through the dimension's reality - creating the nine levels of Hell - and came to rest in a deep, spiraling crater at the very bottom of The Pit. In an aversion of this trope however, telling someone this story didn't summon Asmodeus: it simply caused the storyteller to die within 24 hours (by unspecified means). Which is about on par for drawing the attention of overwhelmingly powerful evil uberdeities.
** [[Points of Light]] has an interesting reversal. The god that Asmodeus rebelled against in this setting is known only as "He Who Was". This is because Asmodeus literally [[Unperson|erased all record and memory]] of the deity's name from history, fearing that if it was spoken just once, the slain god would regain his powers.
* In the ''[[Planescape]]'' setting Cerlic, the Ferryman of the Styx (known as Charon to most mortals) is a unique yugoloth and one of the safest ways to travel through the Lower Planes, and simply saying his name on the shores of the River Styx will summon him in at most, a half-hour. Being a yugoloth, however, he is [[Only In It For The Money]] and requires payment up front (which is astronomical) and anyone who summons him and refuses to pay is attacked; he's incredibly powerful, on par with a minor demon lord.
* [[Kibo]], mentioned below in the [[Real Life]] section, was used by ''[[Mage: The Ascension (Tabletop Game)|Mage: The Ascension]]''. In the digital web, he set up magic tracers so whenever anyone said his name, he would instantly be able to appear, as a real person, in front of them.▼
** Another example of this that was legitimate is the Demon Lord Fraz-Urb'luu, who is notorious for using a unique talent to use the names of other Demon Lords to trick them into thinking they have been summoned. His usual strategy is to do this, and then teleport away right before the victim appears, assuring that the angry demon will take out his anger on whoever Fraz-Urb'luu had been fighting. This strategy naturally has made Fraz-Urb'luu universally hated among other Demon Lords.
* The Antediluvians in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade (Tabletop Game)|Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' are like this, or at least their vampiric descendants are afraid that they might be. At various points, it comes up that the names we have for them aren't their real names, just pseudonyms that are used to refer to them without the possibility of drawing their attention via [[Speak of the Devil]].▼
▲* [[Kibo]], mentioned below in the [[Real Life]] section, was used by ''[[
** It also shows up in ''[[Demon: The Fallen (Tabletop Game)|Demon: The Fallen]]''. Using a demon's Celestial Name automatically opens a remote channel of communication with them; use it unaware of that connection, and they'll be listening to everything you say...▼
▲* The Antediluvians in ''[[
* ''[[Call of Cthulhu]]'' supplement ''Terror Australis'', adventure "Old Fella That Bunyip". The investigators are forced to say the phrase "Eleanba Wunda" to drive Bunyip upstream. Unfortunately for them, it's the name of a spirit ''worse'' than Bunyip, which will appear if its name is chanted too often. The second time the investigators do so they feel a cold wind, and the third (and final) time Eleanba Wunda ''almost'' appears.▼
▲** It also shows up in ''[[
▲* ''[[Call of Cthulhu (tabletop game)]]'' supplement ''Terror Australis'', adventure "Old Fella That Bunyip". The investigators are forced to say the phrase "Eleanba Wunda" to drive Bunyip upstream. Unfortunately for them, it's the name of a spirit ''worse'' than Bunyip, which will appear if its name is chanted too often. The second time the investigators do so they feel a cold wind, and the third (and final) time Eleanba Wunda ''almost'' appears.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In the ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' series, the ruler of the underworld and [[Big Bad]] of the first game is named "Mundus". Oddly, he is almost never referred to by name in other products, either being referred to as "the Devil King" or "the Devil Emperor".
* Parodied (and used) in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'': if you select 'Say "Guy Made Of Bees"' five times as a choice when you encounter a bathroom mirror, you will encounter the Guy Made Of Bees. And unless you have a certain in-game item and use it in the first round of combat, the Guy Made Of Bees will hit you with as much force as the Incredible Hulk's weight in bees.
* During a perfect [[Pacifist Run]] in ''[[
* In ''[[Ultima V]]'', the Shadowlords could be summoned to your location by yelling their name (Eg, Yell Astaroth).
* [[Gaia Online]] NPCs sometimes comment their own fanthreads during events. One wonders what they make of all the dirty-minded fans.
* A possible inversion of this trope (overlapping in aspects with [[I Know Your True Name]]) occurs in ''[[Breath of Fire]] IV''. Along with straight treatment of [[I Know Your True Name]], General Yohm hunts down [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|Fou-lu]]
** A straighter version ALSO exists. In a part of the game, Fou-lu refrains from revealing his name to [[Sacrificial Lamb|Mami]] explicitly to keep this from happening, and merely goes by his nickname "Ryong"
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' people who usually play free roam with their friends, have probably encountered a cougar. Because of that it's common to hear someone mention a cougar (example: 'Did I just hear a cougar?') and see or hear their demise. It gets better when you are in areas of the map where cougars never should/usually spawn, and you hear someone mentioning it. [[Hilarity Ensues]].
* In ''[[
* Liquid Snake from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' is a variation: His real name isn't stated not due to fear of him being summoned, but rather because the SAS and the US Government had highly classified his real name to the extent that not even someone within the highest rank of the command pyramid is allowed to know it, as mentioned by Roy Campbell.
* [[Neverwinter Nights 2]] inverts this initially, when an [[Affably Evil]] devil willingly tells you [[I Know Your True Name|his true name]] so you can banish him back to Hell. Later played straight when knowing his true name from your previous meeting with him lets you summon him for a [[Deal
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'' adventure game, saying the word "monkey" will cause the Librarian to appear and punch you, because he is an ''ape'' and does ''not'' like the M-word. This is occasionally mentioned in the books, but the game turns it into a [[Running Gag]] instead.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* [http://www.wanderingchaos.com/uc/110707.html This creature] (well, the creature this demon is shapeshifted into) in ''UC: Deviating from Normality''.
* [http://xkcd.com/555/ This] [[
* Don't say Ironman in Austin, TX as shown why in [[Rooster Teeth]]'s webcomics, Michael "Burnie" Burns will be groundpounded.
* In ''[[Order of the Stick]]'', saying "mind flayer" or "illithid" will bring down copyright lawyers upon the speaker. Actually, pointing out ''any'' copyrighted material can do this, as Vaarsuvius realizes to his advantage when confronting [[Overused Copycat Character|a (supposedly good-aligned) drow wizard armed with two swords.]]
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** K'seliss invokes this trope and rips Noe's throat out right as he appears. It's just as cool as it sounds.
* In ''[[Chasing the Sunset]]'', speaking the name of the evil wizard Malvenicus causes lightning and a crack of [''Kra-ka-tow!''] thunder. Just like that. Malvenicus [''kra-ka-tow!''], as it turns out, is not all that evil; he just put an enchantment on his own name back when he was younger because he thought it would be funny.
* In ''[[User Friendly]]'', Sid deals with an annoying intern by tricking him into saying "Hastur" three times.
** And Stef manages to avoid being shredded by an angry Indian god by calling upon Hastur, and letting the two duke it out.
* [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110223 This] [[Girl Genius]] comic averts it. Not ''subverts'', but ''averts''. This is a trope-heavy world with [[Genre Savvy]] people (as a survival trait), and the named individual is a genuine [[Hero]].
== Web Original ==
* Fooby, the Kamikaze Watermelon, appears in ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'' every time someone says "kamikaze watermelon."
* It is [[Wild Mass Guessing|theorised]] that [[Slender Man]] might have these properties; other theories state that you can only see him if you know about him. [[Oh Crap|So if you've read this example...]]
* ''[[
** Pianos! *[[Piano Drop]]* Whose idea was this?!
* The [[Binder of Shame]]; El Disgusto's character is caught stealing from the other characters and killed. His last words are "You'll pay for this! You'll all pay for this! Hastur! Hastur! Hastur! Hastur! Hastur!" Fortunately (or unfortunately as it turns out), the wizard NPC resurrects the group.
* The Makeover Fairy from [[
** Earlier in the show's run, [[
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' had the villain [[Candle Jack]] who would appear randomly and kidnap whoever said his name out loud.
** [[Candle Jack]] himself says,"[[Schmuck Bait|Not a very bright group, are you?]]"
** ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' also spoofed this in a [[Credits Gag]]: "Interesting Fact: If you spin around while saying '[[Gag Words|Huggbees]]' three times real quick, [
* In a ''[[South Park]]'' episode, saying Biggie Smalls' name three times while looking into a mirror will summon his ghost, which really pisses him off when he's got things to do.
* In ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney
* Said by one of the [[Ruthless Modern Pirates|bad guys]] in ''[[Jonny Quest]]'' episode "Skull and Double Crossbones," after his captain referred to the possibility of the Coast Guard showing up ... and they promptly did.
== [[Real Life]] ==
* [[Kibo]] originally became known on [[UseNet]] for searching for any occurrences of his name (whether they refer to him or not) and responding to them. Naturally, this became rather less possible once he became something of a Usenet celebrity.
** You are allowed.
* Google has a tool that lets you track ''the entire Web'' for instances of a certain phrase, such as your name. Knowing this does not make it any less creepy when one of its users suddenly materializes in your forum discussion of them.
* [[Warren Ellis]] has a tendency to do this when his name is mentioned on the Internet.
** [[Troy Hickman]] on the ''[[City of Heroes]]'' official forums prides himself on it.
* Twitter codifies this, providing you a whole new tab for when your @username appears in someone else's tweet.
* An [[The Angry Video Game Nerd
* The Chinese general Cao Cao (3rd century AD) was so well known for his rapid marches, the Chinese term for this trope since the time was "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will appear." (And this was ''way'' before he could Google it. Impressive.)
* A once-popular internet meme says this of [[Candle Jack]], who kidnaps whoever speaks his name.
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* Will Shetterly sometimes does this by Googling his name, so some people refer to him as "Will Sh*tterly" or "Will Shitterly."
* A certain fundamentalist with a "4 step proof of God" is known to regularly google his name and spam any forum on which it is posted with said "proof".
* In the AI field, there's a crank who goes by Mantifax (replace the As with Es) whose obsessive self-promotion efforts include appearing on any site that mentions him.
* ''[[My Cage]]'' creator Ed Power was known to appear wherever his strip was mentioned, back when it was new.
** Another comic author who's notorious for this is [[Dreamless|Bobby Crosby]], especially when he gets criticized.
* Demonologists usually advise people to not speak about the demon while in a demonically infested house. Some activities, like listening to recordings of exorcisms for instructional purposes, are also considered "opening doorways" that could attract the wrong kind of attention.
* Tagging somebody's name in a Facebook post alerts that person to the post. It's not uncommon for people to post the name on its own to get their attention.
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