I always thought they were the same thing? Or maybe I am just wrong.

I thought so too, which is why I asked.
Seems it didn't matter in the end~ XD

Though most often I usually use naga a lot! :3

My view was that lamia have a more human like appearance, and nagas were anthros.
And as for a specific name for a naga/lamia w/ snake-hair, I'd call them gorgons.

I might go with those definitions for them. It would be easier to differentiate the human & anthro forms...

Aye, glad to have helped.

Snakehair people or whatever are definitely gorgons, that's simple.

I think it's the same situation as the faun or satyr argument. Both are from different cultures and both originally had different appearances, however over the centuries, literature has gradually blended the two together to the point that there is no fixed definition for either of them and therefore the terms can be used interchangeably. As Manfar has said though, if they have snake hair then I think gorgon is the more appropriate term.

For me personally, I use the term naga since that can apply to both the humanoid version and the full anthro version, while I think lamia is exclusively humanoid.

That is true. And I guess naga has the one-up here since they have a species label and lamia doesn't~

For alliteration purposes, I use it all pretty loosely.

Kairo is right, though, they were originally very different and specific things, but have been gradually used (at least in the furry community) for different things.. the things you and I deal with, basically.

But let's just let you see where the terms come from and what they actually are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81ga

(there's also how in D&D, naga were like this: https://elarchimago.files.wordpress....._bone_naga.jpg
Or this: http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2.....er-d242buz.jpg
Or this: http://www.padnd.com/monster_manual.....s/mm2/naga.gif
Or this: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb.....C5_Ha-Naga.jpg
Basically, snakes with human heads/faces, with varying degrees of monsterism/animalistic-ness applied to said face
Meanwhile, in D&D, there were creatures that look like Ame or Sepi do, but they were "yuan-ti" and specifically yuan-ti 'abominations' or something. To be clear, though, the yuanti people/race/characters love snakes, so in THEIR eyes, the coily people I'm talking about would have been awesome. They're known as abominations in the minds/eyes of the humanoid standard-player-character races like humans, elves, dwarves, etc.)

(The D&D example is basically just.. for a while there, snakes with just human heads.. that's what "naga" was, everywhere. I've seen it in some books from back in the day (70s-80s or so) and in D&D, which also originates back then. But that was just a simplification of the original naga mythology.)

If you already looked up the actual original things and have seen the info I linked, though, I suppose there's something to be said about clarifying the CURRENT usage.

The current usage is very open, but the rule seems to be that lamia is generally linked to female serpentine characters (or, it seems to be, to me), and specifically, half-human/human-topped female snake characters. (as opposed to snake-snouted and fully-scaled upper body types)

(let me also say that lamia is always a bit risky, because people will either not know it or will know it all too well and MAYBE call you on it for it being a good term for what you're doing, because... well, because of all that you should have just learned, haha)

Lamia might also get used for multi-armed snakewomen (which is really more of a hindu bit of imagery, really, whereas Lamia is a greek myth name/term), but the term I always saw for THAT was 'marilith'. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.....pe_V_Demon.JPG (google image search for more, if you want!)

BUT THAT is just D&D and Final Fantasy! It's probably just a creation of D&D and then FF stole it. I mean.. using THAT creature with that name was a D&D thing. It's probably a co-opted bit of hindu imagery.. and I say that as if a snakewoman with many arms was a thing in hindu imagery..?? I don't know if it is.. maybe there never was a hindi snake-being with multi-arms! There ARE gods or other supernatural beings with many arms (and a different weapon in each hand) in hindu imagery, and the naga (the oldschool kind, of course, as you would have seen in that wiki article) in general also are, so maybe someone mashed the two together, in D&D, just because.. and then gave it a vaguely european name.. seems like a combo of Maris and Lilith. Also, "Lilith" is a kind of female demon in jewish mythology, which was sometimes/once translated into 'lamia', so.. take that as you will.

Naga is a much easier term to say/use, in modern parlance. People almost always know what you mean. Naga means an anthro snake that WILL have coils (if NOT, I will hunt them down and punch them). I mean.. I hope we can keep that word meaning a snakeperson, male or female (or any other gender), WITH coils, whereas if someone has a snake with legs character, they might just say "snake/my snake character".

If you wanted to get specific or precise about the language, one should describe a character like Sepi or Amethystine or your human topped snake girls as "partially anthropomorphic snakes" or "partially anthropomorphic snakes" (fully anthro would mean they'd have legs, possibly) or perhaps, some shorter options: "snakepeople" or "snakefolk" or "anthro snakes" or "Coily anthro snakes" or, uh.. "a coily/coilies"? Now, that's just with Ame and Sepi or your girls, because they all have snake features above the waist. An example of a character with a hard/clear division at the waist might still be in "snakefolk" or something, just like "merfolk" can be a mermaid with a hard line and ONLY human on top and fish below, or the kind with some fishy features above the waist.. but my point was meant to be that "partially anthro snakes" wouldn't really fit for a snakeperson with that hard line of only snake below and only human on top.. so.. maybe snakeman and snakewoman like mermaid and merman would work, because those can be the type with a mix above the waist AND the 'hard line'. @_@

So.. I hope that helped..! ..?

You sir are most helpful.
Kinda wondering why I didn't just ask you in the beginning. XD

And I kinda like the idea of calling a species a "Coily" it sounds completely adorable.

*bows* Glad to be of help/service! :}===<

I remember you me and Slyth actually called our fully snakelike forms "Ophidian", where there's little to no humanity in the image other than a few functional features (arms, speech etc)

Lamia I usually apply to those weird human torso snakeforlegs things.

Naga are kinda the same from my point of view.

Coilies work for me.

Most call Kobura a naga. I actually have a different name for his/her type, but it's eclectic and unique to me and my story.

Oh, yeah, Ophidian is another term I would use for snakepeople.. but I'd imagine it as being something that refers to ANY being that has snake features or elements.

But just because I imagine it as a general descriptor of race/species-leanings, it doesn't mean we couldn't make it specifically for us. That WOULD be a fine name for snakes like Slyth and Ame and Kobura, though, the fully scaled, snake-snouted/headed naga types.

Anyway, what is the unique-to-you term for you/Kob and his/your story?

Kobura was a Coldkin. Cold blooded, and they were all kinda family across species barriers with varying degrees of concern for genetic purity

Ahh, okay, cool.