See the results of this poll: Which do you prefer?
Respondents: 17 (This poll is closed)
- Athena : 3 (18%)
- Freya : 13 (76%)
- Neither (please suggest): 1 (6%)
Though I love [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and how it relates to your character’s grey eyes, I do agree that [name_f]Freya[/name_f] flows slightly better with Volkova and suits your story’s culture better.
I’m always hesitant about [name_f]Freya[/name_f], just because I feel like it’s getting a bit popular (that’s totally just my perception though, and I don’t have a whole lot of proof of it. I think it was The Originals that ruined it for me). I could see it working for someone with dark hair though.
If you want some other suggestions:
[name_f]Agneta[/name_f]: Scandinavian variation of [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], which is Greek for “pure, virginal”. Somewhat similar to [name_f]Athena[/name_f], but I don’t think the connection would be made by readers unless they knew you considered using [name_f]Athena[/name_f].
[name_f]Ane[/name_f]: Danish variation of [name_f]Anna[/name_f] (I’m assuming it’s pronounced the same way). Same concerns as [name_f]Agneta[/name_f], but it’s really pretty in how simple it is.
[name_f]Erica[/name_f]: Norse, feminine version of [name_m]Eric[/name_m]. It’s identifiable, and could work for someone with dark features.
[name_f]Kira[/name_f]: Russian for “throne”, but sounds very similar to [name_f]Keira[/name_f], which is Irish for “little dark one”. Not quite Norse but I could see it fitting in (according to the ol’ faithful Wikipedia, the Norse Scandinavians settled in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] and [name_f]Russia[/name_f], so there is a slight connection there)
[name_f]Merva[/name_f]: I don’t know the origin, but it’s a variation of [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] who is the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] counterpart of [name_f]Athena[/name_f]. It wouldn’t be explicitly obvious or cliche but the connection will be there for clever readers.
[name_f]Rana[/name_f] / [name_f]Rania[/name_f]: Norse variation of [name_f]Regina[/name_f]. [name_u]Royal[/name_u] and might flow well with Volkova.
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]: Norse for “thunder goddess” (I think it comes from [name_m]Thor[/name_m]). I always think of [name_f]Thora[/name_f] [name_m]Birch[/name_m], who has dark features and took on “angsty” film roles in the 90s.
[name_f]Vali[/name_f]: “[name_f]Vali[/name_f] Volkova” has a ring to it, and I’ve always associated the letter V with grey. It’s the name of [name_m]Odin[/name_m]'s son, but I could totally see [name_f]Vali[/name_f] used for a girl.
I love the name Freydis, after Freydis Eriksdottir. I think it would be a really cool alternative to [name_f]Freya[/name_f].
So, out of [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Freya[/name_f] gets my vote. But, if [name_f]Freya[/name_f] isn’t working for you, maybe one of these names will lead you to a better one that suits what you’re looking for.
Good luck!! Volkova is a really neat surname. I’m jealous, most of my surnames are pretty boring 
I totally agree that [name_f]Freya[/name_f] works better, but also agree that it might be becoming too common to be distinctive. [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Freja[/name_f], which is the original Norse spelling after the Viking goddess of the same name?
While I love the name [name_f]Athena[/name_f] to pieces, I think that [name_f]Freya[/name_f] works better in your case
Ahh, I might be a bit late here, but…isn’t Volkova a Russian surname? The Norse named more like how nic_blondie mentioned with -dottir or -son after the name of the father. Obviously this is a fantasy story, but it just felt a little culturally disjointed to me.
[name_f]Athena[/name_f] especially bothers me with this because she was the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. Personally, I prefer [name_f]Freya[/name_f] but, I think I would think about the culture and naming conventions a little more? You said it was sort of based around Norse culture, then I’d suggest going more the Norse route with names. Unless you really fell in love with Volkova, then maybe look more into Russian names? [name_m]Just[/name_m] something you might want to think about.