Pretty much what it says on the tin. My main female characters are descendants of Celtic/Welsh goddesses (and they live during the time these gods were prevalent), but I’m having trouble finding names that would fit them. I’d like their names to stay as Celtic/Welsh/Scottish as possible (meaning little-to-no Anglicized versions, please). Here are the goddesses they are descendants of:
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] (okay, not a goddess, but she was the best woman warrior in the world according to legend)
[name_f]Danu[/name_f] (Mother [name_f]Earth[/name_f])
[name_f]Aine[/name_f] (goddess of love and light)
Arianrhod (goddess of fertility, rebirth and the weaving of cosmic time and fate)
[name_f]Brigid[/name_f] (goddess of fire)
Cerridwen (keeper of the cauldron, goddess of the moon, magic, agriculture, poetry, music, art and science)
Epona (goddess of horses)
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] (a warrior queen)
[name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] (queen of phantoms, demons, shape-shifters and witches)
[name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f] (goddess of the moon, night, and death)
Thank you so much for any names you submit! It really means a lot! (And I have looked at Celtic/Welsh/Scottish names on Nameberry/Behind the Name, but I would like another perspective, if you know what I mean)
I love the idea of your story! I hadn’t heard of some of these goddesses, but I’m loving the names- my favourites being [name_f]Aoife[/name_f], [name_f]Ceridwen[/name_f] and Arianrhod.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
[name_f]Aina[/name_f]- this girl’s name is similar to that of the goddess of love and light, [name_f]Aine[/name_f]. However, the meaning is different although lovely: [name_f]Joy[/name_f]! I like the way that joy relates to love and light, while still being unique.
[name_f]Ailis[/name_f]- another girl’s name that has phonetic connections to goddess [name_f]Aine[/name_f]. The meaning of [name_f]Ailis[/name_f] is noble, which definitely ties to ancient Celtic gods!
You might consider [name_f]Niamh[/name_f] and [name_f]Roisin[/name_f], which do not tie to goddesses but are both traditional Celtic names with strong meanings.
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f] (pronounced [name_f]Neve[/name_f]) means bright or radiant. This links to many of the gods that your characters descend from, a few examples being [name_f]Brigid[/name_f], [name_f]Aine[/name_f] and [name_f]Ceridwen[/name_f].
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] ([name_f]Rosheen[/name_f]) means “little rose.” You might like to make [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] a descendant of [name_f]Danu[/name_f], as the flowery meaning links to life on [name_f]Earth[/name_f].
Welsh name [name_f]Eira[/name_f], meaning “snow,” also springs to mind. The nature-themed meaning could also link to [name_f]Danu[/name_f] and her four seasons.
More Welsh names include Rhianwen (links to [name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f], but means “fair maiden”) [name_u]Seren[/name_u] (star) and [name_f]Bronwen[/name_f] (fair.)
[name_f]Happy[/name_f] writing!