SECOND UPDATE: Round 3 of the process of editing the Monster List has begun - and this is the fun part. If you are interested, here is the link: Round Three of the Monster List: It's Combo Time, Witches!
UPDATE: Round 2 of the process of editing the Monster List has begun over on this thread, if you are interested: Round Two of the Monster List: The Questioning
We are due in less than two months, and I am starting to feel the pressure! I’ve finally assembled all my favorite magical, witchy, nature-drenched names into one long list of femme and unisex names, and it totals to a whopping 140 plus. This is entirely too many names to take with us to the hospital, so I’m hoping that with your help I can narrow it down to the gulp thirty-ish range.
For a little context, I am in a long-term polyamorous relationship with two live-in partners, and we will all be co-parenting together. I’ve called them T and S to avoid confusion. We’re also super pagan, hence all the witchy names! We’re planning to use two middle names, which is part of how the list got so long in the first place. Our last name spelled phonetically is KAY-lahr.
Because this list is so long, I’m breaking it down into multiple threads so I hopefully don’t overwhelm everyone. When I get all the posts up, I’ll come back and include links to each one at the end of the others for convenience. Once we get the list narrowed down somewhat, I’ll probably make a combo brainstorming thread as well.
Okay, on to the monster list!
- Aetheria - F - “belonging to the aether,” in which aether means “the bright pure air; the sky above the air.” In Greek mythology, a daughter of [name_m]Helios[/name_m] who was turned into a poplar tree.
- [name_f]Akasha[/name_f] - U - “sky, aether, heaven,” refers to the Akashic records, which is library of knowledge on another plane that certain psychic or sensitive individuals can access.
- [name_f]Alcyone[/name_f] - F - “kingfisher,” a figure from Greek mythology associated with [name_u]Halcyon[/name_u] Days and the sea. This name has personal significance to T and I, as a place with this name and its proprietor played an important role in our early relationship. Middle only.
- [name_u]Alder[/name_u] - U - “alder tree,” Old [name_f]English[/name_f] surname referencing alder trees, which have magical properties. Usually given to boys. Reference to powerful witch matriarch [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_u]Alder[/name_u] from Motherland: [name_m]Fort[/name_m] [name_u]Salem[/name_u]. This has a spiritual connection for the three of us, because we are in the process of buying land to build our dream home, and the property we have placed an offer on is covered in alder trees!
- [name_f]Alice[/name_f] - F - “noble,” references to the famous Wonderland books and adaptations, the psychic heroine from the Resident Evil series, and one of T’s favorite songs about a girl named [name_f]Alice[/name_f]. One of T’s favorite names. Middle only.
- [name_f]Amaryllis[/name_f] - F - “to sparkle,” a floral name featured in several famous poems.
- Aradia - F - “to watch over,” a variant of [name_f]Herodias[/name_f]. This name comes from Aradia: Gospel of the Witches, a religious text by a 19th century folklorist that became foundational for many branches of neopaganism, though its accuracy has long-since been disputed. In the book, Aradia is the child of [name_m]Lucifer[/name_m] and the goddess [name_f]Diana[/name_f], and the mother of all witches.
- [name_f]Araluen[/name_f] - F - “place of the water lilies,” Aboriginal name, Australian place name, and fictional world in a series of novels. [name_u]Love[/name_u] it for the sound and meaning!
- [name_f]Arianell[/name_f] - F - “silver,” a gorgeous Welsh name with a meaning that holds spiritual significance to the three of us. The downsides with this name are the similarity to a close friend’s daughter, named [name_f]Ariya[/name_f], and concerns that the sound is too similar to the word [name_m]Aryan[/name_m].
- Arundel - U - “dell of horehound (the herb); little swallow (the bird),” an Old [name_f]English[/name_f] place name associated with a castle. The herbalist in me loves the meaning.
- [name_f]Asherah[/name_f] - F - “she who treads on the sea,” a Sumerian goddess associated with water signs. She was one of the original mother goddesses and consort to the OT God before the Israelites absorbed him from the Canaanite pantheon. Nickname [name_u]Ash[/name_u] would honor a close friend. The downside with this name is that conservative [name_u]Christian[/name_u] family members may strenuously object.
- [name_f]Avalon[/name_f] - F - “isle of apples,” enchanted island of Arthurian and Celtic legend where [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] sleeps and the old druidic religion is believed to still hold sway.
- [name_f]Avonlea[/name_f] - F - “river by a field,” a fanciful place name with literary cred.
- [name_f]Belladonna[/name_f] - F - “beautiful lady,” Latin name for deadly nightshade, a poisonous plant used in both magic and medicine. This is one of my personal favorites.
- [name_f]Belphoebe[/name_f] - F - “beautiful [name_f]Diana[/name_f]; bright, pure,” a powerful maiden from [name_u]Spenser[/name_u]'s epic poem The Faerie Queene.
- [name_f]Bianca[/name_f] - F - “white, pure,” character from one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, The Taming of the Shrew. Italian form of [name_f]Blanche[/name_f], which would honor my great-grandmother.
- [name_u]Briar[/name_u] - U - “a thorny patch,” references to a beloved character from [name_f]Tamora[/name_f] [name_m]Pierce[/name_m]'s Circle of [name_u]Magic[/name_u] series and [name_u]Briar[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] from Sleeping Beauty. I have been crushing so hard on this name, but it is problematic because of a child we knew. We did not part ways with his parents on good terms. I know I should let go of this one, but I can’t seem to strike it from the list. Convince me!
- Caelia - F - “sky,” a fairy queen from Arthurian romance, mother of the Faerie [name_m]Knight[/name_m] and ruler of the House of Holiness from [name_u]Spenser[/name_u]'s The Faerie Queene. [name_f]Celia[/name_f] is a more easily spelled variant.
- [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] - F - “heavenly.” Also like variants [name_f]Celestine[/name_f], the name of a gorgeous blue crystal, and [name_f]Celestia[/name_f], though this one has strong ties to [name_f]My[/name_f] [name_m]Little[/name_m] Pony.
- Chime - U - “cymbal; deathless, immortal,” the latter meaning comes from Tibet in which Chime means “death does not exist / transcending death.” Middle only.
- Chione - F - “snow maiden,” several characters in Greek mythology and folklore. Daughter of the [name_u]North[/name_u] wind in one tale, a naiad in another, and in yet another, she was turned into a cloud of snow. Also spelled [name_f]Khione[/name_f], though I prefer Chione with our last name. This one keeps moving on and off the list.
- [name_f]Circe[/name_f] - F - “bird; to encircle,” Greek sorceress and daughter of the sun with the power to turn others into animals. I love love LOVE this name, but both partners only think of [name_f]Cersei[/name_f] Lannister. What do you think? Is that too strong an association to overcome?
- [name_f]Clara[/name_f] - F - “clear, famous,” references to the heroine of The Nutcracker ballet and a [name_u]Doctor[/name_u] Who companion. One of the most normal names on my list.
- [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] - F - “heart; daughter of the sea,” a first-rate Shakespearean reference, as well as a nod to the character from [name_f]Buffy[/name_f] the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series [name_u]Angel[/name_u]. She wouldn’t be my first choice of character to name someone after, but I cannot get over the look, sound, and meaning of this name. It’s just beautiful. Potential downside: we are friends with a couple whose daughter is named [name_u]Corrie[/name_u].
- [name_f]Corisande[/name_f] - F - “to heal the heart; girl; chorus-singer,” a name from medieval romance, famous mistress of one of the Kings [name_m]Henry[/name_m], and a haunting literary character. Potential downside: we are friends with a couple whose daughter is named [name_u]Corrie[/name_u]. [name_m]Bigger[/name_m] downside: T thinks it sounds like “courtesan.”
- [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] - F - “order, beauty,” references the Orphan [name_m]Black[/name_m] character and has scientific and musical cred. To me, this name feels like “cosmos” and inspires my synesthesia, not something I get with every name. With [name_f]Cosima[/name_f], I see clouds of navy blue with silver sparkles.
- [name_f]Cynara[/name_f] - F - “thistly plant,” a Greek botanical Greek name that makes me think of swans.
- [name_u]Cypress[/name_u] - U - “cypress tree,” a mysterious tree name associated with the Underworld found in magic, medicine, and mythology. Usually given to boys. Middle only.
- [name_f]Deirdre[/name_f] - F - “daughter of sorrows; teardrop; thus said the Druids,” a tragic figure from Irish folklore. I love her sound and her connection to the Druids, but worry that her story is so sad that it would be a problematic name for a child.
- Dracaena - F - “female dragon,” Latin name for dragon’s blood, which makes a powerful incense. I really ought to take this one off the list, as it’s a little out-there, even for me, and there are too many repetitive sounds with our last name. Middle only.
- [name_f]Eileen[/name_f] - F - “bright shining one,” Irish variant of [name_f]Helen[/name_f], main character in a controversial modern novel. I loved this name as a child.
- Eilir - F - “butterfly; spring,” [name_m]Alban[/name_m] Eilir is the Druid festival of the [name_f]Spring[/name_f] Equinox.
- Elentari - F - “star queen,” a Tolkien Quenya name, related to Elbereth, an elvish queen whose name has the same meaning in Sindarin.
- [name_f]Elestren[/name_f] - F - “iris,” Cornish botanical name with starry vibes.
- [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] - F - “elm,” another Cornish botanical name that feels elven to me. This one has been on the list for a very long time. I love the sound and meaning and the way it rolls off the tongue.
- [name_f]Eve[/name_f] - F - “life,” the first woman in Judeo-[name_u]Christian[/name_u] mythology, as well as a word name meaning evening. Two of my favorite character references: orphan-turned-revolutionary [name_f]Evey[/name_f] from V for [name_f]Vendetta[/name_f] and spirited librarian [name_f]Evie[/name_f] from The Mummy.
- [name_u]Fable[/name_u] - U - “a short tale, often with a moral lesson,” one of my absolute favorite word names, laden with a sense of magic and mystery. Obliquely honors a friend of mine who I met playing the eponymous video game series. Middle only.
- [name_f]Farasha[/name_f] - F - “butterfly,” an Arabic name with connotations of transformation.
- [name_f]Fawn[/name_f] - F - “young deer,” a soft and woodsy nature name that I’ve always loved. Middle only.
- [name_f]Fern[/name_f] - U - “bold voyager; one who lives among the ferns,” a beautiful botanical name laden with personal and spiritual significance. Variant Fearn is the Ogham month and rune associated with the alder tree. (Ogham is a druidic language in which each letter is associated with a calendar period, a magical tree, and a divinatory meaning.) Between this association and the fact that we live in the [name_m]Pacific[/name_m] Northwest, this name has double the ties to the land we’ll be homesteading on. It is also one of S’s favorite names.
- [name_f]Ferelith[/name_f] - F - “true sovereignty,” a rare Gaelic name with a magical, fairy-like look, feel, and sound. It activates my synesthesia, so that I see green leafy patterns and gauzy white, like mist or sheer fabric.
- Feronia - F - “to bear,” a [name_m]Roman[/name_m] fertility goddess associated with the harvest and a witch in Tuscan legend. I go back and forth on this one.
- [name_f]Forsythia[/name_f] - F - “[name_m]Forsyth[/name_m]'s flower,” a flowering shrub named after Scottish botanist [name_m]Forsyth[/name_m]. [name_m]Forsyth[/name_m] means “man of peace.” I love the look and sound of this name, but I wish it had a deeper meaning. It does give me a little synesthesia, shades of shadowy purple and green.
- [name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] - F - “white snow; blessed snow,” essentially the Welsh name for [name_u]Snow[/name_u] White.
I think that’s where I’ll end this chunk, which is about a third of the total list. The next one will pick up at the letter I, since I don’t have any H names on my list. Something about them always irritates my synesthesia.
Here is the link to Part 2: Help me narrow down my MASSIVE list! (Part 2: I-N) and Part 3 is now up here: Help me narrow down my MASSIVE list of names! (Part 3: O-Z)
Thank you in advance for your help, dear Berries. I can always count on you to get my head on straight!
i looked for the ones that seemed like you had the most connection to along with ones that i personally just find beautiful
[name_f]My[/name_f] top 10 and ultimate top 30 will only be for first names, but I’ll suggest what I think you should keep in the bag for middles, and at the end I’ll throw some combos together.
Again, intuitive to spell/pronounce, yet incredibly uncommon, beautiful and feminine but with an unexpected bada$$ meaning, strong yet gentle. Also a Tolkien connection here as [name_f]Belladonna[/name_f] is the mother of [name_m]Bilbo[/name_m] Baggins. [name_u]Love[/name_u], love, love.