So I’ve started working on a new story. One of the main characters is a forest spirit of sorts. I see her as a kind of goddess of the forest, very old and wise, but also very beautiful (albeit in an ethereal sort of way).
I’m looking for a name for her. I’ve considered names like [name]Morgan[/name], [name]Faye[/name] etc, but nothing has really caught my eye yet. I want the name to reflect how this spirit is ancient, in tune with nature (obviously) and very otherworldly. I want her name to sound like something out of a fairy tale. Any help would be appreciated!
[name]Diantha[/name]. It echos [name]Diana[/name], goddess of the moon and the hunt, but it is also a Greek wildflower. The “th” sound makes it more magical and bewitching for me.
Glenndan or Glenndana.
[name]Flora[/name]
[name]Artemis[/name]
[name]Gaia[/name]
Cere
[name]Aura[/name]
[name]Demetria[/name] or [name]Demeter[/name]
Aprilis
[name]Inanna[/name] (Sumerian) - [name]Goddess[/name] of love, war, and fertility. [name]Inanna[/name] was the personification of the morning and evening star. Her beautiful name means “lady of the sky.” This [name]Goddess[/name] is closely linked to Ishtar and [name]Nin[/name]-anna.
From what I understand, this character is supposed to have a beauty and presence not of this world, so I think it’s best to avoid names that seem too familiar, names that most people sort of instantly recognize as ‘names’. I’d like to know a little more about the character and the story. Perhaps knowing the context of the time, place and culture the story takes place in would help the process of choosing a name.
Are you looking for something that is more fairy-tale-ish or a regular name that could suit a forest spirit?
I’ve always loved the name [name]Willow[/name], and that would kind of make sense because a willow is a type of tree. But, also it’s kind of Pocahantus-ish.
[name]Evangeline[/name]? Gorgeous name, but not very spirity.
[name]Norah[/name]? Very feminine name, kind of old-fashioned. A little mysterious.
I would use something long, soft and abstract. By abstract I mean something people haven’t really heard or are very familiar with, a name she could easily have given herself without any knowledge of a world outside of the forests.
So nature names are a good bet, let’s start with those
[name]Wren[/name] has been suggested, it seems a little short (for some reason ethereal forest folk often have long names, think of Galadriel!)
Let’s see:
Betony
[name]Bryony[/name]
[name]Briar[/name]
[name]Calla[/name]
[name]Camelia[/name]
Chrysanthe/Chrysanthemum
Chamomile (love this one)
[name]Clove[/name]
[name]Clover[/name]
Comfrey
Caraway
Cornflower
Cranberry
Dew
[name]Doe[/name]
[name]Dove[/name]
[name]Eglantine[/name]
[name]Fennel[/name]
Foxglove
[name]Gardenia[/name]
[name]Honey[/name]
Honeysuckle
[name]Hyacinth[/name]
[name]Jacaranda[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
Larkspur
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Linden[/name]
[name]Lotus[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name]
Magpie
Maple
[name]Marigold[/name]
[name]Meadow[/name]
Meadowlark
[name]Merle[/name]
[name]Myrtle[/name]
Nettle
[name]Olive[/name]
[name]Peony[/name]
Persimmon
Poplar
[name]Poppy[/name]
[name]Primrose[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Snowdrop[/name]
[name]Sorrel[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Starling[/name]
Sunflower
Swan
[name]Tansy[/name]
Thistle
[name]Violet[/name]
I think that’s enough for now, I’ll come back later with some more names if nature names aren’t what you’re going for. I have plenty, and looking through my list I was reminded of Erresuma which is a Basque name meaning ‘Kingdom; Realm’ and Endzela which means ‘[name]Snowdrop[/name]’ in Georgian and Susilva which most likely means ‘below the forest’ or even Calluna, which means ‘to beautify and cleanse’ and is the Latin name for [name]Heather[/name] which is a plant of immortality and protection. So more or less ‘immortal protectress of the forest who makes sure it will always stay beautiful and clean’ XD
I wrote a response to this a WHILE ago and never hit send and left the tab open and sitting here, so sorry for the delayed response.
Here’s what I wrote:
Not the fanciest of names, but the female version of [name]Glen[/name], which is a shady forest area, would be [name]Glenda[/name] or Glenneth or [name]Glennie[/name] or maybe something like that. I know [name]Glen[/name] seems like an old man name, but I have been fancying it for a boy because of the forest connotation. Also, [name]Glenda[/name] reminds me of the good witch in the [name]Wizard[/name] of [name]Oz[/name].
[name]Aurora[/name]
[name]Sabrina[/name]
[name]Tabitha[/name]
[name]Serena[/name]
[name]Athena[/name] - love this one
I like the suggestions of [name]Flora[/name] and [name]Demeter[/name]
here are some finnish names. they have a lot of forest spirits in their mythology
Luonnotar, spirit of nature, feminine creator. (could just use Luon or Luonno - Luonna ??)
Metsänväki, spirit of forest, forest creature. (could use Metsa or vaki)
Mielikki, wife of Tapio, the goddess of the forest. (Mie or [name]Eli[/name])
Tellervo, the goddess of the forest, daughter of Tapio and Mielikki. (elle)
Tuulikki, daughter of Tapio and Mielikki, goddess of animals.
and some Estonian mythology too :
Hingeliblikas – a person’s spirit in the form of a moth (ingel or eli again)
Hämarik - personification of dusk, a beautiful young maiden
[name]Jutta[/name] - queen of the birds, daughter of Taara
Maaemä - Mother [name]Earth[/name]
Metsaema - Mother of [name]Forest[/name]
Murueit - a female spirit of forest and earth, connected to the land of the dead (nicknames: Muru or [name]RUE[/name])
Tuule-[name]Em[/name]ä - Mother Wind ([name]Ema[/name])
I think Latinesque names sound very well for this. I used variants of these plant names
[name]Nyssa[/name]
Calocedrus
Cordata
Myristicaeformis
Evodia
Glaucorlata
Pomifera
Liriodendron
