[name]One[/name] of my favorite girl names of all time, Cytheria, is one of the ancient greek epithets for the goddess [name]Aphrodite[/name] ([name]Venus[/name]). So I started thinking that perhaps there are some other gems to be discovered in ancient texts and epic poetry that I hadn’t thought of yet. So after combing through my college studies and checking internet resources, I give you just a few that I think might work:
[name]Greco[/name]-[name]Roman[/name] Deities:
[name]Aphrodite[/name]/[name]Venus[/name]
Cytheria (refers to one of the goddess’ reported birthplaces)
Dionaea (daughter of [name]Zeus[/name])
[name]Dia[/name] (shining or divine)
Zerynthia (unknown meaning)
[name]Apollo[/name]
Loxias (refers to mysterious oracular powers)
Paean (healer)
Ares/[name]Mars[/name]
Oxys ([name]Sharp[/name], piercing)
Chrysopelex (helmed in gold)
[name]Artemis[/name]/[name]Diana[/name]
Daphnia (of the laurel tree)
Pheraia (of the beasts)
Elaphaia (of the deer)
[name]Athena[/name]/[name]Minerva[/name]
Eryma (defender)
Zosteria (encirlced in armor)
[name]Demeter[/name]/[name]Ceres[/name]
[name]Amaia[/name] (unknown meaning)
Anassa ([name]Queen[/name])
Thesmia (of the laws)
[name]Dionysus[/name]/[name]Bacchus[/name]
Anthion (of the flowers)
Evaster (ecstatic cry)
Great list! I love seeing [name]Amaia[/name], I know a lot of people peg it for being made-up and I’ve even seen it labeled as “ghetto”, which bugs me, it has beautiful roots. Zosteria is really cool.
While these names maybe pretty or unusual I would never name my child after a character in mythology. This is due to the negative association I feel when dealing with any form of mythology and the so called “gods” have no relevancy in my life, whatsoever.
There are lots of names from mythology that are common, e.g. [name]Jason[/name], [name]Diana[/name], [name]Flora[/name], [name]Daphne[/name], [name]Melissa[/name], [name]Penelope[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you view them negatively because of their mythological origins?
I think that most berries likely wouldn’t actually USE these, but we have an overall appreciation for names, especially names with deep history and roots and just seeing the exposed and brought into the public eye makes us happy. I am an atheist and my son has a biblical name, it doesn’t bother me, I view it as any other story you could pull names from.
I’ve never been a big fan of mythological names. I think that they’re hard to pronounce! I was looking through the list though, and I liked [name]Diana[/name] and Daphnia. Of course, I do prefer [name]Daphne[/name]! I also like the name [name]Laurel[/name], which is much better than [name]Lauren[/name].
I am seriously falling in love with Zosteria…but I think it might be a bit much to name one daughter Cytheria and the other Zosteria (or even Zerynthia, which I am also rather partial to)
[name]Ceres[/name] is one that has always appealed to me greatly. Without the meaning behind it, I probably wouldn’t be terribly fond of it; but in [name]Roman[/name] mythology, among her many attributes, [name]Ceres[/name] was the goddess entrusted to help girls transition into womanhood. As a midwife-to-be, that’s hugely significant. (A dear friend has a four-month-old named Cerie, so [name]Ceres[/name] will probably never get used, but it’s still one I really appreciate!)
Sorry to bring up an old post, but I love Areia (it means ‘warlike’) which was a title of [name]Athena[/name]. Most sources pronounce it [name]AH[/name]-ray-uh but I think it’s a lovely alternative to [name]Aria[/name] ([name]AH[/name]-ree-uh). I also love [name]Cerelia[/name]. Anyway.
[name]Amaia[/name] is not “ghetto” but I could see where A’myiah is (for the sake of argument) “ghetto”. But changing a spelling of any name that much could be “ghetto”.
As to the names, while none of them appeal to me personally I can where they would appeal to some. My favorite mythology names are generally the more obscure ones.