I’m writing a story with a teenage heroine who has a kinda sorta hippy mom. Right now her name is [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] Bellona, but I want her to have a second middle.
It’s hard because it needs to be really uncommon-not in the top 1000- cant start with a C, B, or D-dislike the matchiness or theme in a name- be a flower, or [name_m]Roman[/name_m], or a goddess, because of Bellona being the roman goddess of war.
Besides that, it must also have significance. [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] is because it’s her mom’s favorite flower, and she wants her daughter to stand tall and beautiful like the flower. Bellona is because she was the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] godess of war, and the mom wanted her to be fierce and chase after what she wanted.
I would use the name of another godess, like Artmeis or [name_f]Athena[/name_f], but A. Those are a little too well-known and B. I don’t want it to be two goddess names in a row. The problem is, girls usually are getting rescued, not doing the rescuing, and her mother is a feminist type charecter so that won’t work.
I was considering [name_f]Andromeda[/name_f] with the moral of teaching her to live among the stars, and then I realized she didn’t do much of anything in the myth.
So, it’s pretty tricky. Anyone have any ideas for what I could use?
What about [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u]? Mythical and strong, but still with a hint of feminine flair.
Does it need to be from a myth, or are you good with historical characters, too?
[name_f]Joan[/name_f] - as in [name_f]Joan[/name_f] of [name_m]Arc[/name_m]. Maybe you could use [name_f]Jane[/name_f] too, isn’t it related?
Boadicea - okay, maybe not. But google her. She’s awesome.
[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f] - She basically saved [name_m]Theseus[/name_m]’ life in [name_f]Crete[/name_f]. Then he abandoned her on the way back home, but yeah.
[name_f]Isis[/name_f] - In Egyptian mythology, the goddess [name_f]Isis[/name_f]’ husband [name_m]Osiris[/name_m] got murdered by his brother, who shut him in a coffin and threw it in the river. It took her years, but [name_f]Isis[/name_f] eventually managed to track the coffin again, after practically searching the world, and she was able to resurrect him. I always liked that fact that never gave up on him, not even when he got murdered AGAIN.
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f] - [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Arthur[/name_m]'s creepy older step-sister. Sure, she was evil, but was hardly a damsel in distress, right?
Sorry. These names are harder to find then I thought
Anyway, take look over here - Women Rulers - Women in World History Curriculum. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] I helped!
Something short and stark might work best given the length of [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] Bellona: [name_u]Truth[/name_u], [name_f]Lux[/name_f], [name_f]Star[/name_f], [name_u]Skye[/name_u], all have the kind of aspirational feel you’re looking for.
Hmm, it’s another “A” name but [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] was considered the best warrior of her age. [name_f]Nyx[/name_f], goddess of night, sounds great in the combo. [name_f]Vashti[/name_f] and [name_f]Esther[/name_f] were strong women of the Bible.
Setting aside her mum’s reasoning, what does the heroine think of her name? Does she see it as awesome and unique, or overblown and unwieldy, or maybe a sincere but slightly goofy expression of her mum’s ideals? I ask because (presumably) the reader would mostly experience the heroine’s opinions, so I’d give different answers depending on what you were aiming for.