Trigger Warning: I’ll be mentioning SA Please take care when responding
Hi friends!
I was wondering if you like the name Leda. I asked on Reddit (you should never go on Reddit as a name nerd but here we are,) and got comments on the name saying it’s odd to name your daughter after a sexual assault survivor.Not to be overdramatic, but I haven’t seen a single comment like that on names like Apollo…… and I’ll just keep this conversation light and only mention religious historical figures, not real life examples. Even Dionysus and odysseus were far from perfect people.
Not to mention the bias of names like eve Lilith, Pandora, Cleopatra, Circe, or pretty much any “problematic” woman from history or religion.
For reference, I’d like to use Leda as a pen name, but I’ve had comments that it’s inappropriate…… oh gosh……
Please restore my faith in humanity and that people aren’t just blaming the women always
fwiw, ive never heard that take on Leda! if I were pressed to make an association with the name, my mind goes to the character from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
it’s a touchy issue for sure. I see the argument from both sides, especially when it comes to a name like lolita. for English speakers, the name is unequivocally linked to the novel, and while I feel like the reactions I typically see towards the novel is that lolita was undeniably a victim, there is still this association of lolita as a promiscuous, manipulative, over-sexual girl. so while there’s part of me that wants people to use lolita so that association becomes more muddied in the pool of all these other amazing people named lolita, I also completely understand why people wouldn’t want that association for their child.
I had a similar feeling about the name Proserpina, which I remember was a name on the shortlist of a user several years ago. it’s the latin name for Persephone but when you google Proserpina, the first thing that pops up is “the r*pe of Proserpina”. at the time, 'g’rape simply meant kidnapping, but I still wouldn’t want to be a child googling my name and find that as the top result. however, I don’t feel like the painting should ruin Persephone, since that isn’t the top result for Persephone. a name ruined by algorithm, I guess…
in the case of Leda though, it’s entirely a nonissue, imo. first, you’re choosing the name for yourself. you get to decide how you feel about the association; it’s not like you’re giving the name to someone else who might feel differently than you. Leda also has other associations beyond the myth. this feels like an instance of reddit being reddit.
Thank you for your reply! This was my first thought as well. In the case of [name_f]Leda[/name_f] and [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], the name that should be “ruined” is [name_m]Zeus[/name_m]
I love [name_f]Leda[/name_f] and [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and thought it would be a cool name to “reclaim” my family’s generational trauma. The redditers may have pushed me harder to use it tbh
I think it’s absolutely fine. Quite frankly, half the women in Greek mythology were sexual assault victims in at least one version of their myths. This includes characters with well-liked names like [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f], [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and [name_f]Rhea[/name_f]. [name_f]Calypso[/name_f] also sexually assaulted [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m] in some versions of the myth, and that’s another well-liked name on NB. What I’m saying is, most of these characters are not defined as just victims, and it’s not something that makes any of their names unusable. There are even versions of the myth where [name_f]Leda[/name_f] was not a victim. It’s all blurry when it comes to stories that old, but at the end of the day, there is a separation between the character and anyone now, thousands of years later, with these names. I don’t think there’s anything odd or inappropriate about someone being named [name_f]Leda[/name_f] (or any of name inspired by a character that isn’t the perfect association for any reason), and it wouldn’t even cross my mind to think of it as weird because of the myth, despite being familiar with the story.
And at the end of the day, the only one using the name is you, so if you’re not uncomfortable with it that’s all that matters.
yes, unfortunately this is the case with a lot of old mythology (including ones which are still practiced/believed in today) and I agree that most of these characters aren’t defined as being victims, nor should they be.
Sometimes I think redditers have a different taste… or troll for no reason? It wasn’t on a name related forum they really just swoop out of nowhere
I know of the myth, but I’ve also met several people called [name_f]Leda[/name_f] and didn’t perceive it as inappropriate.
Others have given you solid and detailed answers so I don’t want to just repeat, but at the end of the day, it’s a name for you to use for yourself, so I don’t think it’s an issue here.
I’ve liked it for many years and have [name_f]Leda[/name_f] on my long list. It’s sound and brevity are what I like most.
Some people comment with the intent to criticise or find fault. Sometimes it’s done with the intent to help. This sounds like moralising. I’d ignore it especially since you’re considering it as a pen name for yourself.
Oh boy. I’m afraid some people can be… quite dramatic when it comes to so-called “problematic” associations.
You’ve already received thoughtful and detailed answers, so I won’t bother you with reiteration; but for what it’s worth, I find [name_f]Leda[/name_f] beautiful and believe that only you can or should decide whether or not your pen name is the right fit.
I think [name_f]Leda[/name_f] is a beautiful name, despite her tragic story. I have similar concerns about using [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] or [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], but they’re such beautiful names. Maybe it’s a nice gesture to try to revive them. There’s a poem by [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_m]Butler[/name_m] [name_m]Yeats[/name_m] that I first encountered as a senior in high school. I think it’s worth looking at before making your final decision. Here’s the link: William Butler Yeats | Poetry Foundation
Better than using the name of a perpetrator! Honestly, I don’t find it too problematic, especially since it doesn’t seem like a well-known association (I at least have never heard of it.) My favorite name is Susanna, and there is a character in the apocrypha with that name who was SAd.
The main association with [name_f]Leda[/name_f] is definitely the story of the swan upon [name_f]Leda[/name_f].
But, frankly, if someone wanted to avoid their daughter with a famous rape victim, that would disqualify the majority of names from Greek mythology. This goes doubly for if they wanted to avoid their son sharing a name with a famous rapist!
So no, I don’t think it’s inappropriate at all. I’m not too fond of [name_f]Leda[/name_f] myself - it feels heavy to me, maybe because of the visual similarity to lead/leaden? And the [name_m]French[/name_m] word laid, meaning ugly. But I think it could make an amazing pen name.
I definitely don’t think it’s inappropriate! I don’t see why she or her name should be suddenly unusable or sullied when she did nothing wrong. And honestly if I wasn’t into Greek mythology, I probably wouldn’t know the details of the myth.
Trigger Warning: I’ll be mentioning SA Please take care when responding 
they really just swoop out of nowhere