Tag Archives: Mythological Names

Dahlia, Dalia

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Gender: Feminine
(DAHL-yah)

A name with various different meanings and references depending on how you choose to spell it. It is an edgier floral appellation that could overcome a Lily or Daisy any day, as well as a name that can fit into any culture or society. Along with its easy pronunciation and feminine, vivacious sound, the name is pleasing to just about any language on the planet.

If you prefer the Dalia route, then the name can either be Lithuanian, Hebrew or Arabic. If spelled like the flower, the meaning stems from the surname of the botanist who first classified the species, Anders Dahl; Dahl being a common Swedish surname meaning “valley. ”

Dalia by Emily Blivet

Dalia by Emily Blivet

The name could be derived from the Lithuanian word for “fate; luck; lot.” It was the name from the Baltic goddess of weaving, fate and childbirth and she is believed to have been interchangeable with the goddess Laima. The name is still relatively popular in Lithuania, and is currently borne by Lithuania’s President, Dalia Grybauskaitė (b.1956).

The name is also very common in the Middle East. In Israel, it is a more modern Hebrew word name meaning “branch.” In Arabic, it means “grapevine.”

The name is occasionally used in Mexico, where the dahlia is considered the national flower. In fact, the ancient Aztecs used the flower for ceremonial purposes and fashioned its stems into pipes.

Currently, Dalia is the 476th most popular female name in Germany, (2011), and the 969th most popular in the United States, (2010). Its floral counterpart of Dahlia came in as the 650th most popular female name in the United States, (2010).

A possible nickname option is the sweet, yet vintagy Dolly

Vaiva

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “rainbow.”
(VYE-vah).

The name is derived from the Lithuanian word vaivorykštė meaning “rainbow.”

In Lithuanian mythology, the name is borne by a minor goddess of the rainbow.

According to one account, the lightning god, Perkunas, was suppose to marry the goddess Vaiva on a Thursday, but she was kidnapped by the evil Velnias and Perkunas has hunted down Velnias ever since.

Another form of the name is Vaivora.

The designated name-day is June 18.

Sources

  1. http://people.tribe.net/dreamkeeper/blog/ea3bb428-113e-4b5e-8214-da6ea680bcff
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/lists/6.php

Nyyrikki

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: unknown

The name is of ancient origins but its meaning seems to have been lost. In Finnish mythology, it is borne by the god of the hunt, the son of Tapio.

He appears in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.

The designated name-day is January 10.

The name is not very common in Finland.

Gabija

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “to cover; to console; to bend.”
(gah-BIH-yah)

Borne in Lithuanian mythology by the goddess of fire or hearth, the name can either be traced to the Lithuanian element gaubti, which could either mean “to cover; to protect; to bend” or “to console.”

Other sources suggest that Gabija is a newly designated name for the goddess, whose true name has been lost to history. Some sources have suggested that the goddess was given a new name by the Polish historian, Jan Łasicki in 1615, being a corruption of the Russian Gafiya, which is an archaic form of Agatha.

According to Łasicki, the sacred fire of the household was thought to be an incarnation of Gabija herself, it was essential for devotees to keep the fire alive and to feed it bread and salt. The women of the household were required to put the fire to bed, by stoking it to sleep, so that the fire wouldn’t wonder off to places where it was not allowed to be.

If Gabija was ever angered, she would take revenge by burning your house down.

Gabeta and Gabieta are other forms.

A male form is Gabijus.

In 2005, she was the most popular female name in Lithuania and in 2008, she was overthrown by Ona, and became the 2nd most popular female name in Lithuania.

The designated name-day is January 9.

Živa

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Gender: Female
Origin: Old Slavonic
Usage: Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia.
Meanin: “alive.”
(ZHEE-vah)

The name was borne in Slavic mythology by the goddess of love and fertility, not much is known about her other that she have been one in the same as the Russian goddess Mokosh and she was the consort of Siebog. In Slovakia, its modern form of Živa has a name-day set on October 25. The name is also in usage in Serbia and Croatia. Other forms of the name include:

  • Sieba (Old German)
  • Siwa (Old Polish)
  • Šiva (Old Slavonic: SHEE-vah)
  • Razivia (Old Slavonic)
  • Żiwia/Żywia (Polish: the former is an older version; the latter has just recently been in usage in Poland but is still uncommon. In 2008, it ranked in as 193rd most popular female name in Warsaw)
  • Živana (Slovakian)

Masculine forms are Živan and Živko, both forms are used in Slovakia and Slovenia.

Vesta

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522px-Pompejanischer_Maler_um_80_v._Chr._001Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “hearth; fireside.”
(VES-tah)

The name is borne in Roman mythology by the goddess of the hearth, home and family. Not much is really known about her as she is not mentioned in any myths, but it is believed that she was a leftover ancient Etruscan goddess and it has been suggested that she actually had no relation with the Greek goddess Hestia as is popularly believed.

It is believed that the name is derived from the Greek Hestia which means “hearth; fireside.” In ancient Rome, the Vestals were women who took a vow of chastity for 30 years in order to keep the fire of the goddess kindled. It is said that if they broke their vow of chastity, they would be severely punished by being buried alive. In ancient Rome there was also a yearly festival called the Vestalia dedicated to the goddess, it usually occurred between June 7-15.

In Europe, its designated name-day is October 17. Another form of the name is the Estonian Veste. Italian forms are Vestia and Vestina. There is a Polish form: Westyna.

Callistus, Callista

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443px-François_Boucher_012Origin: Greek/Late Latin
Meaning: “most beautuful.”

Callistus and Callista is a Late Latin form of the Greek Καλλιστοσ (Kallistos) meaning “most beautiful” which is ultimately derived from the Greek feminine name Kalliste or Kalliste.

In Greek mythology, Callisto was the daughter of King Lycaon of Arcadia, she was a hunting companion or nymph of the goddess Artemis, and took an oath to remain a virgin. Zeus disguised himself as Artemis in order to get close to the virgin, upon embracing the false image of Zeus, Zeus took on his true form and raped Callisto. When Artemis discovered that one of her virgin maids was pregnant and defiled, she turned Callisto into a bear and Callisto gave birth to her son Arcas. Zeus placed Callisto and her son in the constellation Ursa Minor. Later, Kallisto became an epithet for the goddess Artemis Kalliste. A moon of Jupiter was also named in the nymph’s honour.

In later years, the masculine form of Callistus was borne by three popes, also known as Callixtus, one of which was canonized a saint. His designated name-day is October 14.

The feminine version is borne by actress Calista Flockhart (b.1964). It was also borne by a 19th-century American female Baptist missionary Calista Vinton (1807-1864).

Spelled Callista, it is the name of a genus of molusc, and an orchid genus. It was also the name of the title character in the 1855 novel by John Henry Newman (Callista). A fictionalized version of Christians in ancient Rome.

Kallista is the name of a suburb of Melbourne Australia, and Kalista is the name of a village in Bulgaria.

Other forms of the name include, male versions:

  • Calistu (Corsican)
  • Kalist (Croatian/Slovak)
  • Calixus (Danish)
  • Kallistus/Kalixtus (German)
  • Kallistos (Greek)
  • Callisto (Italian)
  • Callixtus/Callistus (Late Latin)
  • Kalikstas (Lithuanian)
  • Kalikst (Polish)
  • Calisto/Calixto (Spanish/Portuguese)

Female forms include

  • Kalliste/Kallisto (Classic Greek)
  • Calista (English spelling, has been in usage since at least the 18th-century. Also used in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries)
  • Callista (Late Latin/Italian)
  • Kallisti (Modern Greek)
  • Kalista/Kaliksta (Bulgarian, Czech/Slovak, Croatian, Polish)
  • Calixta (Spanish/Portuguese)

English nickname options include Calla and Callie.

Ariadne, Ariadni, Ariadna

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waterhouse_ariadneGender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “most holy; most chaste.”

The name is composed of the Cretan elements ari meaning “most” and adnos meaning “holy.” Other sources argue that it is composed of the ancient Greek elements ari meaning “most” and hagne meaning “chaste.”

In Greek mythology the name is borne by the daughter of King Minos and his wife Pasiphaë of Crete. Ariadne is most known for helping the hero Theseus overcome the minotaur and find his way back through the labyrinth by giving him a ball of red yarn. Ariadne was in love with Theseus and ran off with him after he had killed the minotaur, but Theseus had abandoned her while she was sleeping, on the isle of Naxos. This part of the myth has been popularly rendered in paintings. It is said that Ariadne later married the god Dionysus. Many scholars suggest that Ariadne was originally a pre-Olympian Cretan goddess.

The name was also borne by an early Christian martyr, a Christian slave who refused to participate in the regulatory libations to the local gods, legend says that she was hunted down by the authorities until she ran into a chasm that miraculously swallowed her up. Her feast is held on September 17 and she is a popular saint in the Greek Orthodox Church. In modern Greece, where the it is rendered in the conventional form of Ariadni, the name is still relatively common. It is growing in popularity in Spain and Poland as Ariadna. The Latin and Italian rendition of the name is Arianna, also a common name in Greece.

The name is borne by Greek-American author and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington (b. 1950).

In recent years, its Italian form of Arianna has become quite prevalent in the U.S. coming in at # 66 among the top 1000 female names of 2008. The French form is Ariane and the more obscure Arienne. Another more modern version is Ariana, which comes in as the 81st most popular female name in the United States ( 2008). There is also an ancient Etruscan form Areatha.

Other forms include:

  • Arijadna (Croatian)
  • Ariadné (Hungarian)
  • Ariadnė (Lithuanian)

Kullervo

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335px-Gallen_Kallela_Kullervos_CurseGender: Masculine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “gold”
(KOO-lare-vo)

The name is derived from the Finnish kulta meaning “gold.” In Finnish Mythology, the name is borne by the son of Kalervo, a tragic character whose story is illustrated in the Finnish epic the Kalevala. According to the story, Kallervo was a magician who turns out badly due to an abusive child abuse, his death poem of Kullervo has inspired many literary works, the most significant being J.R.R Tolkien’s the Silmarillon. The Tale of Túrin Turambar is said to have been directly inspired by Kullervo’s discourse between his sword. Some Finnish scholars have claimed that Kullervo’s struggle is a bitter metaphor for Finland’s struggle for independence in the last century. The story has inspired the 1892 choral symphony of the same name written by Jean Sibelius. Its designated name-day is September 25. To hear how the name is pronounced, go here: http://www.forvo.com/word/kullervo/

Mielikki

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vesiretkeilyGender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “mind; soul; spirit”
(MEE-el-lik-kee)

The name is derived from the Finnish mieli meaning “mind; soul; spirit.” In Finnish mythology, the name is borne by the wife of Tapio and the goddess of the hunt and of forests. She appears quite a bit in the Finnish Epic, the Kalevala. The designated name-day is September 23. To hear how the name is pronounced go here: http://www.forvo.com/search/Mielikki/