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HelpMythological names - pretentious?
I've noticed that in the comments section, a lot of mythological names seem to be considered pretentious by a lot of people. (I don't mean common ones which have plenty of other associations, like Jason, Diana, Iris, Helen, Daphne, Cassandra, etc. - I mean ones that aren't that common and are primarily thought of as mythological, such as Niobe, Ismene, Castor, Pollux, Briseis, Apollo, Aglaia, etc.) I actually used to be one of those people who thought so, but now I'm more laid-back about them. I even like a number of them.
Do you think that using a mythological name that's uncommon in real life is pretentious?
Do you think that using a mythological name that's uncommon in real life is pretentious?
This message was edited 8/1/2015, 4:39 PM
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I'm pretty late to this, but my simple answer is no. A lot of names from any mythology are actually beautiful names, whilst also standing out amongst the norm. And it doesn't take much research or knowledge to find and use them. I'd much rather meet a little 'Athena' than a 'Princess' or 'Goddess', and I wouldn't think it pretentious at all, just a sign of good taste (in my opinion). Although I am very biased since I adore mythological names; Pandora is my favourite name, and I have Evanthe and Artemis in the same sibset haha. I also tend to stay well away from saying any name is pretentious, since many would probably think my own lists (especially boys, featuring Caspian, Horatio, Ptolemy, Wolfgang and more) are very pretentious.
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Is it prententious to use names from the Bible?
I know this might seem like a stretch to some people, but some really do have a faith/spiritual belief system based around mythologies and polytheistic systems.
Others might just be drawn to the deep meaning and strength. Many of us like the history or meaning tied to other non-mythological names.
I personally think it is weird to differentiate.
I know this might seem like a stretch to some people, but some really do have a faith/spiritual belief system based around mythologies and polytheistic systems.
Others might just be drawn to the deep meaning and strength. Many of us like the history or meaning tied to other non-mythological names.
I personally think it is weird to differentiate.
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I think if Cassandra and Daphne are acceptable, why not Narcissa and Evadne? Why should we be restricted to what mythological names are arbitrarily deemed more modest? Screw that, I say!
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Psyche is a word used in English, though.
Persephone, Mnemosyne, Eurydice, Agamemnon on the other hand.. I still feel, why not? Their pronunciation may not be immediately clear to most people, so I would usually argue for the mn spot, but they lend themselves easily to nicknames.
Persephone, Mnemosyne, Eurydice, Agamemnon on the other hand.. I still feel, why not? Their pronunciation may not be immediately clear to most people, so I would usually argue for the mn spot, but they lend themselves easily to nicknames.
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Sort of. The problem is also that those names are too closely associated with the mythological figures, so Apollo: god of the sun (and awkward if little Apollo turns out not to be very good looking), Briseis: poor girl given away as a war trophy/sex slave and so on and so forth.
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I do agree, using names that are synonymous with certain characteristics can be dicey. :)
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I don't think so. I grew up with Greek mythology and it's incredibly dear to my heart, so I love mythological names. I'd even use a few (Briseis, Apollo, Orpheus, Athena). To me, mythology is all just stories, and people don't have problems with naming their children honouring other stories' characters, whether those stories are from the Bible, or literature, or whatever. People might think there might be a sense of elitism to it, but really mythology is accessible to most people.
ETA - I think god and goddess names may be a bit pretentious. They're more suitable for middle names, in my opinion. I'd also make sure to avoid names with very negative stories attached.
ETA - I think god and goddess names may be a bit pretentious. They're more suitable for middle names, in my opinion. I'd also make sure to avoid names with very negative stories attached.
This message was edited 8/2/2015, 9:01 AM
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No I don't think it is pretentious. I have always liked these names and have always thought that these names would be a great choice for someone looking for a unique name.
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Not at all. If you really like a name, I hope you feel free to use it. I believe that the names Apollo and Castor are used. I absolutely love the name Briseis--a name which might be easily used for either gender. I love the heritage.
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Possibly, but I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing.
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Depends on the name
Apollo is pretentious as sin, but I wouldn't consider Aglaia or Niobe pretentious, just very unusual.
Well-known god(dess) names tend to strike me as pretentious. Apollo is a great example. Others would include Adonis, Athena, Hera, Zeus, etc.
Apollo is pretentious as sin, but I wouldn't consider Aglaia or Niobe pretentious, just very unusual.
Well-known god(dess) names tend to strike me as pretentious. Apollo is a great example. Others would include Adonis, Athena, Hera, Zeus, etc.
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In general, I do not find mythological names pretentious. It shows that their parents had an interest in mythology and wanted to share their passion with the next generation. Some of the less common mythological names are avoided for a reason like Uranus, Oedipus, Phaedra, Sisyphus, Bacchus, Cronus, etc. I do think perhaps that names like Zeus and Apollo might sounds pretentious or at least very hard to live up to. It would be awkward being a skinny, unathletically inclined Hercules or a plain Aphrodite.
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I don't think so. Disclaimer - I'm one of these quirky nerd-types who's really into antiquities and anything to do with them.
A good friend of mine knows of a guy (I think he's a professor from Germany) who named his children Agamemnon and Ariadne. It might be slightly affected, but holy crap is that an awesome, epic sibling-set. Also, earlier this year I saw a birth announcement for a girl named Ilithyia, who was a Greek (?) goddess of childbirth.
All of this said, I don't think I'd use Niobe. Niobe is euphonious *but* both associations are incredibly tragic; Niobe from Greek Mythology lost all fourteen children at once, and the character in the HBO series "Rome" committed suicide.
What names would I use? Hermione is one of my favorite girls' names, though I'm not sure how much it counts by virtue of the Harry Potter association. You've already discounted Helen since it's pretty common... So next on my list would probably be names like Hypatia (which as far as I'm aware isn't actually mythological), Calliope, Ariadne, and Persephone. My favorite classical boys' names tend to be more historical rather than mythological in nature, but I'm always excited when someone names their son Achilles or Agamemnon or something else that's really rare and unusual...actually, I can say that of the girls too. If it's from the ancient Mediterranean, chances are I'll love it.
A good friend of mine knows of a guy (I think he's a professor from Germany) who named his children Agamemnon and Ariadne. It might be slightly affected, but holy crap is that an awesome, epic sibling-set. Also, earlier this year I saw a birth announcement for a girl named Ilithyia, who was a Greek (?) goddess of childbirth.
All of this said, I don't think I'd use Niobe. Niobe is euphonious *but* both associations are incredibly tragic; Niobe from Greek Mythology lost all fourteen children at once, and the character in the HBO series "Rome" committed suicide.
What names would I use? Hermione is one of my favorite girls' names, though I'm not sure how much it counts by virtue of the Harry Potter association. You've already discounted Helen since it's pretty common... So next on my list would probably be names like Hypatia (which as far as I'm aware isn't actually mythological), Calliope, Ariadne, and Persephone. My favorite classical boys' names tend to be more historical rather than mythological in nature, but I'm always excited when someone names their son Achilles or Agamemnon or something else that's really rare and unusual...actually, I can say that of the girls too. If it's from the ancient Mediterranean, chances are I'll love it.
This message was edited 8/1/2015, 7:29 PM
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I don't think it's pretentious, generally. It's more nerdy than anything. Most of the people I've met with more unusual mythological names either have parents who came from those cultures or are quirky, geeky people. Maybe once upon a time, when knowing about mythology was a mark of the upper classes, the names had some pretension (I remember reading once* that plantation owners often used mythological names for slaves, both because it marked them as rich and educated and also because they considered it amusing to own an Apollo, Venus, or Hercules).
But in today's world, I'd say using a name like the ones you mentioned would primarily mark people as geeks who probably play MMORPGs rather than snobs.
*could be total BS so don't quote me
But in today's world, I'd say using a name like the ones you mentioned would primarily mark people as geeks who probably play MMORPGs rather than snobs.
*could be total BS so don't quote me
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I think it depends on the name and it depends on the association.
Apollo is pretentious because of the association, and because an "Apollo" is a commonly used as a descriptor for someone who is ridiculously sculpted and attractive. I don't think the other names you listed are pretentious, there might be other reasons not to use them, but not because they are pretentious.
Apollo is pretentious because of the association, and because an "Apollo" is a commonly used as a descriptor for someone who is ridiculously sculpted and attractive. I don't think the other names you listed are pretentious, there might be other reasons not to use them, but not because they are pretentious.
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Where I am, Adonis is the descriptor for someone really attractive. Apollo might be more usable because of Apollo Anton Ohno, the speedskater. I think it depends on the name, and maybe who uses it, too. On Say Yes to the Dress, there was a bride named Afroditi, who married an Adonis, both from Greek families, so there it's a cultural thing. I wonder how much the old tv shows Hercules and Xena, Warrior Princess helped make these names more usable.
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Your right. It's Adonis I was thinking of. It was really late...
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I don't find the use of mythological names pretentious at all. Short of maybe naming your kid Zeus, I doubt too many people will really think that much about it. It's been my experiences that a lot of people don't think nearly as much as you would imagine. I've also found that a good many people aren't really familiar with mythology outside of the big names of the Greek and Roman variety. My name is Diana and most people associate it with Princess Diana not the goddess.
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