Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. This week’s Femme Fatale Friday will be a little different, as I want to explore the etymology of my own name and how it plays into my personality and even my spiritual path! This may seem a little strange to assert that the name we are given by our parents will have significance to our personalities and lives. However, it is pretty universally known that names hold power. In fact, the power of names is well attested in old Faerylore, with there being a prohibition on giving your true name to the Fae, and having the Fae be hesitant to give their true names since with knowledge of a true name you hold power over them! This is possibly best attested to in the fairytale Rumplestiltskin where the name is what breaks the contract on the child born of the young maiden who had taken help from the Fae Man.
Now, onto my own name. My first name is Maranda and my given middle name at birth is Lynn. Those are the two names I want to focus on here, as having power and insight into my own life. I will be doing a breakdown of each name and its significance in my life. First of all, the name Miranda was famously invented by Shakespeare for his play The Tempest, his last play and one of his two most magickal, with the other being A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Tempest is the tale of Prospero and his daughter Miranda who have lived on an Island for many years in isolation. So we see the name being attached to a young woman who is both connected to magick through her father being a sorcerer and to the water by her being an island dweller. The name is traditionally stated to mean ‘admirable and wonderful’ with the ‘Mir’ meaning admirable. As my mother chose to alter the spelling of the name having my name beginning with ‘Mar’ actually relates to the Latin and Spanish words for Sea! The end of the name ‘anda’ can mean ocean, friend, and oath, which again we see that ever-present watery connection!
As for my middle name Lynn, it means waterfall. In the Welsh spelling Llyn, it also means lake! This gives an overall very empowering sense that my name was meant to refer to water and the magick of the tides. This exploration of my first and middle names has led me to learn a lot about the etymology of the words, making interesting connections I did not realize were possible. I have a first and middle name very connected to different bodies of water in utterly fascinating ways, as my name was chosen by my mother because she liked the first name, and the middle name is after my favorite aunt, a shortening of Linda. I love that even unintentionally my name holds so much Mermaidenly Magick!
I feel so blessed to have done this deep dive into the power of my own name. In fact, the relation to the Sea and other Waterways can be seen to connect my name to Morgan le Fay and Aphrodite’s, as both are etymologically connected to water. Morgan means ‘sea born’ and Aphrodite means ‘foam born’ so the connection between my name and the magick of waters is a truly amazing thing! I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of the power of my name, and that it may inspire you to explore the power of your own name. Do you know what your name means? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a gorgeous water goddess image I thought appropriate for the post. I found the image on https://www.deviantart.com/cosmic-cthulu/art/Mykylypzel-Goddess-Of-The-Sea-Born-Of-Water-970336264.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- Rumplestiltskin by The Brothers Grimm
- The Tempest by William Shakespeare
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
- The Way of the Water Priestess by Annwyn Avalon
- Celtic Goddess Grimoire by Annwyn Avalon