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Archives***ADVICE FOR A NOVEL: Does origin matter?***
Hi! I'm planning to write a novel set in Nazi Germany, but when trying to name the characters, I found that I really love a female name of FRENCH origin: Ariane. How unrealistic would it be for me to name her that? She is a very-stauch Third Reich supporter.
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I'm in the same situation as you are right now... i'm writing something based in the 1500's and, though i have a larger varity of countries than you do, im having problems finding appropriate names the fit the timezone and the caracter. I dont think i can help you too much but if i find one i'll be sure to post it.
~Mary
~Mary
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Thanks! It's difficult to be authentic, isn't it?
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Hmm. How do you know it was used in Germany at that time-I just need to be sure.
Many thanks to everybody!
Many thanks to everybody!
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Still interesting, however, that women currently in their 70's would more likely have been born during the Weimar period. I also live in Germany, by the way, and for the sake of realism, I think that a name (particularly in the minds of English speakers) that might better summon the image of a staunch NS supporter, would be a more traditional name. These are things that writers need to take into consideration. For example, it is why Dracula was not called Herbert Krosnov.
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Ugh?
I am impressed (and a little bit spooked :o) that you know why Dracula's parents did not name him Herbert.
Seriously, though, your point is a little bit off, because Dracula was a real person. Count Vladimir (Vlad) Draculea Tepes III (1437-1476) was a Romanian nobleman who ruled the Transylvanian county of Wallachia. He was named Vlad after his father, Vlad "Dracul" Tepes II, and his middle name, Draculea (the original spelling of Dracula), means "son of Dracul". Dracul was his father's nickname, the name of his family's castle and, as far as I remember, the Romanian word for "a dragon". Dracula was deprived of his rightful throne at birth, which caused him to grow resentful. When he got old enough, he allied with the Moldavian king and regained the rule of Wallachia. Once in power, he turned into a tyrant and got notorious for being bloodthirsty and extremely fond of torturing his enemies (a lovable person indeed!). The stories of his cruelty spread around quickly and created a lot of legends among the superstitious folk of Transylvania. That is how the legend of the vampire Dracula originated.
P.S. Some sources claim that the name Dracula ("son of the dragon" where dragon = devil) was bestowed upon Vlad by the Catholic church which did not like his anti-catholic actions.
I am impressed (and a little bit spooked :o) that you know why Dracula's parents did not name him Herbert.
Seriously, though, your point is a little bit off, because Dracula was a real person. Count Vladimir (Vlad) Draculea Tepes III (1437-1476) was a Romanian nobleman who ruled the Transylvanian county of Wallachia. He was named Vlad after his father, Vlad "Dracul" Tepes II, and his middle name, Draculea (the original spelling of Dracula), means "son of Dracul". Dracul was his father's nickname, the name of his family's castle and, as far as I remember, the Romanian word for "a dragon". Dracula was deprived of his rightful throne at birth, which caused him to grow resentful. When he got old enough, he allied with the Moldavian king and regained the rule of Wallachia. Once in power, he turned into a tyrant and got notorious for being bloodthirsty and extremely fond of torturing his enemies (a lovable person indeed!). The stories of his cruelty spread around quickly and created a lot of legends among the superstitious folk of Transylvania. That is how the legend of the vampire Dracula originated.
P.S. Some sources claim that the name Dracula ("son of the dragon" where dragon = devil) was bestowed upon Vlad by the Catholic church which did not like his anti-catholic actions.
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Thank you very much. I am very grateful.
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I agree with Danika. They were very Pro-German and Anti-foreign.
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very unrealistic. the nazis were extremely anti-anything of foreign origin. most members of the nazi party were born during the last 20 years of the 19th century, a time when prussian names, strong in tutonic tradition were common. however, if you really do love the name and cannot find something similar from the germanic tradition, perhaps you could make it clear that your character comes from a french border region such as alsace-lorraine, known for causing problems between the french and the german over mining territory.
good luck.
good luck.
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I'm finding that I also like "Adriane," and several online sources (except this one) say that it is German. Does anyone know of an accurate off-line source?
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Finding an off-line source specializing in German first names might be a bit difficult and somewhat expensive. However, I have a B.A. in German and can, hopefully, help...
Adriane is initially of Greek origin, an adaptation of Ariadne. Many names which are now considered *German* are not Germanic in origin, but simply names which have recently been popularized in German speaking countries. The trend in Germany toward foreign names (Adriane, for example) is very current. In all likelihood, your character would bear a traditional Germanic-Norse name, such as Adele, Maria, Liese, Klara, Heike, Ilse, Annike, or Marit. Even translations of Latin names would have been more common, such as Aurelie, as the Romans had a far more profound influence in Germany than the Greeks.
Adriane is initially of Greek origin, an adaptation of Ariadne. Many names which are now considered *German* are not Germanic in origin, but simply names which have recently been popularized in German speaking countries. The trend in Germany toward foreign names (Adriane, for example) is very current. In all likelihood, your character would bear a traditional Germanic-Norse name, such as Adele, Maria, Liese, Klara, Heike, Ilse, Annike, or Marit. Even translations of Latin names would have been more common, such as Aurelie, as the Romans had a far more profound influence in Germany than the Greeks.
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I would suggest that you read some non-fiction books about that time/place
There are quite a few of them, some of them about rescuers, others about members of the Third Reich. Another thing is that they sometimes borrowed from places that they had invaded before or were invaded by before WWI (I'm guessing that she was born sometime around WWI or right before.)
You might also want to look up information from the Yad Vashem and other web addresses of Holocaust-related sites (be very careful, though with this method since you can't really authenticate the information and some of them aren't really that good about updating their info.)
Good luck on your search.
Phyllis (aka Sidhe Uaine or Gaia Euphoria)
There are quite a few of them, some of them about rescuers, others about members of the Third Reich. Another thing is that they sometimes borrowed from places that they had invaded before or were invaded by before WWI (I'm guessing that she was born sometime around WWI or right before.)
You might also want to look up information from the Yad Vashem and other web addresses of Holocaust-related sites (be very careful, though with this method since you can't really authenticate the information and some of them aren't really that good about updating their info.)
Good luck on your search.
Phyllis (aka Sidhe Uaine or Gaia Euphoria)
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