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ArchivesRe: Wiccan/Pagan names?
in reply to a message by PhoenixPhire
I don't know that there are any names definitively Pagan, since there are no saints or angels per se. Modern Wiccans/Pagans often adopt as names words that refer to natural objects or phenomena, or names that have those meanings.
Paganism in general is not organized or dogmatic enough to have a roster of specifically pagan names. Wicca is probably not much different. Old Celtic names are rather pagan by virtue of their age and region of origin. Names of Hindu deities may suit the meanings pagans want to honor in names. Names from ancient mythology are appropriate names for pagans and pantheists, as well.
I suspect Gaia might be a little new-agey and cliched; the pagans I know are more 'down to earth.' A pagan (though perhaps not Wiccan) friend just named her daughter Lily; another named hers Raven.
I should mention that I'm in the US.
- chazda
Paganism in general is not organized or dogmatic enough to have a roster of specifically pagan names. Wicca is probably not much different. Old Celtic names are rather pagan by virtue of their age and region of origin. Names of Hindu deities may suit the meanings pagans want to honor in names. Names from ancient mythology are appropriate names for pagans and pantheists, as well.
I suspect Gaia might be a little new-agey and cliched; the pagans I know are more 'down to earth.' A pagan (though perhaps not Wiccan) friend just named her daughter Lily; another named hers Raven.
I should mention that I'm in the US.
- chazda
1
Replies
Thank you a lot for your help! m
Thanks for the help.
I adore the name Athena, mainly because she is a Greek Goddess. Since that's the name of a goddess, it may be considered Pagan, right?
Thanks for the help.
I adore the name Athena, mainly because she is a Greek Goddess. Since that's the name of a goddess, it may be considered Pagan, right?
1
Well, I guess could see someone with pagan ideals considering Athena to be a worthy name; although someone like Persephone (seasons) or Demeter (mother earth) seems more likely, since Athena represents warfare, and a lot of pagans are pacifistic.
Mainly I suggested gods & goddesses because of the pantheism they represent. Some pagans believe that, in a sense at least, all things in nature have 'spirits.' Many gods/goddesses of ancient myths were symbolic of those, and may have some significance.
It probably depends on the specific person's beliefs. There isn't really an overarching dogma that defines what's modern 'pagan,' except maybe belief in respect for people and for the (divine or at least sacred) natural world. You may want to consult someone with more specific knowledge than I have, if you are looking for names used by a particular type of worshipper (capital P Pagan).
- chazda
Mainly I suggested gods & goddesses because of the pantheism they represent. Some pagans believe that, in a sense at least, all things in nature have 'spirits.' Many gods/goddesses of ancient myths were symbolic of those, and may have some significance.
It probably depends on the specific person's beliefs. There isn't really an overarching dogma that defines what's modern 'pagan,' except maybe belief in respect for people and for the (divine or at least sacred) natural world. You may want to consult someone with more specific knowledge than I have, if you are looking for names used by a particular type of worshipper (capital P Pagan).
- chazda
1