[Wow. The first thing I see is
Parthenope and
Elsa threads. This is going to be a good week.]
I adore
Parthenope, "par-THEN-uh-pee."
Florence Nightingale had a sister named
Parthenope. They were both named after cities in Italy (
Florence and Naples) -- not sure if they were born there or not. The first time I heard that I felt sorry for
Florence's sister. But then the name grew on me and it now makes
Florence look positively dull in comparison.
Sadly,
Parthenope and
Persephone are much too similar for siblings. I would use either one in real life, just not both.
ETA: As for the pronunciation, I should add that I got it from a TV documentary about
Florence Nightingale and her sister. It was a British announcer, but I doubt it would be pronounced any differently here in the U.S. It's got the same rhythm as
Penelope and
Persephone. I find it utterly beautiful.
This message was edited 7/18/2011, 10:55 AM