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HelpRe: Thorwald
in reply to a message by ✧･ﾟ: *Magpie*:･ﾟ✧
It's interesting! It reminds me of Oswald and Waldo but without the negative connotations (I think of Lee Harvey Oswald and the "Where Is Waldo" cartoonish books - and I've always liked Waldo, except for that).
My personal preference would be to spell it Torvald. Because while I would pronounce Oswald and Waldo the English way, whenever I come across rare German names I've never heard aloud like Roswitha or Thorwald, my instinct is to say the W as a V...but then I hesitate because I wonder if I'm expected to just read the W, and that hesitation makes me feel awkward. I also feel like Torvald is less clunky...and it helps probably that one of my uncles used to call me Tor, and that I think Torvald sounds good with my last name.
But Thorwald pronounced in English is fun, too.
My personal preference would be to spell it Torvald. Because while I would pronounce Oswald and Waldo the English way, whenever I come across rare German names I've never heard aloud like Roswitha or Thorwald, my instinct is to say the W as a V...but then I hesitate because I wonder if I'm expected to just read the W, and that hesitation makes me feel awkward. I also feel like Torvald is less clunky...and it helps probably that one of my uncles used to call me Tor, and that I think Torvald sounds good with my last name.
But Thorwald pronounced in English is fun, too.
This message was edited 9/7/2023, 6:45 PM
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Replies
I had to google to remind myself who Lee Harvey Oswald was - I admit, I never make that association. Perhaps its because I'm not American and its more common of a fact across the pond. I always think of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and I know no other examples of Oswald.
Waldo, on the other hand, is a bit different. I do know that it's called Where's Waldo, but here its called Where's Wally so it's not such a strong association inherently there (though it is, don't get me wrong). My first association with the name Waldo is in Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake. This is a game I grew up with and was my only association with Waldo for years. In the game, Nancy is staying in a house that once was owned by a gangster. He created a speakeasy under the house and the common entrance is in the grave yard. To enter, one must go to the grave stone called WALDO and complete the letter-change puzzle. To do this, we must learn that Waldo to Malone (the gangster) was a police officer who he didn't like, and commonly called Baldo to spite him and his lack of hair. So, one must complete the puzzle by changing WALDO to BALDO, and a passageway opens up.
So, I admit, I can't help but think of Baldo every time I hear Waldo
Pronunciation wise, it's one of those things that can go either-or, like Louis. Both pronunciations are valid and it depends on the wearer. However, despite preferring the spelling of Louis, I'd opt for Lewis to avoid confusion. I also reckon it's safer to go with Torvald unless you wanted to pronounce the W in Thorwald.
(admittedly myself I didn't make the connection to Torvald and just pronounced it like Thor and Wald as I'm clearly not as up on German as you are lol)
Waldo, on the other hand, is a bit different. I do know that it's called Where's Waldo, but here its called Where's Wally so it's not such a strong association inherently there (though it is, don't get me wrong). My first association with the name Waldo is in Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake. This is a game I grew up with and was my only association with Waldo for years. In the game, Nancy is staying in a house that once was owned by a gangster. He created a speakeasy under the house and the common entrance is in the grave yard. To enter, one must go to the grave stone called WALDO and complete the letter-change puzzle. To do this, we must learn that Waldo to Malone (the gangster) was a police officer who he didn't like, and commonly called Baldo to spite him and his lack of hair. So, one must complete the puzzle by changing WALDO to BALDO, and a passageway opens up.
So, I admit, I can't help but think of Baldo every time I hear Waldo
Pronunciation wise, it's one of those things that can go either-or, like Louis. Both pronunciations are valid and it depends on the wearer. However, despite preferring the spelling of Louis, I'd opt for Lewis to avoid confusion. I also reckon it's safer to go with Torvald unless you wanted to pronounce the W in Thorwald.
(admittedly myself I didn't make the connection to Torvald and just pronounced it like Thor and Wald as I'm clearly not as up on German as you are lol)
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I prefer Louis because I usually hear it the French way and don't like Louie or Lewis as much. I'd learn to live with the ambiguity.
Funny that you mentioned Baldo (I've never heard it). I was thinking if I pronounced Waldo with a V, it'd remind me of Balto (a sled dog famous for delivering medicine, made into the hero of an animated movie). Actually I feel like that just makes me more fond of it; I'll probably end up naming a dog Waldo at some point...I'd go with Torvald but it's too close to my own name.
Funny that you mentioned Baldo (I've never heard it). I was thinking if I pronounced Waldo with a V, it'd remind me of Balto (a sled dog famous for delivering medicine, made into the hero of an animated movie). Actually I feel like that just makes me more fond of it; I'll probably end up naming a dog Waldo at some point...I'd go with Torvald but it's too close to my own name.
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Waldo is such a cute name for a dog!
I also think fondly of Balto - I grew up with the 90s movie. I know about the backstory and how Balto took thunder away from Togo and every other dog. He was just in the right place at the right time in the aftermath for the news reporters, but I'm also fond of it for the movie and character in the movie.
I also think fondly of Balto - I grew up with the 90s movie. I know about the backstory and how Balto took thunder away from Togo and every other dog. He was just in the right place at the right time in the aftermath for the news reporters, but I'm also fond of it for the movie and character in the movie.
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