The Island Journal

I have found recently that made up names (of course, they’re all made up if you think about it), phonetically spelled names, state names used for people, and last names used as first names truly unnerve me to my very core. They’re everywhere these days. There’s a Dakota on the news or a Garminy on a reality show or a Talulla-shay (spelled incorrectly) on a sitcom. They’re popping up online now in the strangest places. I read several design blogs. I am an artist after all and an artist needs inspiration… don’t give me that look. Any way, I slammed smack into “Saxyn”. That’s not a name, it’s a people and I’m sure they’d be very angry to find out that they’re cultural name has been usurped by an obscenely perky suburbanite mom with a penchant for decorating ideas and odd names.

I have a strange name and some may say that “Palmer” is a last name. In truth, it’s a title. The palmer would hoist the sanctified oil on his shoulders for pilgrims in the middle ages and carry these urns to the holy lands. The point is, it has meaning. It has a past. All of the Shaquitas, Bargundys, and Ashawns out there are never going to know the joy of what they’re names truly mean because they are meaningless. I love African names… truly African names, not the misprinted, misspelled, and overly abundant false names used with such flair by less than educated teen mothers who just think it sounds cool. NO! I love the culturally significant names purposeful chosen and artfully pronounced. They’re beautiful and actually have a meaning in a living culture somewhere in the world. I love the simplicity and understated Asian names and more over, the naming practice of what we would consider “last name first and first name last”. Anglo names, while having a distinct lack of panache, do have meanings and correct spellings, but the names like Jane, Barbara, and Timothy are comparatively rare and I think they need to make a come back.

When you are about to have your child and you consider a baby name book, don’t buy it. Simply read some ancient history from your ancestors’ part of the world and name your child something significant, powerful, and meaningful. If you hear a name you like, do some hard research into what that name really means and if its modern usage is actually correct. Don’t name your kid after a place, drug, or beauty product… you’re just asking for your daughters to be strippers. Some common names that are uncommon in today’s world would be:

Molly – Irish origin, Latin derivative, meaning “Star of the Sea”
Emily – Latin / Roman origin, has 60 some odd different acceptable spellings most starting with A, means “imitating, rivaling”
Rebecca – Hebrew derivative, meaning “to tie or bind”. Nick name “Becky” or “Becca”
Jennifer – Old Welsh origin, meaning “Smooth”, “Blessed”, or “Fair”. Nick name “Jen” or “Jenny”
Rose – Germanic origin, meaning “Horse” or the more flattering “Fame”.
Margo – Old Greek origin, meaning “Pearl”. English derivative would be Margaret.
Christina – Latin derivative, meaning Christian woman.
Jacob – Hebrew origin, meaning “God will watch” or “ Yahweh will protect”. Nick name “Jake”
Keith – Celtic origin, meaning “a windy place” or “Forest”.
Palmer – Old English origin, meaning “Crusader” or “ Bearer of Palm Oil”
Stephen – Old Greek derivative, meaning “Crowned” or “Royal”. Properly pronounced /Steh-Fin/
David – Hebrew derivative, meaning “Favorite or friend”. Unrecommended nick name “Dave”
Gregory – Old Greek origin, meaning “Vigilant”. Nick name Greg.
Orin – Celtic origin, meaning “Green” or “Sallow”. Thought I would throw an weird one in.

There are so many options that are NOT Dakota or Shartruce. Do your home work and give your kid a meaningful and correctly spelled and pronounced name.

Tags: history, meaning, names, opinion
Posted in Informative, rant | 28 Comments »

I recently found a wen site I thought I’d share with my readers… well, reader. I was looking for something crafty to do in my hotel and doodling wasn’t cutting it. I found a website for making paper robots, but they seemed like a ton of work and a little more involved than I was willing to attempt at that particular moment. I did a search for paper creatures and found Macula and his squealers. I was particularly interested in the “Krampus” as I have a somewhat twisted since of humor and one of his props is a “bad kid” in a basket slung on his back.

Now, having made the Krampus, I thought I’d do a little research and find out exactly what a Krampus is… well, it turns out it’s not an it, but a who. Apparently he’s a Germanic demon / imp who whips bad kids and carries them off. More interesting is who his running buddy is. SANTA CLAUS! That’s right. In the misty beginnings of the legend of Saint Nick, he had several nasty spirits that roamed around with him referred to as his “companions”. Who’d have though a jolly old fat guy who gives joy to millions would associate with evil spirits? The Krampus is often depicted as an incubus sporting horns, dressed in black rags or sheep skins with a bundle of sticks, a pitch fork and a basket on his back. Sometimes he’s seen wearing a darker and more sinister version of the fat man’s costume or he appears to be mostly human with tiny red horns and a black suit.

This is not a part of the holiday season entirely lost to the ravages of time. In some regions of the US, there’s still something sinister incorporated into the holiday season. Another incarnation of the Krampus, or possibly another of Santa’s little helpers, the Belsnickel, is the center of Pennsylvania Dutch festivals and celebrations. We’re all familiar with All Saint’s Day and it’s darker sibling Halloween aka All Soul’s day. Well, each saint actually has a feast day of his own. Saint Nicholas (Who at one point snuck into a guys house and left three small sacks of gold to provide doweries for his three daughters so they could get married and thus saved them from lives of prostitution which is part of where we get the present thing in the first place) has a feast day on December 6th and the day prior is kept clear for Belsnickel. During his day, many young men dress like Belsnickel in masks and fur and carry switches with which they spank people, especially young women. Alright, I see how you’re looking at me, but it’s true. Other versions of the celebration throughout the world at one point in time had people dressed at either Belsnickle or the Krampus throwing chains at passing sledders or hikers. Now, I would prefer the switch to the chain, but that’s just me.

Next Christmas, when you’re snug in your bed and dreaming of the presents you’re going to have under the tree, think of all the evil little children who are getting switches and coal and think of the creepy, horned creature, the Krampus, who delivers said coal and switches and carts off a few of those little miscreants each Christmas eve. Instead of leaving cookie for Father Christmas, I’m leaving his partner a four course meal just to be on the safe side.

Tags: Christmas, history, holiday
Posted in Informative | Comments Off