The Beauty of Names

Katherine Langford as Nimue in "Cursed" Nimue - I've been watching and loving Netflix's "Cursed", a new take on Arthurian myth that follows Nimue, a Fey sorceress who comes to own Excalibur. I've always loved Arthurian mythology and Nimue is one of the most beautiful names from it. The origin of this name is unknown, with some conflating it with the Celtic Nemain, the Irish Goddess of war, which means "venomous", and others with the Greek word Mneme , "memory". I've always pronounced it as "NIM-oo-ay" but in the show they pronounce it "NIM-way". If you love mythology and fantasy with the added bonus of a female lead and a diverse cast, you should check it out! Harriet, Called Hal - I recently read "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware, one I've been meaning to get to for some time. I loved it (you can read my review for it here ), and I also loved what a big part names played in the mystery. ...

Françoise - Origin: French Gender: Female Meaning: "Frenchman" Pronunciation: FRAHn-SWAZ Other Forms: Francine, France, Francette, Fanny, Frances; Francis, Franciscus,  François Combos:  Françoise Lily,  Françoise Odette,  Françoise Marianne,  Françoise Vienne,  Azélie  Françoise If you haven't caught on yet, I'm obsessed with French names. This one is another favorite, but I'm really unsure of how it would do in English speaking countries. To me the pronunciation is pretty intuitive, but you really never know. Françoise is the feminine version of  François, the French form of Francis. Francis came from Latin Franciscus, which meant "Frenchman" and Franciscus itself came from the Germanic tribe called the Franks, who were called so for a type of spear they carried. It was because of the popularity of St. Francis of Assisi the name became so widespread in Europe. Órlaith - Origin: Irish Gender: Female Meaning: "Golden Princes...

Origin : Gaelic Gender : Female Meaning : "Beautiful" Pronunciation : EE-fa Other forms : Eva, Eve,  Aífe This lovely Irish name comes from the Gaelic aoibh  which means "beautiful", and is currently #11 in Ireland. In the Ulster Cycle she is the sister (or sometimes just the enemy) of  Scáthach , and the daughter of Ardgeimme.  Cú Chulainn , heroic son of the God Lugh and Deichtine, has come to train under  Scáthach  in Alba. While he is there, Aoife comes to battle her sister, who fears for  Cú Chulainn 's safety. So  Scáthach , well aware of just how powerful Aoife is, gives him a sleeping potion which is supposed to last twenty-four hours, but because he is so strong, only lasts one. When he awakes, he fights Aoife in single combat, and, knowing that her most cherished items in the world are her horses and chariot, calls out that they are falling off of the cliff. When she turns to look, he grabs her. Aoife begs for her life, and...