K.M. Sheard - Llewellyns Complete Book of Names: For Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, Mages, Shamans Independent Thinkers of All Sorts

K. M. Sheard was born in Yorkshire, England. After studying at Cambridge University, she taught Latin, Greek, and History for a number of years, before returning to Cambridge as a Research Associate in the Department of Education. She now lives deep in the Welsh countryside, with her husband, daughter, and three cats. Her interest in names and naming practices is lifelong, and she spent many years collecting and researching names before setting out to write Llewellyn's Complete Book ofNames. She is a member of the British Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and the Pagan Federation.

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K. M. SHEARD

For Pagans, Wiccans, Witches, Druids, Heathens, Mages, Shamans & Independent Thinkers of All Sorts Who Are Curious About Names from Every Place and Every Time

K. M. SHEARD

For X, D, and R, With love and gratitude.

Anyone looking for a dictionary on first names which is comprehensive, detailed, and accurate-but a bit different to the run-of-the-mill in its attitude and perspectivewill find what they seek within these pages.

Nor is this book simply a "baby name book"though it is written to be as useful to those choosing a name for a baby as it can be, it is also for those who may be seeking a new name for themselves, particularly for spiritual or religious purposes. It is also intended as a work of reference, both for general interest and as a source of names for other pur

poses-for the naming of the animals who share our lives, fictional characters in stories and plays, even works of art and design.

What exactly is a Pagan? In a nutshell, a Pagan is anyone who considers him- or herself to be a Pagan. There is no set dogma to be adhered to, no formal rituals which have to be performed in order to become a Pagan, although some of the specific paths do require initiation and an adherence to particular beliefs. Specific paths or "traditions" include Wicca, Witchcraft, Druidry, Heathenism (often called Asatru or Odinism), Ceremonial Magick, and Shamanism. Many Pagans, however, prefer to tread spiritual paths of their own making, rejecting any so-called "revealed" teachings, such as that found in the Bible, in favor of personal experience and connection with the Divine. The beliefs of one Pagan may differ vastly from those of another, but at the heart of Paganism is a deep reverence and love of Nature.

One desire common to many Pagans is to dig deeply into the rich store that is the human experience in all times and all places, to enrich their personal spiritual journeys, and to find ways of connecting with ancestors and all of humanity. This book does the same, tracing names from all parts of the globe and all periods of recorded history to their sources, exploring that vast treasury of meaningful names and potential names that are the world's languages.

Many of the names in this book are thus the sort people call "traditional." Others couldn't be further from traditional if they were distressed to within an inch of their lives and coated with a crackle glaze. Some have yet to be used as given names at all, but have meaning and symbolism which may appeal to a Pagan or any independently minded soul. All have been explored deep down to their roots, which turn out to be-more often than not-lusciously Pagan.

This is a complete book of names insofar as it contains most of the names which have been used in the English-speaking world in the last thousand years, as well as a substantial number of established names from other lands and other times. Names from Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and

Rome, and Celtic, Germanic, Norse, Slavic, and Hindu mythology all feature prominently. There are also many names of African, Arabic, Asian, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Austronesian, and Native American origin.

Yet these names represent only a fraction of all the available ones in the world, even those which, by their meaning, might be considered suitable to include in a book of names for Pagans. The principal problem arises with pronunciation-for sadly many names are very difficult to say in English, even relatively simple-looking ones like the Chinese Xue, meaning "snow." Phonetically it would be rendered "shay-EE," but when pronounced by a native Chinese speaker, the sound of the vowels may be-how shall we say?-a little dissonant to Western ears.

By and large, therefore, only names which are relatively easy to pronounce correctly by someone whose first and only language is English have been included. Unless you speak a foreign language with relative fluency, treat names from other languages with caution, particularly languages such as Chinese, where saying a name even slightly wrong might turn something with an attractive meaning into something thoroughly unrepeatable.