As Thor thundered onto multiplex movie screens last week, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel was inspired to check out the other gods in the Norse mythology pantheon.

Even if you haven’t hit the multiplex lately, you’ve probably heard that the hammer-wielding Thor is winning critical acclaim and drawing in crowds.  Could the movie inspire parents to look north to Norse mythology names for baby name inspiration?

After all, we’ve borrowed from Greek and Roman mythology for generations.  From classics like Diana to current favorites like Luna, there’s no shortage of appealing options.  Pierce Brosnan has a son called Paris, and Chris Noth named his firstborn Orion.

Norse mythology names are not as well known, and many of them are awkward in English.  (Frigg would be downright cruel, no matter how noble the figure.)  Most of the list below comes from the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda, two compilations dating to the thirteenth century, but including much older oral traditions.

The movie is based on Marvel Comics’ superhero version of Thor, not the literary works.  It takes some liberties with the original storyline, like transporting the god to New Mexico.

Whether you’re a fan of the comic or looking for a name that celebrates your Scandinavian heritage, there are some interesting possibilities to be found.

GIRLS

Astrilde – Invented in the sixteenth century invention as a Norse equivalent of Cupid, she’s not part of the original pantheon, but appears in plenty of poems.

Atla – A minor water goddess.

Edda – Several theories explain why Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson chose to name his collection the Prose Edda.  One of the most popular theories is that it comes from a Latin phrase meaning “I compose.”  The Edda Awards are Reykjavik’s answer to the Oscars.

Read More

We’re all familiar with the ancient Greek and Roman pantheons of mythological deities, from Adonis and Athena to Zeus, but there a number of other ancient names from other cultures with their own pantheons of intriguing god and goddesses.  We’ve delved into the some of the most intriguing mythologies—Egyptian,  Phoenician, Norse, Celtic, Indian, African, et al– and discovered some striking ancient names for the intrepid baby namer.

GIRLS

ÁINE (AWN-ya)– Irish Celtic goddess of love, summer, wealth and fertility

AINO (EYE-no)  –  A Finnish mythological water sprite

ALA—African (Nigerian) creator goddess and earth mother

ANAHITA –  A Persian mythological goddess of river and water

ANCASTA – A Celtic goddess worshipped in Roman Britain

ANNIKKI (accent on the first syllable) –  A forest goddess in Finnish mythology

ANU – Irish Celtic goddess of fertility, magic, moon, air and prosperity

ASTARTE – Ancient Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, motherhood and war (morphed into Greek mythology as Aphrodite)

ASTRILD – Norse goddess of love

ATLA—Norse water goddess

BELISAMA – A Celtic goddess of light and fire

BRANWEN –Irish Celtic goddess of love, beauty, sexuality and the sea

BRIGHID (pronounced breed) —  Irish goddess of fertility and creativity, martial arts and healing

DAMARA – Celtic fertility goddess worshipped in Britain, associated with the month of May

DANU –  Irish Celtic mother of the deities , goddess of rivers, water, magic, prosperity and wisdom

ELAINE – A Welsh Celtic maiden moon goddess

ELLI—Norse goddess of old age who managed to defeat Thor in wrestling

FREYA – Norse goddess of love, beauty, war, magic and wisdom; the most beautiful of the goddesses

INANNA –  A Sumerian goddess of the earth, sky and love—and also war

ISIS – an Egyptian goddess, known as mistress of charms or enchantments

KALMA – Finnish goddess of death and decay (maybe skip this one)

KALI – Hindu goddess of power (and—oops—destruction)

LAKSHMI—Hindu goddess of beauty and prosperity, purity, chastity and generosity

LEZA  — African goddess of protection and divination

Read More