An obscure name from Greek mythology — Drosera was a nymph — with a quirky, ethereal meaning.

This strong Norwegian name war goddess name, commonly heard in both midcentury Norway and Iceland, has never ventured far beyond its native culture.

The name of the Roman god of love, the son of Venus, considered so romantic as to be unfit for mere mortals. Yet now that Romeo and Venus herself are fair game for modern babies, why not Cupid?

A baby girl named Papa might cause some confusion, but the Papa (or Papatuanuku) of Polynesian mythology is the mother or earth goddess.

In ancient Greece, Aither was one of the primordial deities. Aither is the personification of the upper air. He embodies the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to the normal air breathed by mortals. His name may be the origin of the word ether. He was said to be the source of the Gods' power.

In Russian mythology, Indrik is the beast king of all animals. It lives on a "The Holy Mountain", where no other foot may tread. Indrik is depicted as a giant bull with the legs of a deer, the head of a horse, and an enormous horn in its snout.

Aušrinė is the Lithuanian goddess of the morning star. Each day she prepares the way for Saulė (the sun). Her counterpart is Vakarinė of the evening star.

The name of one of the Furies in Greek mythology, a goddess who avenged crimes of murder. She is described as wearing a dripping blood-red robe, with a serpent coiled around her waist.

One of the names of the sun god Apollo, this is better known in its feminine form, Phoebe. Rarely used as a given name, perhaps owing to the clunky end sound, it might work as a unique alternative to Phoenix, Felix, or Phineas.

Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus was, appropriately enough, the name of the baby born on the Mayflower. Modern variations include Ocean, Oceana, and Oceane, a popular French name for girls.

The raven was a holy bird in Norse mythology, giving this choice some resonance beyond other Bart variations.

The name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld. There is also a dwarf planet in the outer solar system called 90377 Sedna, discovered in 2003 and named after the goddess because: "Our newly discovered object is the coldest, most distant place known in the Solar System, so we feel it is appropriate to name it in honor of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is thought to live at the bottom of the frigid Arctic Ocean."

Hindu goddess name whose meaning makes it one of the prime names for Virgo babies.

Astrape and Bronte are twin goddesses representing lightning and thunder in Greek mythology. The sisters would carry Zeus's thunderbolts.

The father of the legendary King Arthur, this name derives from the Welsh uthr meaning "terrible" — likely in the sense of inspiring fear. Also spelled Uthyr, the name has only appeared in the UK stats once, in 2001, when four boys were called Uther.

Vulcan was the Roman god of fire (from which, volcano) and metalworking, but this name is now more familiar as the pointy-eared humanoids on "Star Trek," represented by Mr. Spock.

Sylvanus or Silvanus was the Roman god of the forest whose name is much more often found today in such variations as Sylvia, Sylvie and even Silas than in its original form. But if you're looking for a genuine mythological or Ancient Roman name with a nature connection, this might be the perfect choice.

A deity of fate and destiny in Latvian and Lithuanian mythology. Laima prophesizes how the life of a newborn will take place — sometimes there was only one Laima, while in other cases three Laimas would give contradicting predictions.

Taranis was the Celtic god of thunder, the equivalent of the Norse god Thor. With Thor along with a legion of mythological choices back in use as baby names, Taranis just may have a chance to rise from the recesses of history to make the modern baby name rosters.

Some sources cite a Polynesian goddess of shellfish named Kiwa, though others name Kiwa as only a male figure in Maori mythology, connected with the ocean. Kiwa is one of the fastest-rising boys' names in New Zealand. but in the US, no babies of either sex were named Kiwi last year.