What's in a name?

Onyx · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:16 pm

We got a little off-topic elsewhere, so I thought we could move the name discussion here. Any insights into character & place names are welcome. Here's the discussion thus far:

auntie venom wrote:

Onyx wrote:

Frankie wrote:

auntie venom wrote:

ok--about things missed
I have put this out there 2 times with no response from anyone, so I am going to ask you point blank..
Frankie--in Harry Potter--Voldemort translates to Vol=soul deMort=death of. Death of the soul. In Twilight, Volterra-Vol=soul, Terra=land. Land of souls. Do you think this is significant?
I think that the town of Forks represents forks in the road of Bella's life. Where she has to make choices.
She fled to Phoenix, where she was attacked, bitten and felt like she was burning and near death, but was saved by the Cullens so that she "rose from her ashes".
No thoughts on Jacksonville. Total cricket chirping.
But how could Phoenix and Forks seem so deliberate, but not Volterra?
This is off point--sorry everyone.
But has anyone seen any threads acknowledging this stuff and what Volterra could be harboring?

You might be onto something about Volterra, it's hard to say without asking Stephenie. If you listen to this: [urlhttp://www.bordersmedia.com/shows/bookclub/meyer.asp=]Border's Book Club[/url] stream, she talks about how she came up with "Volterra". If you listen closely, she first says she was going to call it "Volturin". I don't know if "turin" means anything more than a city in Italy where the Shroud of Turin is.

I love it!!! Turin is a bit more confusing. *scratches head* It was originally a Roman army camp called Castra Taurinorum -- Latin for camp of the bulls. I'm guessing Volturin would be "soul of bulls" -- the Volturi are certainly pigheaded enough...

Much less interesting than land of souls, though. Also, point of interest, Volvo in Latin means "to meditate upon".

You are a girl after my own heart. Did you have to take Latin, too?! I thought about bulls too, but again, chirping crickets. Maybe if Bella had a matador reference --HA.
SORRYYY, OFF Topic AGAIN.

lollylew · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:47 pm

Well I know that Cullen sounds like culling which means to "pick out from others"; "gather" "select" so it sounds like an appropriate surname for Carlisle's family.

Also Bella Swan to me is like the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan.

diamondslb · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:26 am

Well, Volterra, Italy is a real city. It is very ancient that has history going back to the Neolithic age.

Most significantly it was home to the Medici family. The Medici's were very rich and very powerful. Their patronage pretty much financed the Renaissance period. Some members were actually popes.

diamondslb · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:40 am

Other cool meanings of names:

Edward: wealthy guardian
Isabella: consecrated/devoted to God
Alice: noble
Jasper: treasurer
Rosalie: rose (of course)
Carlisle: city belonging to Lugovalis (its an old celtic name)
Emmett: whole or universal
Esme: esteemed or loved
Jacob: may God protect
Charlie: man OR warrior
Renee: born again
Mike: who is like God
Billy (William): a will to protect (or something like that)

Interestingly James is a derivative of the name Jacob...

Yay, fun with names...

Avie · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:47 am

lollylew wrote:

Well I know that Cullen sounds like culling which means to "pick out from others"; "gather" "select" so it sounds like an appropriate surname for Carlisle's family.

Also Bella Swan to me is like the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan.

Wow, Lollylew, I like that analogy!! I never picked up on it before, but it totally works for me!! Nice one. :wink:

I love that Jasper means treasurer in the post above, seems apropos, like he is the keeper of others feelings.

Onyx · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:34 pm

diamondslb wrote:

Other cool meanings of names:

Jacob: may God protect
Interestingly James is a derivative of the name Jacob...

Yay, fun with names...

I thought Jacob meant "supplanter", or I guess in our Jacob's case "would-be supplanter."

I also got to thinking about the name Swan. Do you think either of the Swans will have a "swan song?" (The beautiful legendary song sung only once by a swan in its lifetime, as it is dying.) Kind of makes me think of the third wife thing...

diamondslb · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:27 pm

Onyx wrote:

I thought Jacob meant "supplanter", or I guess in our Jacob's case "would-be supplanter."

Well apparently there is more than one meaning. Supplanter is one and "may god protect" is the other....

Onyx · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:36 am

diamondslb wrote:

Onyx wrote:

I thought Jacob meant "supplanter", or I guess in our Jacob's case "would-be supplanter."

Well apparently there is more than one meaning. Supplanter is one and "may god protect" is the other....

I think they both work pretty well for Jacob.

Lisa 314 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:31 am

Quote:

I also got to thinking about the name Swan. Do you think either of the Swans will have a "swan song?" (The beautiful legendary song sung only once by a swan in its lifetime, as it is dying.) Kind of makes me think of the third wife thing...

I too, wondered about her surname. Kept thinking of the story of the ugly duckling(awkward, clumsy Bella) changing(becoming a vampire) into the beautiful swan!

Onyx · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:06 pm

Lisa 314 wrote:

Quote:

I also got to thinking about the name Swan. Do you think either of the Swans will have a "swan song?" (The beautiful legendary song sung only once by a swan in its lifetime, as it is dying.) Kind of makes me think of the third wife thing...

I too, wondered about her surname. Kept thinking of the story of the ugly duckling(awkward, clumsy Bella) changing(becoming a vampire) into the beautiful swan!

I hope that's right. I do sometimes worry that her clumsiness will be what gets magnified as a vampire and that she'll be wheel chair bound or something.... LOL

labibliotecaria · **Joined:** Thu May 01, 2008 3:08 am **Posts:** 113

Doesn't Bella also mean beautiful in Italian?

I have no problem conceiving of the Volturi as vultures, with their swooping black cloaks and hunger for carrion.

Also, Cullen is possibly a corruption of "cold one". Jacob Black's ancestors may have first callled them "The Cold Ones", then they would have been "The Cold 'Uns" and then "The Cullens". Language evolves that way.

Maria · **Joined:** Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:51 am **Posts:** 2211

labibliotecaria wrote:

Doesn't Bella also mean beautiful in Italian?

I have no problem conceiving of the Volturi as vultures, with their swooping black cloaks and hunger for carrion.

Also, Cullen is possibly a corruption of "cold one". Jacob Black's ancestors may have first callled them "The Cold Ones", then they would have been "The Cold 'Uns" and then "The Cullens". Language evolves that way.

Bella also means beautiful in Spanish

The name-playing thing is very interesting, I never thought about it that way: Cullens--Cold Ones :shock:

Shimmerskin · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 4:24 am

Quote:

Carlisle: city belonging to Lugovalis (its an old celtic name)

It is most likely a place name referring to the Irish solar god Lugh, whose name means "light" or "shining." He was associated with the triumph of light over darkness. Lugh was skilled in all the arts and history and was a great physician/healer, so as a god of all attributes he was often positioned as steward or advisor to the great kings of mythic Ireland. In that capacity he was the deliverer of his people against their evil opposers. He was also the patron of Cu Chulainn who became the greatest hero of all Irish folklore. Lugh's festival day was August 1, called Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas. In Welsh legend he was Llew and his wife was the Maiden of Flowers.

Can you see all the parallels between Lugh and Carlisle? I counted 11 as I composed that paragraph :wink:

lauralee · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 4:20 am

Onyx wrote:

diamondslb wrote:

Onyx wrote:

I thought Jacob meant "supplanter", or I guess in our Jacob's case "would-be supplanter."

Well apparently there is more than one meaning. Supplanter is one and "may god protect" is the other....

I think they both work pretty well for Jacob.

I'm trying to remember Jacob's Biblical story. He is the trickster, isn't he? Not really one of my favorite stories.

1. Willing to trick someone he loves to get what he wants (his own father/brother).
2. Willing to wait for the woman he wants, while turning his back on one who dotes on him (Rachel vs. Leah)
3. Injured hip (wrestling with entity)
4. Sneaky (away from father-in-law's lands, back into brother's lands)
5. Complete opposite (foil) of his brother

Tamia · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 4:24 am

lauralee wrote:

Onyx wrote:

diamondslb wrote:

Onyx wrote:

I thought Jacob meant "supplanter", or I guess in our Jacob's case "would-be supplanter."

Well apparently there is more than one meaning. Supplanter is one and "may god protect" is the other....

I think they both work pretty well for Jacob.

I'm trying to remember Jacob's Biblical story. He is the trickster, isn't he? Not really one of my favorite stories.

1. Willing to trick someone he loves to get what he wants (his own father/brother).
2. Willing to wait for the woman he wants, while turning his back on one who dotes on him (Rachel vs. Leah)
3. Injured hip (wrestling with entity)
4. Sneaky (away from father-in-law's lands, back into brother's lands)
5. Complete opposite (foil) of his brother

Didn't Jacob end up having like 12 sons?? Its been a long time since Bible Study classes in college.

What's in a name?

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