[Opinions] Re: Persephone
in reply to a message by Perrine
I’ve loved Persephone for a long while now. It’s light and lyrical and slightly exotic, and I love ancient mythology names so this has been a favorite for a long time. I think the "to destroy/murder" meaning isn’t exactly true - the more likely meaning is probably "female thresher of grain", from Proto-Greek "perso-" ("sheaf of grain") and Proto-Indo-European "*-gʷn-t-ih" ("to strike"). Considering that Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, I think this makes more sense than the meaning most people believe.
I don’t really think I would use the name anyway, though, as it’s pretty long and might be difficult for others to spell/pronounce.
I could definitely see it rising in popularity as Penelope and Stephanie’s successor - which means the "phony" sound doesn’t bother people at all (including me).
I don’t really care for Perseus or Percival. Percy wouldn’t be too bad of a nickname for those, though I prefer Seph and Sephie for Persephone.
Persephone beats Penelope any day of the week. While Penelope is sweet, it’s gotten overused and feels kiddish now.
I don’t really think I would use the name anyway, though, as it’s pretty long and might be difficult for others to spell/pronounce.
I could definitely see it rising in popularity as Penelope and Stephanie’s successor - which means the "phony" sound doesn’t bother people at all (including me).
I don’t really care for Perseus or Percival. Percy wouldn’t be too bad of a nickname for those, though I prefer Seph and Sephie for Persephone.
Persephone beats Penelope any day of the week. While Penelope is sweet, it’s gotten overused and feels kiddish now.
Replies
Persephone developed separately from Demeter, and the connection as her daughter was a later myth that would have happened after her name had been etymologically formed.
In myth she is referred to with fearsome epithets. She’s a scary goddess - not a grainy one.
In myth she is referred to with fearsome epithets. She’s a scary goddess - not a grainy one.