The Name thing
POSTED BY: GinoBiffaroni
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 03:59
VIEWED: 7453
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A rather long riff on one of my favorite games:
I've always wondered if Joss was giving a nod to the sci-fi and fantasy writer Russell Hoban when he so named Wash. Washburne may just be a play on words relating to his job as a pilot: engine"burn" and engine"wash".
Zoe: Greek, "life". Warren is English and German for "protecting friend". Well, duh.
The man called Jayne. Strangely enough, it's starting to seem not all that weird to me. Perhaps his parents got confused between Jean (John) and Jayme. Both Jayme and Cob/Cobb mean exactly the same thing: from the Hebrew Jacob, "Supplanter" or, "heel". Wayne means wagonbuilder. Thinking John Wayne here?
Tam comes from Thomas, the Aramaic for "Twin", which fits the siblings well.
Kaywinnit. Hmm... Kaylee is obviously a nickname contraction. Wyn/Win/Wynn/Wynne are from the German for "Friend of the field", whatever that means. Kay and Kayla, from Katherine, and Greek "katharos" for "pure". A pure friend? Kayle/Kayley/Kaylee, etc. is also from the Arabic Kalila for "girlfriend" or "sweetheart". :) Frye is possibly related to Freya, the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, or even Frey, her partner? Lee...Lei is Chinese for "thunder" ((the thunder of Firefly's engines?) Lee has the English meaning of "meadow".
Quote:
Well, according to some baby name sites I've checked, Meria is a African name meaning rebellious one. It's also a girl's name.
Very interesting -- it makes a fair amount of sense... especially if we consider that he may have chosen *both* names himself. A rebellious priest. That fits. Also, Joss hasn't hesitated to cross-gender character names (that is, challenge our prejudices). I'd also like to point out that "Meria" has a significant etymological relationship to the root name "Mar"; whence comes Mary, Maria, Marie, Maren, Mare, Miriam, Mariah, Mariel, Marion (my grandfather's name, so it is not unheard of for men to carry it), Morena (Ms. Baccarin's name), etc. Meaning: from the Hebrew "Bitterness", "rebellion", "wished for child", or "sea" (as in "sea of stars", or "space" for him perhaps? Like Isis, the Lady Mary was called the Lady of [the] Heaven[s]. Hmm, this character intrigues me more and more.
Serra: Serra, I believe has been discussed earlier as possibly being a variant of Sarah (Hebrew, meaning "princess"). It could also be related to Seraphina (Hebrew, "Angel" or "ardent"). Ardent of course means "burning, passionate, spirited." The Aramaic name Shera means "Light". Then again, there's the American place name for the beautiful "Sierra" mountains.
Etymologically, the name Inara bears a relationship to the Japanese Shinto god/dess, or Kami (a spirit of nature), "Inari" -- who was a cross-gendering deity of the rice harvest, merchants, sword smiths, and foxes (Kitsune); associated with brothels and entertainers. The shrines of Inari are the most pervasive and famous throughout Japan (some 20,000 shrines nationwide).
The god/dess Inari employed sacred, shape shifting foxes (a type of white furred Kitsune called Myobu, or "Celestial Fox") to be temple guardians and messengers. They were given special court/caste status and capable of joining the royal line. Some people think that the white foxes, the guardian and messengers of the [Inari] shrine[s], are identical with the deity Inari. "Although the lore of fox magic was introduced to Japan from China and Korea, it originated in India. Nonetheless, the supernatural powers of the fox are not exclusive to Asia, for fox mythology exists -- quite independently -- in many non-Asian nations as well.... Kitsune are renowned tricksters. In many Japanese folk tales, the kitsune appears in the form of a bewitching woman who seduces and tricks unworthy men or rewards and protects deserving people. In human disguise, the she-fox can breed with a man. Fox folk can also cast illusions, appear in dreams, and read thoughts." http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/oinari.shtml
Foxes, or vixen in particular, have a wide mythological reputation for extreme sexuality and sensuali
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Thanks, Indigo, for that very insightful look into the meaning of names. It's really making me start to thing, especially about Inara's name coming from Japan/China, since China was one of the superpowers of the Alliance. Are you an etymologist (is that a word?) by profession, or is it just a hobby?
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Heya Ryce --
Not by profession, I just think that words and names are fun (yes, I read dictionaries for enjoyment, I'm sick). I research alot of mythology and history for my work (archeaology/science illustration) because I document alot of iconography. So... etymology and semiotics are my braincandy, relaxation.
Beware of Geeks bearing gifs.
Blessed are the Geeks for they shall internet the world.
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