dreamcrystals | what's in a name

Entry tags:

what's in a name

Sender: Anonymous
To: Everyone
Subject: Names

[Sorry, he's not going to put his "name" to something like this. It's awkward, and given that his "name" right now is just "Nameless Wanderer", he's pretty sure attaching it to this post would get people asking questions that aren't any of their business.]

Do you like your name? What does it mean? Who gave it to you? Would you change it if you could, and if you would what would it be?

I'm doing some research on names and why humans get so attached to them or don't.

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A different name would be yours, though.

And my current name is not? Simply because it was once my mother's?

[Well, she has him there. Admittedly, Wanderer just. isn't sure how humans handle names in general, so he really doesn't have an answer to her question.

This isn't going to stop him from saying something, though.]

It just seems that most humans would prefer a unique name, so far.

[ From one overthinker to another: you're overthinking this, fam. ]

Ah, I would take that as a sign that you have not yet collected enough data. There are a non insignificant number of people who are happy sharing a name. It can be an honor to receive a name that once belonged to someone else, such as a treasured family member or a great hero of yore.

[He totally is. He does this sometimes.]

I see. I do only have whoever responds to this post as a reference and what I've noticed, so you're likely right about the data. I assume you think it's an honor, then? What about your name is so...sacred? For lack of a better word.

[ Wow, that he specifically said "sacred" takes Zelda by surprise. That's surprisingly on the nose for someone who doesn't know her. ]

Actually, your word choice is quite apt. 'Zelda' was the name of my distant ancestor, a goddess who shed her divinity --and her holy name-- to take mortal form. She was the progenitor of the Royal Family of Hyrule and vestiges of her divinity are passed down through the women of our line.

[Welp.]

I didn't mean it quiet so literally. So are you a minor goddess or just someone with some divine abilities?

[Call him curious.]

Simply one with divine abilities. [ As if her divine abilities weren't massively OP. ] I am not a goddess of any sort.

[ For which Zelda is EXTREMELY GRATEFUL. She was enough of a failure as a princess growing up; she can't imagine how much worse that would've been if she'd been an actual goddess. ]

[For the best, honestly. Wanderer's still of the opinion that gods aren't all that great.]

I see. Do you know how your ancestor gave up her divinity? I didn't think that was generally possible.

[Except with gnoses but honestly losing that doesn't really make the archons not archons, so he's got nothing.]

[ Zelda's not exactly the biggest fan of gods either, having grown up trying to talk to a goddess who constantly ignored her. ]

I do not, I'm afraid. All I have to go off are fragments of legends from an era far predating written record. Were I not living proof of her divinity, I myself would doubt the facticity of her legend.

As best anyone knows, the Goddess Hylia gave up her divinity and was reborn as a mortal. I would hypothesize that this means she had to "die" in some manner. However, the women of my line "awaken" our divine powers by praying to the goddess and hearing her voice, which suggests that the goddess still exists in some form. Mayhaps the goddess somehow "split" herself into two beings, one mortal and one divine.

[ Oh, she's babbling. That's probably more info than Anonymous actually wanted. ]

Pray forgive my tangent. I am something of a scholar in my spare time and I fear I am prone to long bouts of conjecture at times.

I live and work for a scholar who does the same. It's hardly something that you need to apologize for.

Your theory does make a certain degree of sense, for what it's worth. It isn't like you can ask her, after all.

[ A scholar, you say? Zelda's curiosity is immediately piqued. If only Anon wasn't anon! ]

Were I at home, I could probably give it a try. But for all my training and prayers in my childhood, I only ever heard the voice of the goddess once. I rather doubt she would be inclined to humor me asking such questions.

[ Still a little salty about that, Hylia. ]

Irregardless, I do hope my anecdote is of help to you in your research. Have you not interacted with many humans before coming here?

[ Just based on the way he phrased his question, Zelda suspects that Anonymous is some kind of immortal being, perhaps a god or a demon. ]

[He is so bad at hiding his inhumanity, isn't he?]

Not really, no. Mostly by choice, but all the same.

[ It'd help if he didn't write in a manner like "how do you do, fellow humans?" ]

Thus the interest in human naming conventions? Are ours so different from your own kind's?

[He debates for a moment.]

There's only one of me.

[ Oh... ]

That sounds very lonely.

You get used to it.

No being should have to get used to loneliness.

[ Which is really hard to write when she knows that she is destined for an eternity of solitude when she wakes from this dream. ]

And yet people do all the time.

[ He's got her there. ]

That is the unfortunate truth, I cannot deny it.

[ A brief pause as she considers. ]

From one scholar to another, might I propose that you expand your research into more of a field study? Collecting data in person rather than remotely is a more effective way to observe the objects of one's study.

I'm not certain I could ask people about their names face-to-face. People get testy, in person.

I suppose I could ask people I already know, however.

You could start with people you know, certainly. But I would still encourage you to reach out to strangers to widen your data pool.

[ And also because maybe Anon will get to meet some nice new people and be less lonely. ]

In fact, negative reactions are informative in themselves. Someone who is indifferent to their name likely will not react strongly; therefore, someone who becomes upset by your inquiry may have strong feelings about their name. Such individuals might be the most helpful subjects for your research.

[What is it with people trying to encourage him to make friends!! Okay yes, he needs to, but still!!]

I see your point. I'll consider it [Maybe. He still probably won't do it without prompting, because he is antisocial.]

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