Since this is a blog about Neo-Pagan names, it would be interesting to see what real Pagans name their children.
Well, there's a problem there. Witches are still a secretive bunch. Either most Neo-Pagans choose not to have children or they're keeping them hidden from Internet eyes.
This could be done for a number of reason. One of them might be a fear of having their children taken away because of their religion. This is not an imaginary fear. Many times, an ex would use the former partner's religion as a tool against them in divorce proceedings, with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, one of the first lessons I learned researching Neo-Pagan families is that the family court system is not always our friend. Or maybe they just don't want their children to be singled out in their community. Even Pagan Mom bloggers are wary about posting anything specifically related to their kid.
Another consideration is that the idea of a "Pagan family" is a new development. Today, there are books for families and kids, children's activity in Pagan gatherings, and groups that tone down some of the more explicit sexual components of our culture. But as early as forty years ago that was completely unheard of. They had no idea how to deal with kids back then. Most of us didn't grow up in Pagan families ourselves. So logically there wouldn't be as many names to find as I might like. But as more and more of us are starting to have kids, more and more of us start speaking out.
This isn't by any means a complete list. But what kind of conclusions could you draw from this selection?
Well Known Pagans with Children:
Isaac Bonewits had a son named Arthur Shaffrey.
Laurie Cabot has two daughters from two marriages: Jody and Penny.
Sully Erna has a daughter named Skylar Brooke.
Cerridwen Fallingstar has a son named Zachary.
LaSara Firefox Allen and her husband Robert Allen have two daughters.
Silver Ravenwolf has four children.
Z. Budapest has two sons named Laszlo and Gabor.
Witchlets of Pagan Blogs:
Cynthia Elizabeth - The Balanced Witch
Lucas - Bringing Up Salamanders
??? - Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
Angelus - Domestic Witch
Ostara Faith Avalon - The Goddess Guidebook
"Chickadee" and "Sharkbait," but I highly doubt those are their real names - Musings of a Kitchen Witch
??? - Pagan by Design
??? - PaganDad
Tabitha, Rowan (b), Rhiannon, Archer, Morgan Finn, Wolfie, & Meabh - The Pagan Family
Alex, Claire, & Molly - The Pagan Mom Blog
Hannah, Patrick, Willow, & Cooper - Tales of a Kitchen Witch
Rowan (b) - Witchy Mama
From Witchvox's Pagan Parenting Essays:
Tyler
Arielle
One parent had seven sons, no names listed.
Thora
Sarah
Robert
"Tree Bear"
Bridgitte & Brieanne
From Pagan Families:
Nefertiti Rene
Lorelai
Sebastian & Aiden
Evelyn Rose Leslie
Acacia Prudence & Rowan Sebastain Aleister
Astrid
From The Pagan Household:
Brianna
Rowan Brennis & Ian Alexander
Abigail Raeesa & John David
Luna Marie
Rowan Sky (b)
Witchlets I've meet personally:
Liam
Genevieve
Athena
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pagans#Modern
Image Credit:
Found via http://pinterest.com
There are so many Rowans! I had no idea my name was so popular with this set. I like seeing Arthur and Prudence used.
ReplyDeleteMy two are named Sierra & Wyatt. (Salem's Creations Blog)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this interesting post: most of these names are really lovely, and many are not noticeably "pagan".
ReplyDeleteI managed to find a few children of pagan parents from Australia:
Isabella
Maeve
Molly
Kanye (not strictly a pagan, more eclectic)
Zachary
Madison-Belle, Emily and Mia
Tallis, Aliya and Maleah (girls)
Some more (Wiccan families):
ReplyDeleteLily
Max
Matthew
Harry and Amy
Jenni, a teenager handfasted to a fellow Wiccan named Alex, mother is a high priestess
I named my girls Faye and Avalon and would love if you blogged about those. I know my reasons behind picking them, but would be interested in what you came up with as well.
ReplyDeleteI've always had such a soft spot for Rhiannon and Lorelai! Rowan, too. A lot of these names are definitely subtle!
ReplyDelete