thegirlsclub

[nonameformeyet]

Cont. from the welcome page thread (I thought it needed a separate topic)

Many thanks for you welcomes. Well- I've spent the last 2 weeks or so trying to figure out a name for me. I've narrowed it down (kinda). I suck at picking names. I'm fickle. And it's kinda difficult finding something I know is "period" without actually visiting a library in the country of my persona. But I think what I have is pretty friggin close and it will have to do. I want a Persian sounding name but I don't want to go strictly Islamic (i.e. something bint something Al-something if you understand) and I know surnames, although sometimes used were not the most common, at least not yet. So I was thinking of going with like a first and middle name type-a-thingy. Or if that is to confusing I could just use an Al-something surname I suppose. But I need help choosing, or at least some input. Here's what I got:

First Names I like:
Delpazir
Basmehr
Parizad
Hediyeh

Middle Names I like:
Azar
Suri
Sarosh
Najla

Surnames I like:
Al-Sabet
Al- Javadi

So from all that I could use just one of the first names or put a first and middle name together, or a first and surname, or a middle and surname or get something really long and just string 'em all together. And I'd have something like Delpazir Azar Sarosh Al-Sabet. I just don't know. Any ideas?

thanks
S

[audax]

Persia is really complex so I'd suggest you hie yourself over to the Academy of St Gabriel website and do some reserach on the period you are interested in. We are not onomasticists, they are so they can probably help you better.

YOu could just pick a first name you like and tell everyone that's your name. The rest of it can come later when you decide to register something.

My full SCA name is Jehanne Martel d'Antioch. I go by Martel because I like the name and that's what everyone calls me.

Whatever you do, don't pick Suri. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ruined that one.
_________________
Martel le Hardi
squire to Meser Lyonel Oliver Grace, fostered to Sir Gaston de Clermont
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The Minstrel's Champion

[Amaris]

yep. Going to the St Gabriel with help with getting a name past with the Heralds.

I use Amaris because everyone knows me by it. I used to be a Byzantine sea merchant, Amaryllis Marinaro. And guys just would never get it right,...to many syllables I guess. So, Amaris seem to fit me more. Now a days, Amaris won't fly past the Heralds, to modern a name. But for Tournaments I started using Haroun al-Tayyib. I dress as a Seljuk male on the field. I did think about a woman's name, but they were all to flowery. I wanted something with some spunk.

Amaris

[Doireann]

You would not likely have a middle name, actually. I can't find much on Persian naming practices, but I did find an article by Ursula Whitcher, and she's pretty awesome at this, at http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/other/persian.html .

In the article, she says "Some women are known by just a single name, and there are no patronymic bynames (bynames based on the father's given name), though these phenomena could be artifacts of the transcription. We did find several examples of locative bynames (bynames based on location), e.g. Samarqandî, Tabrîzî, etc.)"

I found more information about Persian naming practices elsewhere in the St. Gabriel's site as well. If you go to the main site - http://www.s-gabriel.org/ - and scroll down a bit to a field called Search Our Past Work, you can type in "persian and feminine" and you will get the links to a series of letters written by the members. It's best to start with the newer letters, in the 3000s. These letters have great information and will be helpful in forming a name that is acceptable for registering if you eventually want to register. Authentic Persian women's names aren't registerable, as women didn't have surnames as far as they can tell, but they try to help you work around that problem.

Doireann

[nonameformeyet]

I'm never going to find anything. This is driving me crazy. The only thing I find that has any dates is so small (maybe 4-5 names) and everything else isn't properly documented, no dates at all. I found one site that I have pulled most of the names that I like off of, however I can't find a single actual source reference or a date. I was looking off the "Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies"..... thought it would be a good source. Everyone keeps recommending Gabriel's to me but even they have so little information. I hate to do it but I'm about to give up and just find an Islamic name even tho my persona is really not supposed to be Islamic (meaning I don't wanna.).... sigh*

S

[nonameformeyet]

Ok- an edit to that last post. I have one site from Gabe's that has tons and tons of names. However not all the names have dates from when they were used, simply "old Persian" or "Parsi" etc. and some of them I can't tell if they are girls or boy names. It describes some of the names as "an ashavan" which I have discovered means "the righteous people" and followers of Zarathushtra, worshipers of the god Mazda. All well and good, but still don't know dates on most or gender. Ideas?

[Doireann]

Maybe after some sleep I can offer something better. But for now, there are some yahoo groups for those with Persian personas. This would be a good place to round things out, but they also might be able to help you with your name dilemma. They've all been there themselves. I just typed 'sca persian' on the yahoo group search field and it gave me a nice list of Persian persona groups.

Doireann

[nonameformeyet]

OK- that's a good idea. I will try that after I get back home from work. Thanks

S

[freiman the minstrel]

I really like "Argh", but that's just me.

f
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Surf less, fight more

[Doireann]

Argh works for me! I'm sorry, I forgot to get back to you. If you haven't already chosen a name, and if memory recalls I think you have, there's some name lists at St. Gabe's. Just scroll down a bit and you'll come to the Persian name links:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/islamic.shtml

Doireann

[Khai]

I understand your difficulty. I too am struggling with name and documentation. I also chose a tough persona. Mongol.

Many Mongol names can be used either for men or women and none of them sound like anything I'd like being called. Either they sound more like someone with a hairball, or were so long by the time you were done saying it, the person you told it to had forgotten it.

I finally decided that I would look for a name that could be shortened and was easy to remember.

Khai.
Short for Khaidu Chinua

So far so good.
I don't know the rules for Persian names, but if the situation exists that names can be unisex, try looking at names of royalty or those of higher station prior to your period. Using names of a former ruler is allowed if you only use part of the full name, or if it is removed enough from that rulers time that it's not claiming to BE that ruler. My persona hails from after the time of the Golden Horde, 1300 ish. Khaidu was the name of one of the first Khans of Mongolia. Around 900. Still documenting.

Don't know if that helps, but sometimes it's easier to find names of high station people to document.