Category: 31days

Toi Thomas’s 2014 contribution to an annual, 31 day, writing challenge that takes place in October and was created by Myquillyn Smith (The Nester). The history, origin, and meaning of names.

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31days

Day 14- Function: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: function: to operate or work; perform a set task.

Thoughts:

I love hearing tales of the past and how, in some cases, things used to be so simple. A man named John who worked as baker would have been called John the Baker, only to later drop the “the” and make Baker a proper surname. This was also the case with butchers, smithies, farmers, and more. To think that people could be given names based on their function in society today makes me laugh. I’m in no hurry to see new generations of John Clerk, Mary Typists, Joe Coffeemaker, or Jane Dogwalker. 😉

Name of the day: Whittleton.

Breakdown and meaning:

Whittleton the name of a family dynasty I created for my Eternal Curse Series and they are the founders of Whittletown. Whittle means “to shape or form by cutting or trim with a blade”. I used my knowledge and love for names based on function to derive a somewhat clever story about a family of wood carvers. In a pivotal transition of my Eternal Curse story, my readers get to take a quick tangent through history to learn of the rise and fall of this family. Incidentally, Whittletown is where my characters Giovanni and Abraham live.

Well, that’s it for Day 14. See you tomorrow.

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Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites:http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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31days

Day 13- Meaning: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: meaning: significance, actuality, to be what is intended.

Thoughts:

I get the feeling that most people don’t spend too much time considering the meaning of the words they use on a daily basis and also may not consider the meaning of names. I’m sure thought is gone into the process of naming someone, but I wonder how often do parents consider the meaning as opposed to just the sound, spelling, and or popularity of the name.

There are many cases in history and an almost infinity number of references in religion, mythology, fairy tales, and folklore when it comes to there being power in the name of something or someone. I’ve always liked the idea that knowing the true name of something was important, but also felt that to know the meaning of the name would be so much more.

Consider the story and the name Rumpelstiltskin. Simply figuring out his name was enough to break his spell/contract, but what if there had been a twist using the meaning of his name? What if knowing the meaning of  his name could make it so that he would have to spin for the girl whenever she needed him to, as is typical fairytale lore. Even better, what if by knowing the meaning of his name, the girl was able to break her own contract and one he’d been bound to. Perhaps the meaning of his name could free him from having to serve others and grant him a child of this own…I could go on and on.

Name of the day: Marcos.

Breakdown and meaning:

The Marcos is derived from Marcus or Mars. With Spanish and Portuguese origins, stemming from Roman influences, all these variants mean either “god of war”, “god of fertility”, or “both”. Since origin stories and lore are can be different it’s difficult to pin down an exact meaning for this name. Seeing as how, in my Eternal Curse Series, Marcos is a villain, I tend to think of him more in terms of war. However, I can’t wait to explore the duel meanings of this name down the road. Image the tale I could with a character that at one point gives life and then later takes it away.

Well, that’s it for Day 13. See you tomorrow.

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Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites:http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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31days

Day 12- Identity: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: identity: to recognize oneself and be recognized by others, to be constant in one’s nature.

Thoughts:

Identity theft makes me angry, but more so it scares me that we live in a world where a person’s name (their character and history) means nothing. If someone steals your identity you become a victim twice over. Not only do you have to fight to get your identity back, but you have to fight to prove you are yourself and not someone who steals and lies. I’ll save my rant about the incredibly flawed judicial system of the U.S. for another day, but in a country where you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, the powers that be haven’t figured out what to do about this issue. If “the computer” says you wrote a bounced check for $1,000, you have to prove you didn’t do it.

As scary as the thoughts sounds to me, I’m almost already for a future where your identity isn’t based on your name and your residence, but your DNA…almost.

Name of the day: Seth.

Breakdown and meaning:

Seth is a much more interesting name once you start researching its origins than one might think just from hearing the sound of it. It’s not a very strong or bold name and, unfortunately, many people in modern Western Civilization think of it as a name reserved for humble, meek, smart, and small people.

With origins in Hebrew, Israeli, and Egyptian the derivatives of this name can be applied to a man or a woman. The meanings of this name that like best are: “appointed” and “substitute”. In my Eternal Curse Series, the character of Seth represents aspects of both these meanings. Though he is a minor character in the overall scheme of the story, his impact is great and the story would not hold together without him.

Well, that’s it for Day 12. See you tomorrow.

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Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites:http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords