Chris Muller, Period 7, 10/23/2023

 Chris Muller, Period 7, 10/23/2023

Choose a topic we have covered in class and discoveries about it: Names

Names are one of the most famous and notable aspects of mythology. From legendary heroes to devilish monsters, grand homes of the gods to enchanted blades, aspects of mythology are often remembered most by the iconicness of their name rather than any actual lore. Many of these names have taken on a second life, inextricably linked to their items and distant from their original meaning. However, many of these names are very literal translations, often comically so.

The first example I will examine is the legendary sword Excalibur. Excalibur is the name of the sword of King Arthur, and is associated with magic and rightful rulership of Britain. The sword’s name can be traced back through four different languages: French, Old English, Medieval Latin, and Welsh. Excalibur is believed to be a Frenchification of the Old English word “Caliburn”, which is a shortening of the Medieval Latin “Caliburnus”. Caliburnus can be traced back to a corruption of the Welsh word “Caledfwich”, meaning “hard edge”. Colloquially, however, “Caledfwich” can be best interpreted as “sword”. That's right, Excalibur, legendary blade of King Arthur, symbol of the British throne, just means “sword”.

Norse Mythology produces several examples of such literal naming. Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, can be best translated from Norse as “that which crushes”, often used in the context of milling grain. Notably, however, the Russian word for lightning is молния, pronounced “mole-near”. The consensus of most scholars is that this is the result of Norse influence on Russian peoples. However, some researchers dissent and assert that it is the other way around, with Russian influencing Norse mythology. A second example of Norse literal naming is that of Lævateinn, a weapon crafted by Loki to slay the rooster Víðópnir. The weapon is of unknown type, with most mythologists concluding that it is either a sword, dart, or magic wand. What mythologists do not dispute is that it can be translated as “sure-striking dart”, “wounding wand”, or more humorously, “damage twig”.

Literal names are a theme of most mythology. Artifacts were simply named as what they were, rather than any grandiose naming schema, as it was more practical to do so. However, does it matter that these names have such simple origins? I do not think so. The names of these objects have taken on lives of their own, linking themselves to these legendary items rather than their mundane counterparts. A child playing with a Thor action figure does not think of their toy’s weapon as an instrument for crushing grain, but as an almighty weapon of lightning and thunder. Likewise, someone pulling the sword from the stone at Disney World does not believe Excalibur to be just an average blade, but a symbol of royalty and power. Therefore, I do not believe that it matters that these names have mundane origins because the names no longer mean their mundane definitions to us, English-speaking viewers hundreds of years after these stories were written. Mjolnir does not mean “that which crushes” to us, it means “Thor’s lightning hammer”. These names have become so far removed from their original meaning that the original meaning no longer exists, fully subsumed by it’s mythological definitions. 

Names are the most defining part of an object. While these mythological names have mundane origins, they have grown into a life and meaning of their own.