Contentious doll names - gods and so on.

There is a doll named Jesus and I noticed one person asked the owner "but why did you name him Jesus"

LOL cause they wanted to I am guessing

 

I agree, I know of a doll named Jesus as well (possibly the same one as TreeLore does!). The name Jesus is fairly popular in Spanish-speaking countries. It's pronounced "Hay-zeus" though. I know a Brazilian guy who's named Angel and his twin brother is named Jesus.

And my girl's named Mariya, if that means anything.

And to answer the question, I would never name my doll anything insulting or demeaning, even if it was funny or fitting at the time. Basically, I wouldn't name a doll any word that I wouldn't say in front of my grandma.

 

Jesus as a first name doesn't bug me any more. I've met at least four people with the name, it's no different to me than naming my doll after a saint or other religious figure. My first name is Mary (I go by Mary Alice, or just Alice) and I wouldn't consider that unusual either. If the doll is an actual representation of Jesus, however, I would expect to see it VEEEEEERY tactfully done. If it's just for shock value, I'd think it very rude.

 

Yeah. Naming a doll Mohammed could get pretty hairy.

 

Except that Mohammed is possibly the most common given name in the entire world.

I take no offense to any names. That's all they are... Names. Though I do agree with Rhoswyn about the shock value thing. It would be rude to name a doll just to get a negative reaction from someone. But if you genuinely like a name, even if it is a god or something, I see nothing wrong with that.

 

It's common among humans, yes. Some muslims take great offence at naming anything without a soul according to their belief (ie. non-human) Mohammed. The whole business with the teacher naming a teddybear Mohammed was largely overblown but still did cause big problems. You can read about it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7112929.stm

I think we should move on though, as religion's not a great topic for DoA.

 

I suspect that in most places, names from religions (or as we often disrespectfully call them, "mythologies") are considered forms of sincerest devotion. Just think of all the Biblical names that are utterly commonplace in the West - or were at one point or another.

I'm really fond of the names of ancient gods and goddesses - love their sounds and meanings - but would probably tend to shy away from them in order not to lock my doll into a particular role. The same for lots of historical figures. I'd have a rugged time naming one of my boys Caligula... for lots of reasons

 

An interesting thread from late last year in the General Discussion subforum -

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177072

 

Jesus is not offensive for me. I'm Spanish speaker and in each family exist at least 5 Jesus if not more. It is just so common for me! However, I can comprehend if it is offensive to someone else. Each culture is different. In my opinion there are names that can be used by me but Satan, Lucifer, Belial,Damian (The Omen) etc are none of them! They are scary!

 

For me, I wouldn't be offended by a name of a doll. I'm with wonton in saying that it's only a name afterall. And the owner might not have intended the name to be religious at all. You probably wouldn't accuse someone naming their doll John or Peter of being offensive.

 

I actually wouldn't limit what I would name a doll based on if it would offend people or not. I might just not tell people, or I might anyway.

 

This is only going to be able to "be" a debate if members posting into actually raise debatable points regarding the reasons for or for not naming dolls with names that once brought entire cultures to their knees - either in love or in fear.

Is naming a doll after the Norse trickster god Loki okay? Why? Why not?

Is naming a doll after Lucifer - both Angel of Light and Satan cool? Why? Why not?

Simply stating one-line opinions is going to get this thread closed or moved into Memes.

 

I'd say naming a doll Loki is fine- because, well, as most people see him he's a figure of myth rather than one still concretely believed in by a large population. I've seen dolls of the fallen-angel sort and I consider them intriguing. But surely there are people who would consider either of those quite offensive. Why make dolls who are faerie? People still believe in those (I mean the heavy-duty, dead-serious type, rather than the little flitting... things we believe in) and are *they* offended? I'd really like to know.

Funny, I'm a member of our Junior Classical League at my school and I'd be all for making a doll of a figure of greek/roman mythology, or even a character from the Iliad- not a deity but a hero, and I'm sure there'd be someone out there who'd take issue with that.

 

Hmm, I think it's difficult to debate this properly, as it seems to be simply personal preference and personal belief. I have opinions but I'm not entirely sure what (if anything!) those are based on, beyond my cultural upbringing.

Perhaps the uncomfortable zone is when the name is no longer just a name. I'll take your example of Loki, there. If it were just the name, I don't really feel there is any issue- a name is just a collection of sounds until you are aware of any meaning behind it, and even if you personally are aware, another person may just like the sound.
I think I would have trouble if someone made their doll with the full intention of it being Loki, without extreme care and respect.

 

Now that's more interesting!

I suppose....one of the things to be....considered....is the actual "sacredness" of the name. Or...the personality of the god/goddess/mythic hero (and mythic characters were gods before they became myths). Loki was a chaos god, his name is no longer sacred. He has manga and graphic novel characters named for him. He has dogs named for him. Satan....well....that's a pretty serious name in some people's lives. But...the fact that even fish can be named Satan would mean that the Personification of Evil is evolving and changing in today's modern times. Many, many of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses have names that have become...popular today for product placement. Mars bars, Venus razors, Vulcans...