Contentious doll names - gods and so on.

Names are just names, some people give it a meaning and some do not. I see no problem with naming a doll from a religious book, in my case, I have read only the Bible and I've known many people in real life with the name Jesus, Peter, Abraham etc so I see no problem.

As for naming a doll lucifer, I agree 100% with Lelite's post. Lucifer is not even in the original texts, it was added later on by Constantine. Satan is also another meaning for "traitor" so you could name your doll "traitor" or "satan". However, I admit I would feel a bit uncomfortable with a doll with that name (or a person xD) due to my belief of God but I would not point fingers.

I'm Christian but I do respect other people's beliefs or lack thereof as long as they respect mine! (and if they not, I just ignore them^^ I don't like fighting over beliefs because everyone is free to choose what they want to believe in).

 

The only thing that would stop me from using a name is if I don't think it suits my doll. That said...if it is a name with some sort of wide cultural importance, or religious importance, I be careful to use it in a respectful fashion...I like for names with meaning to be given to characters that could embody that meaning..or go against it for the sake of irony, but I want it to be well thought out.

 

Names have no power to me, and as I love mythology and am interested in demonology, I think a lot of names found in them are interesting sounding. I do like looking up associated meanings for names and with mythological names, I often love the stories associated with the name. But just because I have a doll whose true name is Satan and yes, he is one of the four princes of Hell, doesn't mean I think I am invoking Satan or that it has any real power. He's just as fictional as any other fictional character and no different than naming a doll Jean Luc because I love Star Trek.

 

Though this is just my opinion...I would not feel comfortable either buying or naming a doll "Satan" or "Anti-Christ" or even "Christ" or "The Pope" for that matter. That whole thing makes me queazy. Shock value aside...it just smacks of disrespect culturally given the masses of people who believe Satan is as real as any other religious icon. I think such words CAN evoke something unbidden...even if the unbidden thing it evokes is a strong negative response from another person.

I would also never name a doll any name that is ethnically offensive such as "Redskin" or "Paleface" either.

 

Gabriel(le), Michael, Raphael(le)....
those are angel and archangels names. and they are very common names nowadays. so I'll have to say I don't really care.
a lot of names of important people in the bible are now also very common now.
heck, even Jesus is a common name! (depending of where you live)

I personnaly wouldn't call my doll/OC Satan because it's .... not linked to positive things. but I seriously don't care if you do.
guess I wouldn't name it Buddha either xD would be a bit weird/silly IMO.

I'd be much more worried/annoyed if your doll's name meant something horrible in another language. ex: Gōkan-han (rapist in japanese. according to google translate at least), mardaker (cannibal in armenian), ubica (murderer in croatian) or something of that kind xD

 

I surely wouldn't name any of my dolls after demons. It just feels disgusting. I will be willing to name a doll Hitler or Napoleon though. They'll be hand sized funny chibis. *u* Besides, my intention for having dolls would be to play with them and dress them up. I leave the more vulgar names to characters in written work.

 

I'm with Kim on this one ^u^ And I have a character whose name is Satan (indeed being one of the four princes of hell as well, the oldest actually), although I call him Shaitan because it sounds cuter~ In my dolly story, there are demons, angels, all kinds of creatures around. So it's only normal angels are called by their name (like Ramiel, Metatron, Sandalphon, blah blah blah), demons by their names (Shaitan, Bellial, Lucifer, Mephist, blah blah blah), just how the humans of the story are called by their name too ^u^~

 

I just had to say, that there is a famous hockey player in NHL called Miroslav Satan =D. That is just a name and I'm sure it's nothing to do with calling out some dark forces.. What Jesus ja Satan represents, is all in peoples minds. Humans give power to things. I wouldn't name my doll Hitler. Hitler was a real person who made terrible stuff happen, so it would be really disrispectuf to all the people in the world who suffered because of him. And also I wouldn't want people to think I would be a nazi.

 

It's your doll to do with as you wish and call it whatever you want, why does anyone else even need to know that you have named it Charles Manson and it's "Character trait" is that it eats babies for breakfast and has a limp and is dyslexic? Seriously there are so many threads on DOA discussing these things as if they matter but actually, do what you want. When it gets to the point where you put little Charlie on the internet and write stories about him and sit back waiting for the wails of protest... well, you just proved you are immature and attentions seeking, and that doesn't interest me either.

Some people want attention by giving their dolls contentious names and then dropping them into the threads and posting pics and doing the virtual equivalent of jumping up and down waving a swastika so everyone will notice how radical, scary, different, etc... they think themselves to be.... if you are offended the best policy is to ignore them, because all they want is an audience and they will feed off the negative attention. Being offended and saying so is just enabling the attention seeker.

 

I totally agree with Glammie and Kim.
I also think it's quote amusing that some people feel that naming your doll with a name from the christian mythology (menaning Satan, Lucifer ets.) is somehow seen as insulting and should be avoided. Most of the people in this world are not christians, and do all christians think about the names they give to their dolls? What about names like Hekate, Kirke, etc. Some Wiccan might get upset. Or names like krishna, Visnu etc. A Hindu might get affended. There are SO many names that have some kind of meaning to other people, so if it doesn't hav e a meaning to you then who can it really offens?

Then to some names such as Hitler, Mengele, etc. I would never use names like that to my doll. I find it very offensive towards people who had been suffering because of these people. And Hitler, Mengele etc are actual people who have made actual bad things. Satan, Lucifer etc is just a character in the bible for many. Besides Satan means TRUTH in sanskrit, not a bad name eh?

 

I'm usually ok with demon and god names from all religions, but I wouldn't want seeing a doll called Hitler or other names of real psycho killers. Names like Lucifer, Metatron, Gabriel, Belial,... just sound wonderful, I'd use it for demon/angel doll characters and also no fantasy characters. I'm not religious and wouldn't create a demon doll with the same character like the demon I get his name from, because I don't care about religious fairytales. I'll call my doll Lucifer because I love this name, but I wouldn't check the bible to build the character to fit this name. I have several demons/gods in my doll family, some of them have names which sound demon-like or are taken from actual demons/angels I just liked the names of.

I have no problem with Adolf, it's a common Austrian and German name, but if I saw a doll called Hitler, I would just klick away and think the owner has got some major problems.

 

...And if you're doing group Angel Sanctuary cosplay, you can't rock'n'roll without a Lucifer in there!

 

Awwwww....Angel Sanctuary

 

TuT~ Hitler has been used in many comedy skits and funny paraphernalia from back then till now, so I see no problem with naming a doll with that intention. It's pretty much the same with Napoleon who has become an equivalent of "short." Both are great people in their own way~ They're fanatical though so I am not planning on making a doll that emulates their brutal/evil nature.

 

well, anyone who calls their doll "Hitler" is doing it to be provocative - and if they're not, they may possibly have suffered brain damage. then again, they have every right to be as provocative as they want (for comedic purposes or not) and while i'm not an 100% social justice crusader so i refuse to be offended over something as silly as deliberately giving something an offensive name, there are plenty of people who are just waiting for the chance to jump all over you for doing it. in other words, proceed at your own risk.

 

ffff See how Sadomina and I think the same but don't agree to which is cute and which are vulgar?
Hitler sounds cute to me, like she does demon names. Demons are as vulgar to me and many other people as Hitler is to many. Both of us wouldn't make the dolls character like the known originators of those names. Both of us can be called on by others as provocative and might have suffered brain damage or even possessed. Both of us already know the possible outcome/social stigma caused by what we are willing to do. It is our choice to proceed or not depending on our wants and considerations.

TuT To judge a person without full knowledge of their possessions' being or thought/reasoning could cause such a ramble when openly shared. Also, doing that would cause a lost opportunity to meet interesting new people. Surely, you notice the double standard many people put on anything and everything. People are open to judge, but to insult is a crime all people should avoid in any situation. It's what starts the quarrels/drama. We all know how that ends.

I can't truly apologize to anyone if they are offended since I didn't personally harm them. It's like poop lying around the walk way~ If you step on it you can either rub your shoes on the grass and move on; or you could choose to curse at the wind.
The artist can't be totally responsible for the viewers feelings and thought.

 

Well... >_> I can't say for certain that I wouldn't use any words other people might find offensive as doll names, because I just don't know. I am the type of person who might name a doll something other people find offensive just because I like the sound of it for that character.

For example, I have used Viscera and Sclera for doll names because I like the way the words sound, even though the meanings are kind of disgusting when you think about it. (Viscera = guts, sclera = part of the eye)

 

Viscera~ Not many people know the meaning of those words. People back then gave body parts pretty sounding names though.

 

I would never avoid a name I wanted to use just because it might offend someone. If I like it, I like it. It's my doll, after all.

But no, there are no specific names/groups of names/whatever that I would specifically avoid.

 

I've got no problem with any names, really. I would probably give someone a strange look if they named a doll "Hitler" ... But names of gods, angels, or demons? No problem.

... Course I'm named after a "demon"... and so's my doll (Lilith).