Daily Writing Prompt #3

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet”

— Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

Names are a funny thing—everyone’s got one. Most of us don’t even choose our own, yet we’re content with what we’ve been labelled. We even build entire personalities around names; most of us are very familiar with the stereotypes of a “Karen” or a “Chad”. But it goes even further than that.

Let’s do a little exploring with this daily prompt as our starting point.

Well, aside from my about page, I haven’t really introduced myself in a while. So, hi. I’m Theodora, or Theo for short. I’m a writer (obvs), a poet, a web person (?), and a bit of a cat lady. I enjoy the horror genre across most media types, I read a wide range of books, and I enjoy a lot of different kinds of music (metal and classical are probs my faves). I’m also vegetarian, tattooed, and I tend to wear a lot of black clothes.

So, you get a pretty decent picture. 

The name, though? It comes from the Greek words for “god” and “gift”, meaning gift of god. It’s a very old name and one that has bobbed in and out of fashion over the centuries.

And I love it. 

While I can’t be certain, I’m sure I’ve always had a bit of an affinity for old names—Marcus, Aster, Sebastian, Camilla, etc. They’re beautiful names and have a depth and history that adds a verbal and mental weight when used. I think it can be pretty powerful, especially nowadays when strange and unique spellings of typically common names are evolving into their own orthography.

Weird times indeed. 

“Theodora (Greek: Θεοδώρα, Theodōra) is a feminine given name, the feminine version of Theodore, from the Greek θεός theos ‘god’ + δῶρον doron ‘gift’. Theodora is first attested in Mycenaean Greek, written in the Linear B syllabic script, as 𐀳𐀃𐀈𐀨, te-o-do-ra. It was the name of several saints and queens, including Theodora, a 6th century Byzantine empress honored as a saint in the early Christian Church.”

— Wikipedia

But Theo wasn’t always my name. It’s one I chose for myself. 

I’m not going to get into the details about the whole thing, but I think there is one thing worth mentioning—there’s nothing wrong with changing your name to something that makes you feel happy and more you.

It’s your life and your name.

You’re the one who’s going to be stuck with it forever, so you might as well enjoy it. And if that means filling out the paperwork, testing out a new nickname, or simply connecting with that part of your identity, then so be it. I changed my name for a number of reasons, one of the most significant being that I didn’t like the one I had originally been given—it just didn’t fit.

But the one I did choose, Theo/Theodora, it feels just right.

How can I explain this?

You know when you finally find that like perfect pair of jeans or shoes or something, and for the first time, in who knows how long, it doesn’t feel like a fight to get them on? Like for once, everything just slides into place, hugs all the right places, and makes you feel great. 

That’s what’s in a name.

And it’s funny. Now, with my new name, I’ve had more people tell me I look like a “Theo/Theodora” than I did in comparison to my old one. I think there’s something to that. In a similar way that names can become these stereotypes we throw around for comedic value or insult, they can also physically change a person. You find yourself walking a little taller, speaking with a little more confidence, smiling more often.

The name becomes you just as much as you become the name.

For me, my identity is neatly stitched together from my choices, experiences, and circumstances. It’s a sort of quilt I’ll be sewing all my life, and changing my name wasn’t frogging that part of the project but rather an adding on to it—an alternation, not a removal. It’s still there, a part of the stitch-work. 

A small thread connects me to history dating all the way back to the 6th century.

That same thread connects “T” to “h” to “e” to “o”.