On My Mind: 8-10-20

Katherine Langford as Nimue in "Cursed"

Nimue - I've been watching and loving Netflix's "Cursed", a new take on Arthurian myth that follows Nimue, a Fey sorceress who comes to own Excalibur. I've always loved Arthurian mythology and Nimue is one of the most beautiful names from it. The origin of this name is unknown, with some conflating it with the Celtic Nemain, the Irish Goddess of war, which means "venomous", and others with the Greek word Mneme, "memory". I've always pronounced it as "NIM-oo-ay" but in the show they pronounce it "NIM-way". If you love mythology and fantasy with the added bonus of a female lead and a diverse cast, you should check it out!

Harriet, Called Hal - I recently read "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware, one I've been meaning to get to for some time. I loved it (you can read my review for it here), and I also loved what a big part names played in the mystery. The main character is named Harriet, but goes by Hal, which I thought was adorable. Other great names in the book include Margarida, Maud, Harding, Abel, and Ezra.

Noé, Mie, and Osip - Another book I read was "The Book of Beasts" by Audrée Wilhelmy (read that review here), which tells of Mie who can enter the minds of animals and her secluded life at a lighthouse. I wasn't exactly sure where it was supposed to be set, but Mie is a Danish and Norwegian nickname for Marie, and her mother's name, Noé, is a French, Spanish, and Portuguese form of Noah, and in the Netherlands a woman's name. Mie's uncle is named Osip, a Russian form of Joseph. The story was one I both liked and disliked, but I enjoyed all the unusual names very much.