Barbarella

Jane Fonda as Barbarella in the movie of the same name has become an iconic image. The character is a young woman who travels among various planets having adventures - often daring, usually sexual. The movie was based on a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest and first published as a serialisation in a French magazine in 1962 before being given its' own comic book in 1964.

'Barbarella' became known as the first adult comic book due to its' sometimes erotic content. It is also lauded as anticipating the sexual revolution by depicting Barbarella as the embodiment of "the modern emancipated woman in the era of sexual liberation". The 1968 movie established Barbarella as the ultimate "space kitten", and actress Jane Fonda as a sex symbol.

The movie inspired 17 parents to name their daughter Barbarella in 1968, and another 8 in 1969, although it hasn't charted in the U.S since. As a name, it may seem a little outlandish, but is extremely close to Barbara, which it is reportedly based on, or possibly an international variant of. Barbara is a Latin name meaning 'foreign woman' which has never been out of the top 1000. She spent three decades in the top 10 in the 30's, 40's and 50's, peaking at number two and kept from reaching number one by the classic Mary. Ella is also thought to mean 'foreign' in Old German, as well as 'entire' or 'goddess'. These meanings seem well suited to a revolutionary heroine from a planet unknown.

Other possibilities for Barbarella's origin is that her name was inspired by the prominent B's and R's also found in French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot's name. Recently there was also character named Barbarella portrayed by Michelle Chong on Singapore TV comedy series 'The Noose', whose back-story is that she is named after a combination of two of her favourite role models - Conan the Barbarian and Cinderella. As both characters were well established before Forest created Barbarella, there is a slight possibility they also influenced him. Although it's more likely that these are connections that could just serve to make this name more appealing to parents who love fantasy, science fiction and fairy tales.

Barbarella is such an iconic character that she has become almost a caricature. For many she treads a fine line between bimbo sex kitten and empowered, feminist role model, making Barbarella in some ways quite a controversial name. There is no doubt that while this is a very feminine and fancifully pretty name, she would be extremely hard to wear.

Snow

Here is Australia, it is currently the middle of winter, and this year it feels like it's been a long one. But Winter can be very beautiful, and some of the names inspired by this season are some of the coolest (sorry the pun) around. Frost and Winter both have their charms. But my favourite - and perhaps the most fun - is Snow.

Snow is one that has been getting a lot of attention lately, most often as a middle name but also occasionally as a first. There are a few TV shows and movies using this name recently that have contributed to the recent popularity of Snow as a sweet and interesting nature name. Not one but two Snow White movies were released this year - "Mirror, Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman". Both had very beautiful Snow Whites, and superstar powers playing the evil queen in the form of Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron, respectively. As a side note, Charlizes character has the gorgeous name Ravenna, one I may look into in more depth at another time. And it's Charlizes birthday today - Happy Birthday Charlize Theron!

On TV, Ginnifer Goodwin portrays yet another Snow White in "Once Upon A Time". It's arguably Ginnifer's Snow White character that is doing the most to raise the profile of Snow as a name. Ginnifer's Snow is delicate, caring and sweet, but brave, independent and strong. She is one of the most pivotal characters of the show, with the love between her and Prince Charming and the acute feeling of her loss as she is trapped in the 'real' world providing one of the most compelling story lines of the show.

With the strong connection to Snow White, many could be forgiven for thinking that Snow could only work as a girls name. But Snow could work equally well for a boy. One character waving the flag for a boy Snow is Jon Snow from "Game Of Thrones". Jon is a pivotal character throughout the show and the books. The bastard son of one of the most noble houses of the land, Jon has been raised to respect and uphold the values of his father, the great Eddard Stark. He has grown learning how to be a member of the nobility, while forever being denied the benefits and position that being a Stark would bring. Yet he remains steadfast and loyal to his brothers, and shows many qualities befitting a good and noble leader. His quiet strength lends a great deal to the appeal of being a Snow.

These great examples on the screen help to imbue the name Snow with highly valued characteristics such as tenacity, strength, honour and compassion in many people's minds. Combine these perceived qualities with a word used to describe one of the most beautiful and magical things nature has to offer and you have one special name. No wonder Snow is starting to become a name favoured by parents looking for a sweet but strong, crisp and beautiful nature name.

Gems From (one of my) Favourite Books

One of my favourite books ever is "The Glass Slipper" by Eleanor Farjeon. The copy I have is a hand-me-down from my mother - who got it as a present from her Sunday School - which increases the charm of this book ten fold for me.

One of the most memorable and intriguing things in this re-telling of the classic Cinderella tale is the unusual monikers bestowed upon the two wicked Stepsisters - Araminta and Arethusa. These names were most likely created by the author, as upon checking the original Grimm Brothers version I found that they never actually named the sisters, just described them as "fair in face but foul at heart".

Cinderella's Wicked step-mother and step-sisters Araminta and Arethusa

As a name, Araminta is currently enjoying much more popularity than Arethusa. It is unknown exactly where this name comes from - some say it is a cross between Aminta (Greek name meaning defender) and Arabella (Latin for yielding to prayer); while others say it was invented by British writers William Congreve in his play "The Old Bachelor" in 1693 and Sir John Vanbrugh in "The Confederacy" in 1705. However as it is also thought that these two colleagues may have known an Araminta, so its origins remain sketchy. 

In this book Araminta is known as Minty to her sister, a nickname that people either seem to think is cute and funky, or too reminiscent of toothpaste and chewing gum to be usable. For those, Minta, Minnie or even Mindy might be better options. Either way, this name seems to be on trend with the lacy girls names that are currently on the rise.

Arethusa  is much less well known, but just as pretty. In Greek mythology Arethusa was a nymph who turned into a fountain after Alpheus tried to seduce her and she sought the protection of Artemis. From this, the meaning of her name is water bearer. For those that also like poetic connections, "Arethusa" is also the title of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Arethusa was called Thusy (I presume pronounced Thoosey) in this book, which is perhaps a nickname best avoided. If you need a nickname, Aretha might always be an option.

I think both are great names, but probably not ones I'd use as first names as they're not quite my style. Maybe as adventurous middles though :-) What do others think? Are there some gems from your favourite books that you'd secretly love to use?