The Power in a Name

[Doukeshi]

This query came to me after watching Hellboy, a rather good movie I thought, but thats not the point. The point comes when, towards the end of the movie Hellboy is in the presence of Rasputin blah blah and he needs to say his true name to get out the locks which have his true name engraved on them.

Now this brought a long standing question back to my mind. The idea that one can hold power over a person by knowing their name. It is something that I have often wondered, though I have found out little about it. Where does the idea of power within a name come from, and the idea that if you know a persons true name you hold power over them. I never really understood that, what power could a given name possibly hold. I wish to be enlightened.

I was just curious if anyone could help me out with this

[Lilt]

[size=1][color=purple]I'm not exactly sure, but I know it goes deeper than your given name, (which makes sense considering that people can get their name changed in court.) In a manga called Lagoon Engine, they had something about this two. The main characters each had "true names" that could never be said allowed or else the monsters that they fought could gain power over them. I don't know exactly what they said about all of this in the manga, but they did say that you are born with your true name.[/color][/size]

[KarmaOfChaos]

[SIZE=1][color=deeppink]That's an interesting idea, that you're born with your true name, even though you may not know what it is.

I also know of pleanty psychic 'advisors' who would have a hayday with it.

Anyway, true names aside, I think there's a lot of power in given names, too. After all, when you hear your name being called, you can't resist looking up or give some sort affirmation that you heard them, right? Names also hold meanings that are tied to the language/culture that they originate from. (For example, Erin, my name, means Eire, or Ireland, which is where the name came from.) So they tie us down to our cultural heritage. Plus, it's something your parents (or whomever takes care of you) gave you, and most of them give it with all the love and affection that occurs between a child and his or her guardian. So it's a bond between families, both blood and non.

Alas, I think I kind of went in a different direction than you intended this thread to go in. You're looking for stuff more along the lines of myths and legends that have something to do with the idea that if you know someone's name, you have power over them. I can't say I'm familiar with anything of that sort, but I'll keep my eye open. I'm sure there's pleanty of legends about it.

-Karma[/color][/SIZE]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]I think it's one of those philisophical things that humans cook up for themselves. Not to say it's a ridiculous idea - 'cause it's not, but perhaps literary writers decided that names were powerful things to be recokoned with?

I've also read a book where this god-like being had two otehr names, a lesser and a greater, and if you said them, they would come to aid you (er... they aided this one character who knew their names). Also, look at Spirited Away. Yubaba took Chihiro's name, and it sealed a contract; only if Chihiro could remember her name could she leave. Actually, that's one of the premises of the movie - since Haku couldn't remember his real name.

Names identify you, they set you apart from an immediate group (Immediate because there are tons of people who carry the same name as you). Humans have always liked being thought as separate individuals. It's our nature. Or it's probably something psychological. Ask Freud.

I don't think names quite literally/physically hold power over people, but maybe on a deeper mental level they do. It is true that when somebody calls your name, you turn around to look; or you respond to it. And though I'd prefer not to share the details, know that my true name used to hold power over me in some weird way. :P[/color]

[Zen]

[color=green][size=1]


It could mean that the power over the name comes from saying "the name given to us by our creator". As Hellboy is called Hellboy by his founders, they know not of his true name, although those who created him and those who know the name in which was given to him on creation can have power over him because that name is sacred from his creator. Maybe God gave us individual names in which he can command us... who knows. I'm sure he wouldn't want any human knowing that name because it would take away the free will the Lord gave to us. That is probably where the concept rose from.[/color][/size]

[Lady Macaiodh]

[color=darkblue]I know that when I fall in love, knowing the name, thinking the name, speaking the name, etc., of the person gives me the ultimate rush and makes me feel powerful. But this isn't what you mean, I think.

I know that in circles of the Craft, a person's name can be used to perform spells.

But whether those spells work depends on if you do them right. >.~[/color]

[wrist cutter]

I suggest you read and or watch "The Crucible". Been awhile since I read the play, but I recall that in the end, a name played a significant part. It was good though.

[Imp]

OK, in my visions, there are two kinds of names:
1. The name your parents or guardians give you,
AND
2. The name the gods give you, or the name you think best fits your personality or even your destiny.

I've pondered this quite a bit. But I don't believe that knowing one's true name will give you power over that person. It just sounds so silly. But, knowing the meaning of that name could mean something. For example, let's experiment with Superman. That would probably be his true name because it describes who he is and what he does. Lots of people know that name, but still nobody has power over him because of that. Only some do because they traced his name (and the name given to him by his parents) bck to where he came from and what his weakness is. So that supports the fact that only when one discovers the meaning of name can one gain access to that person's personality and job.

It's quite magical when you discover your true name and what it means, and it's perfectly OK if you tell it to other people as far as I see it... Besides, wouldn't it feel much better if you were called by the name that describes you the most? As for me, I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of my true name... That's the other thing. Names can have a deeper, abstract meaning different from what it translates from... That happens a lot, I've noticed, in some of my stories... And with others too.

The name that is first given to you might not even mean anything; it might just be a weird combination of letters or it might not even make sense... For example, my name is Rebecca, which in Hebrew means "peacemaker", but... I'm not a peacemaker--I'm usually a peacebreaker! But that can happen with other people too, so in that case, it can help if one discovers another name that has a deeper, more suitable meaning.

[oshi]

Your name is a summary of everything that you are. When someone mentions your name in conversation, everyone who hears it brings up their own impressions of you and what you are to them. It is how you are known, and therefore very important.

You can take your name apart and look at the letters in it; numerically and symbolically, and it can usually pinpoint certain aspects of your personality--much like astrology. I'm not sure how it works; either you become your name, or your name becomes you. I would think that it depends.

But there is truth to the power that a name supposedly holds. With Wicca, there is no name for any great evil as there is in Christianity--because to give something a name is to admit fear of it; to acknowledge its existence and give it power over you. Much like simply saying the name "Amanda", the name "Satan" conjures countless images and memories, all unique for every person.

It does seem to be a literature thing, though. In [U]The Iron Dragon's Daughter[/U] by Micheal Swenson, the main character, Jane, claims control of numerous males through acts of seduction in which she acheives and exploits their true names for the dragon's benefit. At least, I think that's how it goes. I read the book in seventh grade, so I'm probably a little fuzzy on the details. :)