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Help[Opinions] Griselda
Griselda has been running through my head lately.
It means, "gray haired battle maiden." !!! I'll type that again. It means, "gray haired battle maiden."
I've wondered how this came to be. Obviously naming styles change over time and what we consider a plus doesn't necessarily hold for parents in days gone by. I completely get that naming a child some sort of battle maiden was normal. (Imelda = all embracing battle maiden. Brunhilda = battle armour.) It's the gray haired part. Was the first Griselda named after a famous mother / grandmother known for her strength in old age? If so, that would be extrememly cool. Or was it the hope of the parents that their little girl should one day grow up to be a famous warrior, and live to old age? The Irish have a beautiful name Liadan, meaning gray lady. The same musings go through my brain about that one too.
Another reason I love the name Griselda: nn Zelda is neat-o-kean-o. Zellie too.
So. Does anyone else see the attraction of Griselda? I'm not planning on naming a child this, so it's purely a name-nerdy question I'm asking. Dare I ask for some combinations? Be as free as you like with it.
It means, "gray haired battle maiden." !!! I'll type that again. It means, "gray haired battle maiden."
I've wondered how this came to be. Obviously naming styles change over time and what we consider a plus doesn't necessarily hold for parents in days gone by. I completely get that naming a child some sort of battle maiden was normal. (Imelda = all embracing battle maiden. Brunhilda = battle armour.) It's the gray haired part. Was the first Griselda named after a famous mother / grandmother known for her strength in old age? If so, that would be extrememly cool. Or was it the hope of the parents that their little girl should one day grow up to be a famous warrior, and live to old age? The Irish have a beautiful name Liadan, meaning gray lady. The same musings go through my brain about that one too.
Another reason I love the name Griselda: nn Zelda is neat-o-kean-o. Zellie too.
So. Does anyone else see the attraction of Griselda? I'm not planning on naming a child this, so it's purely a name-nerdy question I'm asking. Dare I ask for some combinations? Be as free as you like with it.
This message was edited 3/18/2010, 10:40 AM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I'm very much attracted to Griselda, and I find the meaning especially appealing.
Griselda Aveline
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Blythe
Griselda Capucine
Griselda Caroline
Griselda Catherine
Griselda Cecily
Griselda Charlotte
Griselda Constance
Griselda Corisande
Griselda Edith
Griselda Emeline
Griselda Eugenie
Griselda Euphémie
Griselda Eve
Griselda Eveline
Griselda Florence
Griselda Harriet
Griselda Hebe (Hehe!)
Griselda Jane
Griselda Jean
Griselda Joan
Griselda Josephine
Griselda June
Griselda Leonor / Leonore
Griselda Lilac
Griselda Margery
Griselda Aveline
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Blythe
Griselda Capucine
Griselda Caroline
Griselda Catherine
Griselda Cecily
Griselda Charlotte
Griselda Constance
Griselda Corisande
Griselda Edith
Griselda Emeline
Griselda Eugenie
Griselda Euphémie
Griselda Eve
Griselda Eveline
Griselda Florence
Griselda Harriet
Griselda Hebe (Hehe!)
Griselda Jane
Griselda Jean
Griselda Joan
Griselda Josephine
Griselda June
Griselda Leonor / Leonore
Griselda Lilac
Griselda Margery
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Hello, Wordsmith. I was hoping you'd get a chance to weigh in. And what goodies you've brought me. :-)
You know I love your style and that I don't disagree with any of your combos. So I'll confine myself to the ones that really stand out for me:
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Constance (not only is she patient, she's constant as well)
Griselda Eugenie (Eugenia would work for me too)
Griselda Joan (my favorite aunt)
Griselda Marion (I imagine Maid Marion and her nurse Griselda)
Griselda Maxine (don't mess with her)
Griselda Noor (strangely magical)
Griselda Plum (how did you know that Griselda makes me thik of Prunella?)
Griselda Vivien
Griselda Winifred
Thanks, ever so!
You know I love your style and that I don't disagree with any of your combos. So I'll confine myself to the ones that really stand out for me:
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Constance (not only is she patient, she's constant as well)
Griselda Eugenie (Eugenia would work for me too)
Griselda Joan (my favorite aunt)
Griselda Marion (I imagine Maid Marion and her nurse Griselda)
Griselda Maxine (don't mess with her)
Griselda Noor (strangely magical)
Griselda Plum (how did you know that Griselda makes me thik of Prunella?)
Griselda Vivien
Griselda Winifred
Thanks, ever so!
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I wouldn't use it for someone seriously, but I like the name a bit it itself.
I like the nn possibilities as well; Zellie is way cute.
I'd probably just use Grey for short though.
I have a place in one of my stories named Giszeda as a take off of this name. The place is cold, frozen and under the rule of a tyrant so I figured "grey" and "battle" were great ways to describe it.
I like the nn possibilities as well; Zellie is way cute.
I'd probably just use Grey for short though.
I have a place in one of my stories named Giszeda as a take off of this name. The place is cold, frozen and under the rule of a tyrant so I figured "grey" and "battle" were great ways to describe it.
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Thanks! Grey is a nn I wouldn't have thought of. Neat! :-)
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I want to like Griselda, but I think of grisly and gristle.
Interesting thoughts, though.
Interesting thoughts, though.
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OK. I can't win 'em all. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate all thoughts. :-)
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The horrible story of "patient Griselda" is rather off-putting, isn't it. But I like to think that any REAL Griselda, raised in the light of modern-day culture, would kick some serious butt instead of suffering sweetly. Of course, if a family named their child Griselda because they wanted her to emulate the happily long-suffering Griselda of literature, that would be really distasteful.
Same thing with Enid, that's another terrible literary namesake in terms of being a doormat. Her husband Geraint thinks she's cheating on him, so he forces her to accompany him on a long and dangerous journey and yet forbids her to speak to him at all, but the faithful Enid disobeys her husband's orders to warn him of danger several times, and in the end he finally beleives that she loves him. I get such a pathetic image from the name Enid because of that story... like a beaten dog.
Same thing with Enid, that's another terrible literary namesake in terms of being a doormat. Her husband Geraint thinks she's cheating on him, so he forces her to accompany him on a long and dangerous journey and yet forbids her to speak to him at all, but the faithful Enid disobeys her husband's orders to warn him of danger several times, and in the end he finally beleives that she loves him. I get such a pathetic image from the name Enid because of that story... like a beaten dog.
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Oh, great.
I knew about the literary association of "Patient Griselda" and Enid in general. But I didn't know the details and that they were such door-mats. Now I'll have to work to overcome those images.
Why not a combo like Enid Griselda or Griselda Enid? We could introduce our down trodden sisters to each other. Together they feel kind of right, don't you think? In a self-supporting, recovery kind of way.
Then again, I could do what I always do and ignore inconvenient associations when it comes to a name I love, like Lilith. (Bad girl or freedom fighter? Spin can be a wonderful thing.)
I knew about the literary association of "Patient Griselda" and Enid in general. But I didn't know the details and that they were such door-mats. Now I'll have to work to overcome those images.
Why not a combo like Enid Griselda or Griselda Enid? We could introduce our down trodden sisters to each other. Together they feel kind of right, don't you think? In a self-supporting, recovery kind of way.
Then again, I could do what I always do and ignore inconvenient associations when it comes to a name I love, like Lilith. (Bad girl or freedom fighter? Spin can be a wonderful thing.)
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I agree
Enid Griselda / Griselda Enid is a beautiful combo, and you better believe that I would raise a strong daughter. Let the healing begin!
I also am a Lilith fan. And Jezebel. I just have such faith in underdogs, especially underdog names.
I'm sorry I gave you TMI about Enid and Griselda :( But they are still good names!
Enid Griselda / Griselda Enid is a beautiful combo, and you better believe that I would raise a strong daughter. Let the healing begin!
I also am a Lilith fan. And Jezebel. I just have such faith in underdogs, especially underdog names.
I'm sorry I gave you TMI about Enid and Griselda :( But they are still good names!
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I've always liked Griselda. It's so fantastically medieval, and I love Grizel - I went to school with someone who had it as a middle name. Zelda is awesome and Zellie is cute and zippy.
It seems to want to be in combos with very plain names for me, but these might work:
Griselda May
Griselda Lily
Griselda Angharad
Griselda Gertrude (gray-haired battle maiden WITH SPEAR OF STRENGTH, oh yes)
Griselda Flora
Griselda Vivien
Griselda Judith
It seems to want to be in combos with very plain names for me, but these might work:
Griselda May
Griselda Lily
Griselda Angharad
Griselda Gertrude (gray-haired battle maiden WITH SPEAR OF STRENGTH, oh yes)
Griselda Flora
Griselda Vivien
Griselda Judith
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"Gray-haired battle maiden with spear of strength." You might get a life-time achievement award for that one. I'm starting to think we must try a thread devoted to the funniest / most outlandish combinaiton meanings we can think of. You could start the ball rolling with that one!
Griselda Lily sounds so unassuming and demure. Griselda Vivien is the life of the (medieval) party. Thanks!
Griselda Lily sounds so unassuming and demure. Griselda Vivien is the life of the (medieval) party. Thanks!
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Where'd you get that meaning? The BtN entry implies it might be a medieval literary invention. That'd make it more intelligible.
I personally don't see the attraction of it. It's gruff and growly sounding to me. Zelda or Zelly is alright though.
I personally don't see the attraction of it. It's gruff and growly sounding to me. Zelda or Zelly is alright though.
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Any time I look Griselda up in a baby name book "gray haired battle maiden" of something similar appears. I know all baby name books are not created equal. But some are pretty good. BtN is the most scholarly source I've found and even here in the database the elements are "grey" and "battle." So I think I'm on safe ground. And even if it were purely a literary invention, the root words would still be the same.
Glad you like Zelda and Zelly. :-) Thanks for the input.
Glad you like Zelda and Zelly. :-) Thanks for the input.
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As usual, I don't have any valuable info to offer - but I have a question: does anybody know around what time, what era white/grey hair became a symbol of wisdom? I'd love the grey hair part to be "wisdom in disguise" ;-)
As for Griselda, I can't claim that I'm overly fond of this name, but Grizel on the other hand... that one I find strangely appealing. Not that I'd ever use it, but you know...
By the way, did I ever mention that I apparently grew up in "the village of 'strange'/uncommon names"? Could I make you happy by telling you that there used to be a Griseldis at my school? She would be around 19 now.
As for Griselda, I can't claim that I'm overly fond of this name, but Grizel on the other hand... that one I find strangely appealing. Not that I'd ever use it, but you know...
By the way, did I ever mention that I apparently grew up in "the village of 'strange'/uncommon names"? Could I make you happy by telling you that there used to be a Griseldis at my school? She would be around 19 now.
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Griseldis? Fabulis! :-D
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I don't think you can pinpoint a time when grey hair became a symbol for wisdom - I'd bet it's been a pan-cultural assocaition since time immemorial. Just because, especially in days of yore when people were not expected to live past forty, a grey-haired person would undoubtedly have seen a lot of things and amassed many experiences and therefore was regarded as being "wise".
Griseldis is AWESOME and so is Grizel, ohhh my gosh.
Griseldis is AWESOME and so is Grizel, ohhh my gosh.
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That's probably very true. (See what kind of stupid things I say/ask when I've only slept three hours at night? ;-) )
Anyway, I guess I'd love this grey part to mean wisdom because I've fallen for Líadan. Another name I'll probably never get to use, but hey, beautiful nonetheless.
If you like Griseldis, then how about Theolinde (she should be 25 by now I'd think)?
Bilhildis? Adelinde? (sweet old ladies I daren't ask their exact age ;-) )
Brunhilde (in her late 50s)?
Anyway, I guess I'd love this grey part to mean wisdom because I've fallen for Líadan. Another name I'll probably never get to use, but hey, beautiful nonetheless.
If you like Griseldis, then how about Theolinde (she should be 25 by now I'd think)?
Bilhildis? Adelinde? (sweet old ladies I daren't ask their exact age ;-) )
Brunhilde (in her late 50s)?
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Nahh it's not a stupid thing to wonder, I think things like that all the time, and I get obscene amounts of sleep!
Theolinde is soooo pretty, oh my god, I think I like it even more than Theodora! Bilhildis is adorable, ohh wow. Adelinde is the perfect name for a sweet old lady I think. And Brunhilde is close to my heart - my origianl 1980's cabbage patch doll came with the name Brunhilda Annabelle on her adoption certificate ;)
Theolinde is soooo pretty, oh my god, I think I like it even more than Theodora! Bilhildis is adorable, ohh wow. Adelinde is the perfect name for a sweet old lady I think. And Brunhilde is close to my heart - my origianl 1980's cabbage patch doll came with the name Brunhilda Annabelle on her adoption certificate ;)
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It's not a name I'd use, but I do like how it sounds extremely strong. Strength is an important quality in a name, and I'm determined for my future daughter to have a strong name (and future son too of course). Anyway, I love Zelda and I'm stuck on using it as a given name instead of Griselda nn Zelda.
As for combos, let's see...
Griselda Abilene
Griselda Ambrosine
Griselda Alazne
Griselda Aeron
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Calanthe
Griselda Blythe
Griselda Brigitta / Brigitte
Griselda Bronwen
Griselda Carolien
Griselda Colette
Griselda Irene
Griselda Faustine
Griselda Fiorenza
Griselda Fiera
Griselda Hannele / Hannelore
Griselda Honor
Griselda Ianthe
Griselda Ines
Griselda Jacobine
Griselda Kunigonde
As for combos, let's see...
Griselda Abilene
Griselda Ambrosine
Griselda Alazne
Griselda Aeron
Griselda Beatrix
Griselda Calanthe
Griselda Blythe
Griselda Brigitta / Brigitte
Griselda Bronwen
Griselda Carolien
Griselda Colette
Griselda Irene
Griselda Faustine
Griselda Fiorenza
Griselda Fiera
Griselda Hannele / Hannelore
Griselda Honor
Griselda Ianthe
Griselda Ines
Griselda Jacobine
Griselda Kunigonde
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Strength, that's the ticket. I'm glad you appreciate her backbone. :-) And Zelda can stand on her own quite well. I'd be tickled pink to be introduced to a little Zelda one day.
So many terrific combos. My favorites:
Griselda Beatrix (natural pairing)
Griselda Bronwen
Griselda Faustine (delightful!)
Griselda Fiera (look out!)
Griselda Hannelore (aw, she sounds like a fairy tale sweetheart)
Griselda Honor (nice)
Griselda Ianthe
Griselda Ines (!!!)
Griselda Jacobine
Griselda Kunigonde (I dare you. I double dog dare you.)
Griselda Magdalene
Griselda Meadow
Griselda Maren
Griselda Rhiannon
Griselda Rhonwen (wow)
Griselda Winifred
Griselda Vivian (prefer Vivien)
Very nicely done. Thanks!
So many terrific combos. My favorites:
Griselda Beatrix (natural pairing)
Griselda Bronwen
Griselda Faustine (delightful!)
Griselda Fiera (look out!)
Griselda Hannelore (aw, she sounds like a fairy tale sweetheart)
Griselda Honor (nice)
Griselda Ianthe
Griselda Ines (!!!)
Griselda Jacobine
Griselda Kunigonde (I dare you. I double dog dare you.)
Griselda Magdalene
Griselda Meadow
Griselda Maren
Griselda Rhiannon
Griselda Rhonwen (wow)
Griselda Winifred
Griselda Vivian (prefer Vivien)
Very nicely done. Thanks!
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Thanks. Do you also like Mahina?
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OT (ETA)
Can you give us some more information of Mahina? It's unfamiliar to me and so I have no associations to draw upon. It therefore becomes a collection of sounds and I need somehting to drown out thoughts of sushi when I see / hear it. It has a pretty sound, I'll grant you that.
I saw your thread above and was hoping for more info from others before I weighed in. Sorry I couldn't be more positive. But I'm keeping an open mind. :-)
Aha! Why didn't you say so? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahina
Moon goddesses almost always have a pleasant effect on a name. And the Hawaiian angle helps too. Very nice name. If you don't mind I'm going to steal it and put it on my mong list.
If you don't mind a suggestion, I'd amend your original thread post to include this information. :-) You'll probably get more responses.
Can you give us some more information of Mahina? It's unfamiliar to me and so I have no associations to draw upon. It therefore becomes a collection of sounds and I need somehting to drown out thoughts of sushi when I see / hear it. It has a pretty sound, I'll grant you that.
I saw your thread above and was hoping for more info from others before I weighed in. Sorry I couldn't be more positive. But I'm keeping an open mind. :-)
Aha! Why didn't you say so? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahina
Moon goddesses almost always have a pleasant effect on a name. And the Hawaiian angle helps too. Very nice name. If you don't mind I'm going to steal it and put it on my mong list.
If you don't mind a suggestion, I'd amend your original thread post to include this information. :-) You'll probably get more responses.
This message was edited 3/18/2010, 12:06 PM
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Thanks.
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lol!
I loved the "it means gray-haired battle maiden, let's say that again!" I love the enthusiasm.
I myself am really entering a phase of loving stereotypical "Witch" names, like Agatha, Griselda, Ursula, Wanda etc. I adore them. So Griselda is a thumbs up.
I'm not sure what the whole meaning behind it is all about. Maybe, since the name is Germanic, they really mean "silver-haired", like the white-blonde hair of many young Germanic women? Or maybe it is a reference to a kind of terrible hag-like amazon, like the Valkyries, who were beautiful women who took the souls of warriors. I for sure get a kind of "battle-crazed witch of fury" feeling from it. Maybe her hair is grey from the ashes of burning corpseeeessss.
Combos!
Griselda Georgiana
This is tough, Griselda makes any other name look wimpy
Griselda Helene
Griselda Hendrika
Griselda Henriette
Griselda Johanna
Griselda Johanneke
Griselda Valentine yeah why fight it, let's put her with the most fluffy names out there
Griselda Annabella
Griselda Fleur
Griselda Cecilia
Griselda Celeste
Griselda Demelza lol
it's an awesome name
I loved the "it means gray-haired battle maiden, let's say that again!" I love the enthusiasm.
I myself am really entering a phase of loving stereotypical "Witch" names, like Agatha, Griselda, Ursula, Wanda etc. I adore them. So Griselda is a thumbs up.
I'm not sure what the whole meaning behind it is all about. Maybe, since the name is Germanic, they really mean "silver-haired", like the white-blonde hair of many young Germanic women? Or maybe it is a reference to a kind of terrible hag-like amazon, like the Valkyries, who were beautiful women who took the souls of warriors. I for sure get a kind of "battle-crazed witch of fury" feeling from it. Maybe her hair is grey from the ashes of burning corpseeeessss.
Combos!
Griselda Georgiana
This is tough, Griselda makes any other name look wimpy
Griselda Helene
Griselda Hendrika
Griselda Henriette
Griselda Johanna
Griselda Johanneke
Griselda Valentine yeah why fight it, let's put her with the most fluffy names out there
Griselda Annabella
Griselda Fleur
Griselda Cecilia
Griselda Celeste
Griselda Demelza lol
it's an awesome name
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Griselda Demelza! Now you're cooking with gas. :-D
Yay, another one who "gets" Griselda's kooky charm. And the other names you list as witchy -- I think of them as "my" ugly ducklings. They need me. No one else will love them but me. And now here you love them too. OK, I'll share. Imagine a real sister set of Agatha, Griselda and Ursula. People would need smelling salts, but boy would it be worth it.
Combo heaven:
Griselda Helene (so elegant)
Griselda Hendrika (you will stand at attention!)
Griselda Johanna (dignified, elder stateswoman)
Griselda Fleur (dangerously romantic)
Griselda Celeste (hey -- this one could actually pass in the real world)
It's good to know that someone else appreciates Griselda.
Yay, another one who "gets" Griselda's kooky charm. And the other names you list as witchy -- I think of them as "my" ugly ducklings. They need me. No one else will love them but me. And now here you love them too. OK, I'll share. Imagine a real sister set of Agatha, Griselda and Ursula. People would need smelling salts, but boy would it be worth it.
Combo heaven:
Griselda Helene (so elegant)
Griselda Hendrika (you will stand at attention!)
Griselda Johanna (dignified, elder stateswoman)
Griselda Fleur (dangerously romantic)
Griselda Celeste (hey -- this one could actually pass in the real world)
It's good to know that someone else appreciates Griselda.
This message was edited 3/18/2010, 11:51 AM
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It does have a really awesome meaning, and the image you get from that is quite amazing. So I do appreciate it as a name. But I find it to be a really unattractive sounding name. I can't get past how it makes me think of "gristle." And as much as I enjoy the video game, Zelda has an unappealing sound to me too. Zellie is pretty snazzy, though.
This message was edited 3/18/2010, 10:47 AM
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She's an acquired taste, I know. Zellie is snappy, I agree.
Thanks for the feedback. :-)
Thanks for the feedback. :-)
This message was edited 3/18/2010, 10:49 AM
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