Thydian Naming Day

Names, names are important. They can tell us who we are, who we were, who we will be. They define us as much as the color of our hair.

In Thydian tradition, a person has the ability to name themselves for various reasons. Others may name a person for something memorable about them, such as High King Magnus the Red-Eyed being named for his red eyes. Magnus has also named himself by taking on the name of a succesful Arle who had expanded his Arling's borders to cover almost a third of Theydim.

Primary Related Location

Theydim

Related Ethnicities

• Thydian

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Naming Children

"Another mark? But that was the third one!"
"He will find his own name then. He'll grow into a stubborn Thydian - just like his mother."

— Edvin Skarzvard and Matilda Skarzvard trying to name "Kid" Skarzvard as a newborn

When a child is born, they are given a name by their parents. After about a week, if the child has not developed a marking - post-birth birthmark, rash, post-birth freckles, or other such marks, their name is considered "bound" to them. If a mark has developed, the parents try another name. After a third naming attempt, the child is given a nickname that takes place of a name until they find a name they wish to claim as their own.
Each naming attempt is announced to the family, and the day of the name-binding or the third name rejection, the child is presented to the rest of the family and their community as the bound name, or the nickname.

Name Claiming

"Hey, Kiddo, what's the exciting news you're holding up in secret for tomorrow? It's your birthday, aren't we the ones who are supposed to be keeping secrets from you?"
"Ha, I've got it."
"Got what niece?"
"My own name!"

— Woodcutter and his niece

When a Thydian binds a name to themselves, they announce their name to their family and town (or in the case of cities, their district) on their birthday. Regardless of if they were a newborn who had rejected previous naming attempts or not, they spend the next three weeks being referred entirely by their new name until the name becomes habit for everyone around them and for the newly-named. At the end of the three weeks, the name-claimer gathers their family and community to announce if they feel the name represents who they feel themselves to be. This prevents individuals from naming themselves something like "ZapityZap" and regretting the decision and having to spend a year with the name they do not want.
Those who had been named as newborns often move the name they'd carried into a secondary name. Nada Liyas Ellascas was born Liyas Ellascas, but as she grew up, she took on the name Nada as her primary name, and Liyas became her secondary name.
The name-movement is kept for assisting in tracking down family members, though the usage of second names is generally kept for individuals who are of higher social standing, while many who are considered to be of lower social standing generally drop the second name.

Surnames

Thydian surnames are usually lineage based, though some Thydians drop their lineage-names for occupation or trait-names. When a lineage name are used, it is usually based on their parents' primary name with the -son or -dotr suffix - the daughter of Sven and Ingrid may be Svensdotr, or Ingrisdotr, for example, with very rare instances of grandparents' names being used with the suffix -barnbarn on the end of the grandparent's name. Grandparent names are usually in the case of children raised by their grandparents due to the loss of their own parents at a young age.

Trait-Names

Trait-names are generally given over a period of time. Magnus Red-Eyed was frequently described as "red-eyed" or "the red-eyed man" until it became the name people associated with him. Many trait-names are based on physical features or memorable deeds.
A person claiming a trait-name for themselves are usually seen as arrogant and claiming a trait-name without it being given by others is an action most would mock the person for. A handful of individuals who claime trait-names for themselves generally face years of mockery after claiming the name After proving themselves to be people worthy of respect, their arrogant move is considered earned.

Inherited Names

Inherited names are traditionally old names that were once the historic title or trait-name of an ancestor. Some of the origins are lost in the thousands of years in history, even as the name carries on from one generation to the next.
A variant of inherited names are occupation names, based on trades that have been passed down from parent to child. If a child of a tradeperson does not follow and take on the trade, they take on a lineage name. If a non-family member is taken on as an apprentice, they take on the inherited trade name with the suffix -son or -dotr like Smithson to indicate that an apprentice is considered a member of the family. The apprentice drops the suffix when their apprenticeship ends.

Surname Claiming

For lineage names or trait-names, when the individual claims the name, they, like the standard name-claiming tradition, must spend three weeks after their birthday only being called by their new surname. In the case of orphans taking on lineage names with the -barnbarn suffix, the lineage name is bound to them at the first birthday where the child can clearly introduce themselves with their surname, usually a year to two years after the child begins speaking understandably.