Henceforth it is declared that every creature born to Astrum must be given a unique name by which they may be known, and let their family then be bound to that name.
— Nindinva
 

What's in a Name?

In the celestial homeland of Astrum the answer is "quite a lot." There, the residents operate under a curious law that controls their names and what can be done with them - a law that gave rise to an even more curious cultural quirk when it comes to gift-giving - all while providing an easy insult for those who are at odds with Astrum and its Celestial populace.

Limitations and Allowances

Rules

The Celestials Naming Laws are simple:

  1. Only one may have a single name at any given time.
  2. If the bearer of a name passes away, their name is open to use only by those within the deceased's family.
  3. A name can only be used outside of its originating family if that family gifts the name to another person or family.
  4. A name cannot be gifted while still in use.
  5. Once a name is gifted to another person or family, the originating family has forfeited their claim and can no longer use it, themselves.

Is a name truly important? My dear, are you daft?

A name is how we are known. A name defines one's person. Without a name, how would you know who is being called when someone says 'You'? Better yet, how would you know what to call when you're shouting for someone else? To be without a name... it is emptiness. It is silence. invisibility.

This can be an advantage to those who learn to use the quiet.

— "Star" of the Nameless

Execution

To enforce the Naming rules, all those in need of a name must request an audience in the Spiral Tower and petition the Book of Names for approval of the chosen name. This includes all newly Awakened or created Celestials, newly born Celestials (or their parents or guardians as the case may be). This also includes all non-Celestials born in Astrum -- much to their chagrin.

On arrival the petititoners must speak the name to the book. See Book of Names for more information on the approval or disapproval process.

If the name is not in use and does not "belong" to another family, then the name will be approved. It then appears in the book, associated with the newly-named Celestial and their bloodline. If the name has already been claimed, then they are expected to choose another name.

Immigrants to Astrum are expected to change any names that are already in use. The process of renaming oneself is identical to the process of being named for the first time.

Consequences for Non-Compliance

It goes without saying that there are always rebellious or disobedient sorts who refuse to obey the laws of any land. Given the culture of Astrum, this is inadvisable. Even so, it will tend to happen from time to time.

That being the case, there may be some who refuse the Book's judgment and use a forbidden name anyway. This is most common in non-Celestial residents, as Celestials are more accustomed to and accepting of the Book's power and authority.

In the case of the defiant use of unauthorized monikers, a grace period of up to five days is given to the falsely named. At the end of this time, if they have not yet thought better of it and chosen a different name, the Book of Names unnames them: the falsely named and all of their bloodline finds that neither they nor anyone else can remember the names they had once possessed. Additionally, their claims are erased from the Book, lost entirely. Those who lose their names in this way are called The Unnamed.

Unnamed persons must live without names for at least one year. At the end of this period, they can return to the Book and claim a new name... but they cannot reclaim their old one, even if they coincidentally choose it again.

To be Unnamed carries no quantifiable disadvantage or advantage, however it does make their transgression publicly known to the residents of Astrum. This is considered a serious breach of social contract, and the stain can follow a family for years or even centuries... though they are somewhat more lenient with non-Celestial residents provided they are within a few generations of having immigrated.

History and Culture

Origin

Astrum's Naming Laws were first established as a result of a feud between two First Generation Deities who each preferred the same name. It was, in short, a matter of pride.

 

Ultimately neither were permitted to use the name in order to maintain peace, and the specifics of which deities were involved in the conflict has faded into history. However, as a consequence of the conflict, Nindinva wrote the Naming Laws: a law born from the pride of the divine.

Subsequently, The Book of Names was created by Nindinva and Solwae as a means of enforcing the new rules.

This has been the status quo since.

Celestials are ridiculous. Can you imagine making all of those laws about names, of all things? Really, I can't imagine being that petty.

Anyway, I've sent a courier to gather information. Obviously, I'll have to use one of their names. I could never forgive myself if I didn't.

— Hanidas Sengiver

Impact

The most immediately evident consequence of the Naming Laws is that Celestials have an unusually wide variance in names without much consistency in tone, spelling, or favored sounds. Many names are invented by the parents of a First of Name, and in many cases any meaning they carry is retroactively applied. For example, a name associated with a bloodline that tends to have an elemental affinity for fire may come to represent fire to the populace. This has also had ripple effects in the evolution of the Paradisian language, Diursparid, as these retrofitted meanings begin to influence day-to-day speech.

The possibility of transferring a name from one Bloodline to the next has also resulted in the formation of an interesting tradition: the gifting of names.

This is done by a statement of intention to gift a name in the presence of both the recipient (or a representative of the family being gifted) and the Book. Once given, a name cannot be reclaimed unless regifted. A name can be gifted only by the head of a bloodline or, if there is no head, multiple members of the bloodline. If there is only a single member of the family remaining, that one member is sufficient. If there are two, two members are needed. For families with three or more members, three members must be present.

The cultural weight placed on the use and ownership of names ensures that the gifting of names is never done lightly. Not only does the transfer remove the name from the original family going forward, disallowing them the use of what might well be an ancestral name, it also permanently associates the two families with one another. Because of this, the gifting of names is typically associated with marriages, treaties and other contracts or arrangements that rely on trust or affection. To be offered a name is a great compliment, and refusal may be seen as an insult.

Finally, one other side effect can be seen not within Astrum but within their Silent Rivals , Incaendium. Demons can be petty and vindictive... and they are not bound by the Naming Laws the way Celestials or residents of Astrum are. After the advent of the Silent War many Demon houses took to using the names of Celestials for their own offspring. This is considered a direct insult and a showing of disrespect by Celestials, and it should be, because that is always the intention.