Vaestic names

This page deals with names common among Vaestic groups: specifically, names found in numerous languages with common Vaestic roots.

Cultural practices

In Vaestic countries, the name by which an adult is known is not the same name as that given to them by their parents at birth. Rather, children are given names of convenience by a Scholar, typically a name requested by the parental Unity, although Scholars have considerable personal freedom in this matter and there is nothing other than convention requiring them to give the child a name that the parents approve of. This naming occurs at the same time as the ritual of flame-cleansing in which the child is ritually cleansed by being lightly burnt with a scented candle. This name, known as the 'baby name' or, confusingly to Messenians, the 'first name', is used to refer to the individual throughout their childhood. First names are usually normal lexemes in the local language, often diminutives - for example 'twig' or 'flower'.

At the age of 16, a Vesnite undergoes a second ritual which marks their journey into adulthood; this ritual involves various rites of passage which symbolically mark their new independence in seeking Knowledge. This includes a ceremony at which the Vesnite casts off his or her first name and takes a new, Vaestic name. These names are typically chosen from a comparatively small set of lexemes referring to Vaestic concepts or are alternatively versions of the names of famous Vesnites, most prominently the Prophetic Marshals; the list of accepted names varies from Banner to Banner. This name is chosen by the Vesnite with the counsel of a local Scholar, with the actual role played by the Scholar in choosing varying widely between individuals. In most countries, nobles descended from the original Secote conquerors traditionally retain the privilege of taking 'dithematic' names from the High Secote language in addition to their Vaestic name, although the ceremony is effectively identical. Where Standard-Bearers have two names - a Vaestic name and a noble name - the former is typically used to refer to them formally in their role as Standard-Bearer, and the latter in other contexts (e.g. in direct address by those in the counsels of the monarch, as well as in historical documents). In earlier periods, the age of adulthood was not fixed on a year but rather based on regional norms - typically the first menstruation for women and various local variations for men.

Noble names

The names of the High Nobility, i.e. the descendants of the Secote noble families, are traditionally constructed from two lexical elements taken from a restricted set. In former Great Neritsia, where Tirfatsevid aristocratic culture dominated, use of these names alongside a Vaestic name was traditionally one of the legal privileges of the aristocracy; in some countries their use is now archaic or even banned (Azophin for example).

Lexeme	Meaning	Example
vladǫ	to rule, ruler	Vladimir
mirŭ	peace, world, prestige	Vladimir, Miroslav
slava	glory, fame	Miroslav, Vladislav
bogŭ	rich, fate	Bogoslav, Bogomir
voj	fighter, warrior, war	Vladovoy, Spytivoy
rad	happy, eager, to care	Radomir, Radoslav
ljub	love, to like, favour	Ljubomir
mil	love, to like, favour, graced	Lyudmila, Milica
stan	to stand, to hold, to become	Stanislav
čǐtǐ	honour	Chistibor
tješ	happy	Tješomir
bor	war, fight	Boris, Boroslav
gněv	angry, furious	Spytihnev
spyti	pointless, unnecessary	Spytihnev, Spytibor
msti	vengeance	Mstislav
vole	to prefer	Volimir
ostro	sharp	Ostrobor, Ostromir
dom	house	Domarad, Domoslav
mǔisl-	think	Prěmysl
yar, jar	strong, severe, fierce	Yaroslav
velii	great, more, large	Velibor
bolǐi	great, more, large	Bolimir, Bolislav
svět	light, strong	Svetlana, Sviatoslav
bron, bran	to protect, to defend	Branislav
dobrǔ	good, goodness	Dobroslava, Dobroslav
ljudǔ	people	Ljudodir
zby	to dispeal, to get rid of	Zbyvoj
drago	precious, beloved	Dragoslav, Dragon
kvet	flower	Kvetana
sem	family, land	Semovit
gost	guest	Radogost
dar, dan	gift, receive	Bogdan
bratǔ	brother	Bratislav
blag	gentle, kind, blessed	Blaga
rasti	grow, demand, usurb	Rastislav
zde	to do, make	Zderad
bude	to be	Budimir
rati	war, fight, to do (vocal change from radi to rati)	Ratibor
zvezd	star	Zvezdana
vit	to rule	Svetovit
zlat	gold	Zladko
vse	all	Vseslav
svo	all, every, always	Svorad
god	appropriate	Godimir
choti	want	Chotimir
krasi	resurrect, initiate	Krasimir
ne	no, none	Nedimir
suli	to promise, better	Sulirad, Sulibor
sud	to judge	Sudimir, Sudoslav
dobo	appropriate, brave	Dobomir
želi	want, desire	Želibor
sobie	usurp, for me	Sobierad, Sobiemir, Sobiebor
vest	to know, to lead	Blagovest, Borovest
neg	delight	Negomir
polk	regiment	Yaropolk
ljut	severe, cruel, wild	Ljutobor
kaz	to destroy	Kasimir
vlast	homeland	Vlastimir
jędrŭ	great, strong, swift	Androbor, Androdar

Names of the Prophetic Marshals

Particularly popular amongst Vesnites are names cognate to, or derived from, the names of the Prophet's early inner circle, held to consist of eight individuals (sometimes referred to collectively as the Prophetic Marshals). These first eight - Kalīna, Dāna, Gūrānis, Selūvis, Visvaldis, Pelāmens, Viliks and Zieltas - are all held to be of common (as opposed to Secote) origin, and their names suggest that they were all Argotes, local to the area in which the Prophet first preached (in the north and south of today's Prysostaia and Zemay respectively).

Name	Rashimic		Gergote		Agar		Lutoborian		Lacrean		Modern Argote
Name	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.
Celina Kalīna		ⰍⰅⰎⰋⰐⰡ Kelīna		ⰍⰅⰎⰋⰐⰀ Kelīna		ⰍⰠⰎⰋⰐ Kạlīn		ⰍⰀⰓⰊⰐⰀ Karyina		ⰍⰡⰎⰉⰐⰀ Kālina		ⰽⱑⰾⰻⱀⱐ Kaļīně
Dana Dāna		ⰴⱑⰹⱀⱑ Daina		ⰄⰡⰐⰀ Dāna		ⰕⰡⰐⰀ Tāna		ⰄⰉⰐⰡ Dinja		ⰄⰡⰐⰀ Dāna		ⰄⰡⰉⰐⰡ Daina
Cirran Gūrānis	ⰍⰓⰀⰉⰐ Krain	ⰍⰓⰦⰐⰀ Krāna	ⰃⰉⰓⰀⰉⰐⰉⰔ Girainis	ⰃⰉⰓⰀⰉⰐⰀ Giraina	ⰓⰋⰐⰉ Rīni		ⰃⰓⰉⰐⰊ Grinyi	ⰃⰓⰉⰐⰡ Grinya	ⰃⰫⰓⰡⰐⰠ Gurāṇ	ⰃⰫⰓⰡⰐⰠⰀ Gurāṇa	ⰳⱓⱃⰻⱀⱐ G̣ūrīně	ⰳⱓⱃⰻⱀⱑ G̣ūrīņa
Siluve Selūvis	ⰔⰎⰅⰫⰁ Sleyb	ⰔⰎⰫⰁⰀ Slȳba	ⰔⰅⰎⰀⰫⰂⰉⰔ Selauvis	ⰔⰅⰎⰀⰫⰂⰀ Selauvа	ⰎⰖⰂⰉ Lūvi		ⰔⰎⰖⰂⰊ Sluvyi	ⰔⰎⰖⰂⰡ Sluvya	ⰞⰀⰎⰙⰂ Šalōv	ⰞⰀⰎⰑⰂⰀ Šalova	ⱄⰹⰾⱓⰲⱐ Silūvě	ⱄⰹⰾⱓⰲⱑ Silūva
Viswald Visvaldis	ⰁⰉⰞⰁⰤⰎⰕⰉ Bišbēlti	ⰁⰉⰞⰁⰤⰎⰕⰀ Bišbēlta	ⰂⰉⰔⰂⰀⰎⰄⰉⰔ Visvaldis	ⰂⰉⰔⰂⰀⰎⰄⰀ Visvalda	ⰂⰉⰂⰡⰎⰀ Vivāla		ⰂⰉⰔⰂⰀⰎⰊ Visvalyi	ⰂⰉⰔⰂⰀⰎⰡ Visvalya	ⰂⰉⰞⰅⰂⰡⰎⰄ Viševāld		ⰲⰹⱄⰲⱑⰾⰴⱐ Visvalḍě	ⰲⰹⱄⰲⱑⰾⰴⱑ Visvalḍa
Pelmin Pelāmens	ⰒⰎⰠⰏⰋⰐ Plěmīn	ⰒⰎⰠⰏⰋⰐⰀ Plěmīna	ⰒⰉⰎⰀⰫⰏⰐⰉⰔ Pilaumnis	ⰒⰉⰎⰀⰫⰏⰉⰐⰀ Pilaumina	ⰎⰡⰏⰉ Lāmi		ⰒⰎⰉⰏⰅⰐⰊ Plimenyi	ⰒⰎⰉⰏⰅⰐⰡ Plimenya	ⰒⰅⰎⰏⰤⰐⰠ Pelmēṇ		ⱂⰹⰾⱖⰿⰵⱀ P̣ilāmen	ⱂⰾⱖⰿⰵⱀⱑ P̣lāmena
Felix Viliks	ⰁⰎⰋⰍ Blīk	ⰁⰎⰋⰍⰀ Blīka	ⰂⰉⰎⰉⰍⰔ Viliks	ⰂⰉⰎⰉⰍⰀ Vilika	ⰎⰋⰍⰉ Līki		ⰂⰉⰎⰉⰍⰔ Viliks	ⰂⰉⰎⰉⰍⰔⰀ Viliksa	ⰂⰅⰎⰤⰍ Velēk	ⰂⰅⰎⰅⰍⰅ Veleke	ⰲⰹⰾⰹⰽ Viļiḳ	ⰲⰹⰾⰹⰽⱑ Viļiḳa
Sillis Zieltas	ⰔⰋⰎⰕⰠ Sīltě		ⰈⰉⰎⰕⰉⰔ Ziltis	ⰂⰉⰎⰕⰀ Zilta	ⰈⰋⰎⰀ Zīla		ⰆⰉⰎⰕⰊ Žiltyi	ⰆⰉⰎⰕⰀ Žilta	ⰆⰅⰎⰕⰤⰔ Želtēs	ⰆⰀⰎⰕⰀ Žalta	ⰸⰻⰾⱅⱑ Zīlṭa

Common lexemes

Certain common lexemes, usually found as borrowed High Secote forms or in translation, are also found widely as names or elements of names. Note that numerous variations on these forms are found.

Borrowed forms

**Borrowings from High Secote**
Name	Rashimic		Gergote		Agar		Lutoborian		Lacrean		Argote
Name	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.
Storm Burja	ⰱⱓⱃⰻⱑ Ḅūrya		Buryas	Burya	Pūri	Pūra	Burya		ⰁⰖⰓⰀ Būra		ⰁⰖⰓⰠ Burě
Light Světŭ			Sauvitis	Sauvita					ⰔⰀⰂⰡⰕ Sаvāt	ⰔⰀⰂⰀⰕⰀ Savata	ⰔⰂⰧⰕⰠ Svietě
Darkness Tǐma	ⱅⰻⰿ Ṭīm	ⱅⰻⰿⱑ Ṭīma	Tiemis	Tiema	Tīmä		Tyimi	Tyima	ⰕⰋⰏ Tīm	ⰕⰉⰏⰅ Time	ⰕⰅⰏⰠ Temě	ⰕⰅⰏⰀ Tema
Purity Čistina	ⱎⱐⱄⱅⰻⱀ Šěsṭīn	ⱎⱐⱄⱅⰻⱀⱑ Šěsṭina	Sestinis	Sestina	Sesitä		Čistinyi	Čistinya	ⰝⰅⰔⰕⰤⰐ Četēn	ⰝⰅⰔⰕⰀ Česta	ⰞⰊⰔⰕⰉⰐⰠ Šīstině	ⰞⰊⰔⰕⰉⰐⰀ Šīstina
Order Zakonǔ	ⱄⰽⱓⱀ Sḳūn	ⱄⰽⱓⱀⱑ Sḳūna	Zaikonis	Zaikona	Sekōnu	Sekōna	Zakonyi	Zakonya	ⰈⰡⰍⰑⰐ Zākon	ⰈⰀⰍⰑⰐⰀ Zakona	ⰈⰡⰍⰀⰐⰠ Zākaně	ⰈⰡⰍⰀⰐⰀ Zākana
Harmony Mirǔ	ⰿⰻⱃ Mīr	ⰿⱃⰻⱑ Mrīya	Mīris	Mīra	Mīrä		Miryi	Mirya	ⰏⰤⰓ Mēr	ⰏⰉⰓⰅ Mire	ⰏⰧⰓⰠ Mierě	ⰏⰧⰓⰀ Miera
Energy Sila			Sīelis	Sīela					ⰔⰉⰎⰡⰓ Silār	ⰔⰋⰎⰠ Sīlě	ⰔⰊⰎⰀ Sīla
Creation Tvorenie			Tuvrinis	Tuvrina					ⰕⰑⰂⰑⰓⰤⰐ Tovorēn	ⰕⰑⰂⰑⰓⰀ Tovora	ⰕⰖⰓⰤⰐⰠ Turēně	ⰕⰖⰓⰤⰐⰀ Turēna
Change Měna			Mainas	Maina					ⰏⰀⰊⰡⰐ Māině	ⰏⰡⰐⰀ Māna	ⰏⰅⰐⰠ Meně	ⰏⰀⰐⰀ Mana

Native forms

**Translations**
Name	Rashimic		Gergote		Agar		Lutoborian		Lacrean		Argote
Name	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.
Storm	ⰰⱐⰿⱛⰾ Hěmȳl	ⰰⱐⰿⱛⰾⱑ Hěmȳla	Audra		Myrsky		Burya		ⰈⰉⰂⰀⰕⰀⰓ Zivatar		ⰂⰤⰕⰓⰠ Vētrě
Light	ⰸⱁⱆⰰⱃ Zouhr	ⰸⱓⰰⱃⱑ Zūhra	Šviesus	Šviesa	Valo		Svitlo	Svitla	ⰗⰤⰐⰠⰅ Fēṇe		ⰃⰀⰊⰔⰏⰀ Gaisma
Darkness	ⰰⱁⱆⰱ Houb	ⰰⱉⰱⱑ Hōba	Patamsis	Patamsa	Pimeys		Temryava		ⰞⰦⰕⰤⰕⰅ Šọtēte		ⰕⰖⰏⰔⰠ Tumsě	ⰕⰖⰏⰔⰀ Tumsa
Purity	ⱎⱑⰵⱅ Šàet	ⱎⱖⱅⱑ Šā̌ta	Tyrumas	Tyruma	Puhtaus		Čystota		ⰕⰉⰔⰕⰡⰓ Tistār	ⰕⰉⰔⰕⰀ Tista	ⰕⰋⰓⰁⰠ Tīrbě
Order	ⰰⰹⱎⱉⱃ Hišōr	ⰰⰹⱎⱉⱃⱑ Hišōra	Taisyklė	Taisykla	Järjestys		Zakon	Zakona	ⰓⰅⰐⰄ Rend		ⰒⰀⰔⰖⰕⰠ Pasūtě	ⰒⰀⰔⰀⰕⰉⰀ Pasata
Harmony	ⰿⰵⰸⰲⰵⰹⰿ Mězveim	ⰿⰵⰸⰲⱔⰿⱑ Mězvēma	Darnumas	Darnuma	Sopu		Myr	Myra			ⰔⰀⰔⰍⰀⰐⰬⰠ Saskaņě
Energy	ⱅⱓⰰⱆⱂ Ṭūhup	ⱅⱓⰰⱆⱂⰳ Ṭūhuṗa	Jėga		Tarmo	Tarma	Syla		ⰅⰓⰤⰊ Erēj		ⰔⰒⰤⰍⰠ Spēkě	ⰔⰒⰤⰍⰀ Spēka
Creation	ⰱⱃⱓ Ḅrū	ⰱⱃⱓⰰⱑ Ḅrūha	Kūrimas	Kūrima	Luomus		Utvorennya		ⰕⰅⰓⰅⰏⰕⰤⰓ Teremtēr	ⰕⰅⰓⰅⰏⰕⰅ Teremte	ⰓⰀⰄⰋⰕⰠ Radītě
Change	ⱅⱁⱛⰾ Ṭoyl	ⱅⱛⰾⱑ Ṭȳla	Keitimas	Keitima	Vaihtua		Zminya		ⰂⰡⰎⰕⰑⰓ Vāltor	ⰂⰡⰎⰕⰀ Vālta	ⰏⰀⰐⰋⰕⰠ Manītě

Surnames

Surnames were introduced to Outer Joriscia by the Secotes, who typically attached a clan or family name to their first name. This practice was continued by the High Nobility and gradually adopted as a formal practice by local elites. Professional titles, such as Bīrō, were also often attached to names in a manner reminiscent of surnames. Rabtat were also compelled to carry a surname referring to their owner. Free commoners, who often already had informal inherited nicknames, were obliged to take official surnames within Great Neritsia proper in 1667 (with the exception of Pièches and some other groups who continued to be known officially by patronymics), in Agamar from 1669 and in Lutoborsk from 1698. In Agar, Lefdic and Lacrean the surname typically precedes the name, whilst in other languages it follows as in usual Messenian practice. Surnames have various different etymologies, but the vast majority of people within former Great Neritsia and Agamar either have 'professional' surnames indicating a family tradition in specific trades or crafts or more commonly a demonym. Demonyms were typically given to those not entitled to a professional surname.

Members of the High Nobility traditionally carried Secote surnames denoting clan affiliation. As clans developed into Houses under the Tirfatsevid Empire, Branch Houses associated with a more senior Great House generally took names derived from that of their patrons, using the suffix -evǔ/-ovǔ (pronounced and often rendered into Messenian languages as -ev and -ov respectively). With the precipitous decline in the power of the Great Houses vis-à-vis their Branches, many of these surnames disappeared, replaced by new distinctive House names as a symbol of self-assertiveness.