The Culture of Names within the Gods

The Origins of Divine Names

  The gods are well known for that their names are often unique, not only to them, but also to other languages around the world. This is particularly prevalent with the minor gods, who will not only come up with their names themselves, but are known to borrow the names of historical figures, heros of myths and legends from the past, and take on the names of past gods.   Among the The Major Gods, there is a tradition that all major gods have four character names. Shia, Mora, Vega, Nagi, Ryou, Lapi, etc. Past major gods also followed this tradition, with the exception of Yvittal. It is unknown when this tradition began exactly, or why the majors continue to follow it and why minor gods are exempt from it. Those who become Major Gods and have names longer than four letters will have it shortened, such as the case of Eleteros, the former lightning god, having their name shortened to Tero.   Among the Minor Gods, names vary much more. Most minor gods completely lack a surname and instead go by their titles. Of the minor gods who do have a surname, it is most often the name of the god that came before them, generally their parent. (Ex: Yung Pagoni, God of Peacocks's surname, Pagoni, is the name of his mother). Goddesses are the second most common example, as they generally will retain the surname they had prior to becoming a god, such as Soliairs Taeyang though this is not always the case, like that of Sekhmet, Goddess of Lions who changed her name entirely.   Most often, gods will name themselves, with the origins of their names having a large degree of variation. Many gods choose to name themselves after words in local languages related to their own kind or their personalities. Many also choose their names based on the latin name of their species, as this categorization of species is often still used in many mortal circles. Another common form of self naming among the gods is naming themselves after concepts, symbols, or aspects of their rule- Shia, the god of death, is thought to have gotten their name from the Japanese number four, which is often associated with death or dying, and Vega, the god of Fire, is known to have derived his name from a star by the same name, due to it's association with summer and being one of the brightest and most prominent stars in the sky.  

Name Changes among the Gods

  Gods do not often change their names, with most cases being at the time they ascend into proper godhood. This is often done when a god's heir takes their place, as a form of honoring their parent and keeping some form of their memory alive. It is also extremely common among Goddesses to change their names upon their ascension to be more in line with that of other gods. Often, Goddesses will chose names from pantheons in the human era where relevant to them, such as Sekhmet, Goddess of Lions, who changed her name to that of a human era lion goddess.   Occasionally, a god may change their name entirely although this is incredibly rare. This is most often done with changes in gender identity and presentation, with the old name being erased from records, myths, and legends entirely and replaced with the new one.  

Cultural Impact on Mortals

  The names of gods are incredibly common among mortal populations in some form or another, especially in areas of high influence with particular gods. Among a god's cult, it is incredibly common to name children after a family's patron god, and many devout followers of gods will change their names to reflect their patron's name as well. There is a strong pressure to not use the exact spelling as a god in one's name, however, as doing such is seen as boasting at best, and a mockery of the god at the worst. As such, those named after gods will often change the spelling slightly, or cut off part of the name entirely. The most popular of the gods often have the largest impact on mortal culture and as gods climb the ladder of popularity, more and more children are named after them. There have been numerous studies into the influence of gods on mortal naming conventions, and tracking the popularity of particular gods based off of naming trends.   Sekhm McConnell is a good example of this, having changed his name to reflect that of his patron god, Sekhmet, Goddess of Lions. Ryoten is another good example, having changed his name in his teens to reflect his prior patron god Ryou, the God of Wind, whom he still heavily favors.   Due to Olrath's association with mothers and grandmothers, or other elder women in a family, 'Olrata' is a common nickname given to such family members across the world. It is seen as a great respect to be considered one's olrata, the name meaning a caretaker of great respect, intelligence, wisdom, and power, not simply meaning an older woman.