Patrick-Leigh
Inkling
For the Aquatic Races in my story setting (excepting Abominations, like the Deep Ones,) I'm thinking they have Naming Ceremonies which all share certain basic elements. This is for two reasons: 1) Convenience (so I can come up with these ceremonies more efficiently) and 2) in-universe factors. All of the Water Deities of the Light Pantheon are part of a clan consisting of the two Great Stewards of Water (Melthar and Nyneve,) their children, and their sons and daughters-in law. They are not rivals, in other words; they're family. Melthar and Nyneve are the grand overseers of the Domain of Water but their children and their children's spouses look after specific Aquatic Races or specific bodies of water and those who live in, are reliant on, or travel across them. Consequently, in regards to the Aquatic Races, these Water Deities would want them to have commonalities that would foster understanding of each other and the formation of alliances. However, sailors, fishers, and shipwrights of the Terrestrial Races would worship these Deities as well, which would mean cultures closely connected to water would also have common ground with the Aquatic Races, encouraging trade and cooperation.
The basic template I have come up with for the Naming Ceremonies is... not quite finished, admittedly, but I do have two key elements they all share: 1) How the names are chosen and 2) an ablution/baptism ritual. Borrowing partially from the Romans, the Aquatic Races have multiple categories of names which, for now, are praenomen (personal names,) nomen (family/clan name,) and cognomen (earned names,) with each Aquatic Race having additional categories of names of their own (such as the Mer having what I'm calling breed names, which are based on their physical traits, which follow specific combinations of colors, patterns, and fin shapes.)
The nomen is used as a surname to identify familial associations, so it is given by default during Naming Ceremonies. A cognomen may be given during a Naming Ceremony, but most of these are chosen later in life based on accomplishments, physical and personality traits, and so forth. Some cognomen are given during an official ceremony, such as while receiving an award, but others are essentially nicknames. A cognomen can be accepted or rejected by the individual (though good luck getting people to stop using it if you reject it.)
This leaves the praenomen, of which there is always at least one, though most Aquatic Races give their children three. These praenomina are determined by sex and chosen by the child's father or paternal grandfather (or an uncle if neither are present or willing to bestow a praenomen,) the child's mother or maternal grandmother (or an aunt, if necessary,) and a priest or priestess. The order of these three praenomina is always determined by sex. If the child is a boy, the father/grandfather/uncle's pick is first, the mother/grandmother/aunt's pick is second, and the priest/priestess's pick is third. if the child is a girl, mother/grandmother/aunt's pick is first, father/grandfather/uncle's pick is second, and priest/priestess's is third.
Firstborn sons are generally named after their father or a close male relative and firstborn daughters are generally named after their mother or a close female relative, at least for their first praenomen. Later children can be given any names, though most families/clans have traditions for choosing these names, such one praenomen having a numerical meaning (i.e., "second son," "third daughter,") or starting with a particular letter determined by order of birth (B for second child, C for third, etc..) Where things get interesting is the third praenomen, chosen by the priest/priestess. This name is always derived from a Water Deity, but not limited to Water Deities directly connected to the Aquatic Race of the child or the body of water in which they were born (but these are still options.)
This is because, as mentioned, all the Water Deities of the Light Pantheon are part of the same clan and accept worshippers from all Races and locations, even if they fall outside their normal jurisdictions. Thus, the third praenomen for a Mermaid can be derived from a Water Deity of the Tritons or of a body of water on the Elven Homeworld. The criteria for choosing the third praenomen is generally if the date of birth overlaps with a religious holiday associated with a particular Water Deity, if the circumstances of the birth have parallels to some aspect of the Water Deity's history, or if the appearance of the child has traits associated with that Water Deity, to name just a few.
These are just the basic ideas I have for Aquatic Naming Conventions in my setting but I am open to workshopping these in more detail for specific Aquatic Races. As for the Naming Ceremonies themselves, I do know that one feature they all have is ritual washing. Think baptism, but with a bit of a twist - three separate washings or immersions are involved. The first is in freshwater, the second in brackish water, and the third in saltwater. This is because all the Aquatic Races (including the amphibians) can survive in all three types of water. The only waters they cannot survive in are brine, boiling water, and wastewater (though some can tolerate these for a limited time.) Thus, washing or immersing a child in the three types of water in which they may reside is symbolic of introducing them to all three main types of environs, even if they do not have direct access to one or more of them in the place they reside.
What this part of the Naming Ceremony involves, exactly, differs, due to cultural, environmental, and other factors, but, with each type of water the child is exposed to, one of their three praenomina are applied. In some cases, an urn of water may be poured over the child by the person bestowing the name. Alternatively, they may be dunked in a basin containing the water in question. And, at Water Temples with large facilities, the child and person bestowing the name may swim together in a pool. In the case of the latter, the pools may be arranged like stairs with waterfalls connecting them. The child then swims or is passed from one to the next. The pools are usually arranged with freshwater at the top, brackish water in the middle, and saltwater at the bottom, but some temples use the reverse, with magical systems reducing or removing the saline content from the water as it passes through the waterfalls.
The point is that the Naming Ceremony has at least three principle stages, the first involving freshwater, the second involving brackish water, and the third involving saltwater. Both parents may be involved in all three (and are almost always involved in the third) but in some cases, only the person bestowing the name interacts directly with the child. (I can see that getting a bit chaotic, however, since the baby may be a bit freaked out due to separation anxiety.)
So, this is all I have so far. I would love any feedback you guys have to offer on this, such as what, exactly, to call these ceremonies and the washing/immersing with water. "Baptism" doesn't work, since 1) this is about bestowing names, 2) baptism is about salvation/rebirth, and 3) baptism doesn't involve swimming around in a pool. Thus, I need a different term to use for the ablution/immersion aspects of the ceremony. I look forward to your responses and thanks in advance for any input you provide!
Oh, and, if you're wondering, yes, some babies do relieve themselves in the pools during the ceremonies, but most Aquatic Races don't see that as a bad omen, as it's a natural response to changing from one type of water to another in babies.
The basic template I have come up with for the Naming Ceremonies is... not quite finished, admittedly, but I do have two key elements they all share: 1) How the names are chosen and 2) an ablution/baptism ritual. Borrowing partially from the Romans, the Aquatic Races have multiple categories of names which, for now, are praenomen (personal names,) nomen (family/clan name,) and cognomen (earned names,) with each Aquatic Race having additional categories of names of their own (such as the Mer having what I'm calling breed names, which are based on their physical traits, which follow specific combinations of colors, patterns, and fin shapes.)
The nomen is used as a surname to identify familial associations, so it is given by default during Naming Ceremonies. A cognomen may be given during a Naming Ceremony, but most of these are chosen later in life based on accomplishments, physical and personality traits, and so forth. Some cognomen are given during an official ceremony, such as while receiving an award, but others are essentially nicknames. A cognomen can be accepted or rejected by the individual (though good luck getting people to stop using it if you reject it.)
This leaves the praenomen, of which there is always at least one, though most Aquatic Races give their children three. These praenomina are determined by sex and chosen by the child's father or paternal grandfather (or an uncle if neither are present or willing to bestow a praenomen,) the child's mother or maternal grandmother (or an aunt, if necessary,) and a priest or priestess. The order of these three praenomina is always determined by sex. If the child is a boy, the father/grandfather/uncle's pick is first, the mother/grandmother/aunt's pick is second, and the priest/priestess's pick is third. if the child is a girl, mother/grandmother/aunt's pick is first, father/grandfather/uncle's pick is second, and priest/priestess's is third.
Firstborn sons are generally named after their father or a close male relative and firstborn daughters are generally named after their mother or a close female relative, at least for their first praenomen. Later children can be given any names, though most families/clans have traditions for choosing these names, such one praenomen having a numerical meaning (i.e., "second son," "third daughter,") or starting with a particular letter determined by order of birth (B for second child, C for third, etc..) Where things get interesting is the third praenomen, chosen by the priest/priestess. This name is always derived from a Water Deity, but not limited to Water Deities directly connected to the Aquatic Race of the child or the body of water in which they were born (but these are still options.)
This is because, as mentioned, all the Water Deities of the Light Pantheon are part of the same clan and accept worshippers from all Races and locations, even if they fall outside their normal jurisdictions. Thus, the third praenomen for a Mermaid can be derived from a Water Deity of the Tritons or of a body of water on the Elven Homeworld. The criteria for choosing the third praenomen is generally if the date of birth overlaps with a religious holiday associated with a particular Water Deity, if the circumstances of the birth have parallels to some aspect of the Water Deity's history, or if the appearance of the child has traits associated with that Water Deity, to name just a few.
These are just the basic ideas I have for Aquatic Naming Conventions in my setting but I am open to workshopping these in more detail for specific Aquatic Races. As for the Naming Ceremonies themselves, I do know that one feature they all have is ritual washing. Think baptism, but with a bit of a twist - three separate washings or immersions are involved. The first is in freshwater, the second in brackish water, and the third in saltwater. This is because all the Aquatic Races (including the amphibians) can survive in all three types of water. The only waters they cannot survive in are brine, boiling water, and wastewater (though some can tolerate these for a limited time.) Thus, washing or immersing a child in the three types of water in which they may reside is symbolic of introducing them to all three main types of environs, even if they do not have direct access to one or more of them in the place they reside.
What this part of the Naming Ceremony involves, exactly, differs, due to cultural, environmental, and other factors, but, with each type of water the child is exposed to, one of their three praenomina are applied. In some cases, an urn of water may be poured over the child by the person bestowing the name. Alternatively, they may be dunked in a basin containing the water in question. And, at Water Temples with large facilities, the child and person bestowing the name may swim together in a pool. In the case of the latter, the pools may be arranged like stairs with waterfalls connecting them. The child then swims or is passed from one to the next. The pools are usually arranged with freshwater at the top, brackish water in the middle, and saltwater at the bottom, but some temples use the reverse, with magical systems reducing or removing the saline content from the water as it passes through the waterfalls.
The point is that the Naming Ceremony has at least three principle stages, the first involving freshwater, the second involving brackish water, and the third involving saltwater. Both parents may be involved in all three (and are almost always involved in the third) but in some cases, only the person bestowing the name interacts directly with the child. (I can see that getting a bit chaotic, however, since the baby may be a bit freaked out due to separation anxiety.)
So, this is all I have so far. I would love any feedback you guys have to offer on this, such as what, exactly, to call these ceremonies and the washing/immersing with water. "Baptism" doesn't work, since 1) this is about bestowing names, 2) baptism is about salvation/rebirth, and 3) baptism doesn't involve swimming around in a pool. Thus, I need a different term to use for the ablution/immersion aspects of the ceremony. I look forward to your responses and thanks in advance for any input you provide!
Oh, and, if you're wondering, yes, some babies do relieve themselves in the pools during the ceremonies, but most Aquatic Races don't see that as a bad omen, as it's a natural response to changing from one type of water to another in babies.
Myth Weaver
Istar
Sage
