Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Magical Names (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm not a Wiccan, just an open minded person. We wanted something different when choosing a name for our baby. This book had TONS of them! It's really a fun book to read too. I know, who reads a baby name book, right? But really, it was fun. I learned a lot of neat stuff and Wicca sure looks like it's an interesting religion. We both will get a kick out of telling our baby where her name came from. If you know anyone who's expecting, give her this. I guarantee she won't be able to put it down. All the other baby name books were the same old names. Ho-hum BORING! I really like this one better. Plus I actually learned a ritual to help me get over turning 40! How many books can you say that about? Talk about magic!

An interesting book with lots of beautiful names... but how authentic are they? Would you really dare to name your children after the names given in this book? As a Finnish reader I was most amused (and a bit annoyed too) by the Finnish names given in the book. For example Nakki means a sausage in the Finnish language and the proper and right name for the water elf (which is by the way usually seen most evil and tricky in folklore) would have two oh so important dots above the letter a, thus:ä.

It makes me wonder how right and authentic the rest of the names are from the cultures and languages i don't know? A good source for role play characters anyway.

I was impressed with this book. I find myself referring to it over and over again. It was entertaining to read, surprisingly. I mean, one dosen't usually READ a baby name book, but this was readable. There were lots of interesting quotes, facinating history of names which I hadn't ever given much thought to before, and also the interesting folklore surround names. My favorite part was when the author listed her own family's and other Puritan names such as Flee Fornication, Be Good, and Ashes. It's very good for writers who are looking for different character's names especially the names from literature. I liked the book, found it a good read, vastly entertaining, and I am using it repeatedly. I think it's the best baby name book on the market.

This book is an admirable attempt to guide neo-pagan parents to suitable names. However, while it is interesting and fairly well organized by topic, the reader needs to double-check the author's attributed meanings. "Surya" (for example), is indeed a Hindu deity, but is the sun GOD and not the sun GODDESS.

I'm also a little irritated by the author's apparent theory that if a name is Hindu, it's pagan. It takes more to make a pagan name than merely being non-northern European or non-Judeo-Christian.

But a good place to start a search.

. . .I *AM* a writer. I found this book a few months ago while I was in the beginnings of a brand new project, a fantasy/science fiction sort of story. This book proved to contain a wealth of information. I needed names for characters, and while searching through this book found some very interesting info in the process. I also found just the right names for the characters in my work. :) As for how useful this is for a pagan or Wiccan who wants to find a magical name, I honestly don't know. Based on my needs, however, it was great.

The Complete Book of Magical Names was used as a baby name source. It was wonderful! No where else could I find so many non-Christian names. There were also lots of really different names. That's what a baby name book is supposed to have...lots of names, but this had a really well researched section on the history of names, and from a unique perspective. I'm not Wiccan, the intended audience of the book, but this book was very useful and I found it interesting. I particularly liked names from far away places. The Hawaiian names were so lovely if we had a daughter I'm sure we would have gone with an Hawaiian name. Beyond the baby name aspect, I learned a lot about how names affect those who wear them. I would recommend this book to any open minded parent to be. The only negative was that for a non-Wiccan there were lots of names that weren't suitable for baby names. The author no doubt expected Wiccan readers to use these as what they call "Magical Names" which are private and so can be a little stranger than a baby's name. My only other criticism was that it was organized well except that the Index of Characteristics at the back of the book should be at the front. Overall, I liked the book very much. It reads very smoothly and I found the writing witty, interesting, lively and provocotive. That's hard to do in something normally so dry as a baby name book.

Whether you are looking for a craft name or a legal name, this book offers you some 'magickal' options in a fun and informative manner. Not the biggest of best name book on the market, but certainly the only one (that I am aware of) that is targeted to a Pagan audience. This book would be helpful to newbies and should be in any coven/grove library.

A well thought out, and very well indexed book about names, the politics of names, and the magic they have. Not just limited to names for children, or adults on a new path, she includes place names, as well. I particularly like the index by trait, which was cross referenced with names that are associated with that trait.

As a 25 year vetran of d20 role-playing games I have been searching for a definitive collection of names beyond the standard Jack and Jill and I have finally found it in "The Complete Book of Magical Names". While I have a passing interest in Wicca, I mostly purchased the book to help me satisfy my long term facination with language and particularly the names used by various ancient cultures and civilizations. I am positive that any writer or gamer would find this book an excellent edition to their collection.

This is a terrific book on several levels. It gives a creditable history of human nomenclature starting at about 1000 BCE. She discusses how traditions have changed and why, and it's a very interesting read. She gives you meanings behind names of things and people across many cultures, so that if you are choosing a magical name for yourself, you will have a pretty clear knowledge of what your name could mean. She also suggests that choosing a name for a child should be done responsibly, and with a consciousness for that child's future. In addition to the names themselves, there are also guided meditation exercises that may prove very helpful if you just cannot decide.

The bibliography is extensive, but the index is a bit weak. However, since the book is so well-organized, the index isn't really all that critical.