[meteorite-list] NEW PLANETARY NAMES

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Aug 17 21:10:41 2006
Message-ID: <009e01c6c263$1ab3ce20$995de146_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, All,

    If the new system passes the vote, we've got some
naming to do!

Larry Lebofsky wrote (off-list):
    "We need another female planet (not sure Xena counts)."

    There is one glaringly obvious classical divinity name for
2003UB313 -- ERIS, the Greek goddess of DISCORD! She
started the Trojan War and apparently precipitated a debate
about the definition of "planet," too. Is that too here-and-now?

    Want more choices?

    For your reference, I have stolen, in broad daylight,
from the Wikipedia, a list of female divinities, arranged by
culture (list below). I have omitted all names where the
sex of the divinity is not specified nor known (by me).

    Some of these names are poor choices just because
of the name itself. Any former public schoolteacher
could tell you that "Tefnut, goddess of order, justice, time,
Heaven and Hell and weather" will be instantly transformed
into "Tuff Nut."

    Many Classical Greek and Roman names have already
been used for minor planets, I mean, "Small Solar System
Bodies." I haven't edited them out; you have to check.

    There are practical issues, like picking a name no one
can pronounce (who picked QUAOAR?). I'd leave the Aztec
CHALCHIUHTLICUE alone if I were you.

    There's a politics of culture at work. There's some nice
Japanese names, but why would Michael Brown of Alabama
propose a Japanese name? Someday, the Japanese will
find a nice round TBO and want to use them. Same goes for
lots of cultures and nations and religions.

    India should go into the business of looking for planets;
they don't lack names. The tradition is for Classical Greek
and Roman names, anyway, unless you want to prove how
multi-cultural you are (Quaoar, Sedna). Some cultures may
not want "their" names used for this purpose.

    The name of a flowering spring goddess like EOSTRE
(Anglo-Saxon) isn't really right for 2003UB313, ya know?
(It's pronounced "Easter" which is where the name came from.)

    MORRIGAN (Celtic) would be nice and gloomy. We have
to have gloomy names because its "outer system," and the
committee would presumably smile on names related to
the divinities of the Dead.

    The Norse goddess HEL hasn't been taken, has it?

    I like NEPHTHYS, mother of Anubis, the Guide of the
Dead (pronounced NEF-THIS). Anubis is an analog to Pluto,
so that fits.

    Then, there's the Phoenician TANIT.

    I hope the IAU realizes that in a media-driven world, the
longer people keep calling 2003UB313 "Xena," the harder
it will be to switch them to a new name. If they're not
reasonably quick, people will be calling it "Xena" for years
afterward. Moreover, the Warrior Princess image is likely
to influence the choice by flavoring it in favor of a martial
image, like SEKHMET, the Egyptian goddess of War.

    The Greek goddess of Fortune, TYCHE, is associated
with the nether regions. And HEKATE, the Greek goddess of
witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon would do
nicely, as well.

    Anybody got ideas?

    For anyone who wants to browse or check an idea
for a name, I recommend The Godchecker, with 2850
listed gods:
http://www.godchecker.com/



Sterling K. Webb (list follows)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[edit]Anglo-Saxon
Eostre, goddess of spring
Fr?ge, counterpart to the Norse Frigg. Friday comes from her name.

[edit]Aztec
Chalchiuhtlicue - goddess of lakes and streams
Coyolxauhqui - goddess of the moon
Ilamatecuhtli- goddess of the earth, death, and the milky way.
Mayahuel - goddess of maguey
Ometeotl - god/goddess of heaven
Toci - goddess of earth
Xochiquetzal - love goddess

[edit]Celtic
Brigit
Ceridwen
Epona
Morrigan

[edit]Chinese Malaysian
Kwan Yin Ma originated from Sanskrit Avalokite?vara (Chinese : ???),
commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy.
Matsu (goddess) (Chinese : ??) is the Taoist Goddess of the Sea who protects
fishermen and sailors.


[edit]Egyptian (Pharaonic)
Bast, Goddess of Cats
Heget Goddess of Childbirth
Isis, Goddess of Magic, sister of Nephthys
Menhit, Goddess of war
Neith, goddess of war, then great mother goddess
Nephthys, mother of Anubis, Guide of the Dead, originally god of the dead
Nut, goddess of heaven and the sky
Sekhmet, goddess of war and battles
Taweret, Goddess of pregnant women and protecter at childbirth
Tefnut, goddess of order, justice, time, Heaven and Hell and weather

[edit]Etruscan
Alpan, a goddess of love but usually identified with Persephone, not
Aphrodite
Menrva, equivalent to the Greek Athene
Turan (goddess), the goddess usually identified with Aphrodite
Uni, equivalent of Hera

[edit]Finnish
Loviatar, One of Tuoni's daughters. Goddess of pain.
Mielikki, Tapio's wife
Pekko (or Peko), god or goddess (the actual gender is obscure) of fields and
agriculture
Rauni, Ukko's wife, goddess of fertility
Tuonetar, The wife of Tuoni

[edit]Ancient Greek
Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty, one of the twelve Olympians
Artemis - goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and childbirth, twin
sister of Apollo, and an Olympian
Athena - goddess of wisdom, defensive and strategic war, guardian-goddess of
Athens, an Olympian
Demeter - goddess of the harvest and of grain, mother of Persephone, an
Olympian
Eos - goddess of the dawn
Eris - goddess of discord
Hebe - wife of Heracles and goddess of youth
Hekate - goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon
Hera - Queen of the Gods and Heaven, goddess of marriage, an Olympian
Hestia - goddess of the hearth, gave up seat at Olympus to Dionysus
Persephone - daughter of Demeter, queen of the dead, also a grain-goddess

[edit]Hindu
Adi - Shakti, the Female aspect of the Supreme Divine in Kinetic Dynamic
Form.
The Three Maha Shaktis (Super Powers) of the Universe or the Super Goddesses
In Hinduism.
MahaSaraswati (Great Saraswati) - Universal Force of Creation
MahaLakshmi (Great Lakshmi) - Universal Force of Preservation
MahaKali (Great Kali) - Universal Force of Dissolution
The Hindu Tridevi - Triple Goddess, the consorts of the Trinity
Saraswati - Hindu Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdon, Wife of Brahma
Lakshmi - Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Fertility, Wife of Vishnu
Parvati - Hindu Goddess of Power and Might, Wife of Shiva

Lakshmi
The Eight Forms of Lakshmi
Adi-Lakshmi
Vijay-Lakshmi
Vidya-Lakshmi
Dhana-Lakshmi
Dhanya-Lakshmi
Santan-Lakshmi
Dhairya-Lakshmi
Other Goddesses Associated with Lakshmi
Shri Devi- The Goddess of Beauty
Prithivi - The Goddess of Earth
Alakshmi or Jayeshta Devi - The Goddess of Misfortune

Parvati
The Passive/Peaceful Manifestations of Parvati
Sati- Goddess of Marriage and Wedlock
Shashti - Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth
Annapurna - Goddess of Food and Nourishment
Lalita - Goddess of Beauty

The Warrior Manifestations of Parvati
Kali - The Goddess of Time and Death
The Ten Great Wisdom Manifestations of Kali
Kali - The Goddess as Time
Tara - The Goddess as Space
Chinnamasta - The Goddess as The Cycle of Life and Death
Bhuvaneshvari - The Goddess as Perfection
Tripura Sundari - The Goddess as the Most beautiful
Bhairavi - The Goddess as the Most frightful
Bagalamukhi - The Crane headed Goddess as upholder of Universal Order
Dhumavati - The Widowed Goddess as Chaos and Misery
Matangi - The Goddess as Leftovers and Salvage
Kamala - The Goddess as Perfection
Durga - The Goddess of Power and War

Maya - The Goddess of Illusion and Mystry

[edit]Maya
Ix Chel - Moon Goddess

[edit]Mesopotamian
Damkina - Earth mother goddess
Ereshkigal - Goddess of Darkness, Death, and Gloom
Ishtar - goddess of love and one of the highest-ranking deities in
Mesopotamian myth
Nintu - mother of all gods
Tiamat - dragon goddess slain by Marduk

[edit]Norse
Freya, goddess of fertility
Frigg, goddess of marriage, household management, and love, Queen of Heaven,
and wife of Odin
Hel, daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Queen of the Dead
Idunn, guardianess of the Apples of Youth that kept the gods young
Sif, the wife of Thor

[edit]Philippine
Anitun Tabu - Goddess of wind and rain.
Dian Masalanta - Goddess of love.
Hukluban - Goddess of death.
Idianale - Goddess of agriculture and husbandry.
Ikapati - Goddess of fields, fertility, and lands.
Lalahon - Goddess of fire, volcanoes, and harvest.
Manggagaway - Goddess of sickness.
Mayari/Bulan - Lunar goddess.
Tala - Goddess of the stars.

[edit]Hawai'ian
Pele

[edit]Roman
Bellona - war goddess
Carmenta - goddess of childbirth and prophecy
Ceres - goddess of the harvest and mother of Proserpina, and an Olympian
Diana - goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and childbirth, twin
sister of Apollo and an Olympian
Febris - goddess who prevented fever and malaria
Flora - goddess of flowers
Juno - Queen of the Gods and goddess of matrimony, and an Olympian
Minerva - goddess of wisdom and war, and an Olympian
Pomona - goddess of fruit trees.
Proserpina - Queen of the Dead and a grain-goddess
Venus - goddess of love and beauty, mother of the hero Aeneas, and an
Olympian
Vesta - goddess of the hearth and the Roman state, and an Olympian.

[edit]Sardinian
Sardinian deities, mainly referred to in the age of Nuragici people, are
partly derived from Phoenician ones.
Janas Goddesses of death
Panas Goddesses of reproduction (women dead in childbirth)
Thanit Goddess of Earth and fertility

[edit]Shinto
Amaterasu - sun goddess
Ama-no-Uzume - fertility goddess
Izanami - creator goddess
Sengen-Sama - goddess of the Mt. Fujiyama
Shina-To-Be - goddess of wind
Uke-Mochi - goddess of food
Wakahiru-Me - goddess of the dawn sun

[edit]Sumerian
Inanna, Venus-like

[edit]Ugarit
?Athtart, goddess of fertility
Received on Thu 17 Aug 2006 09:10:32 PM PDT