The name Beowulf in Old English translates to mean Bee-Wolf, an Anglo-Saxon kenning for bear. This is comparable to my own name as Melissa is a Greek name that means "honeybee" or "bee". While both of these names pertain to bees, the similarities end there. In Greek mythology, the name Melissa was a feminine name that had many different important carriers that shaped the connotation of the name.
First, it was the name of the Princess of Crete who was able to turn into a bee after learning how to collect honey. This is represented in the picture above. The picture shows the connection of bees to divinity and royalty in Greek mythology. It also represents the importance of nature, fertility, and beauty as depicted by the flowers.
Second, it was the name of the nymph that took care of Zeus while he was an infant, hiding him away from his father who was planning on eating him like he had already done to Zeus's siblings. She cared for him and instead of feeding him milk, she fed him honey. The name Melissae was given to all of the nymphs that cared for Zeus during his infancy in her honor.
Third, in the Goddess Aphrodite's temple, the name Melissae was collectively given to her priestesses while the name Melissa was given to the Goddess herself, directly meaning Queen Bee. This shows the divinity and crucial role that bees played in Greek mythology. Bees were sacred in Greek mythology for their integral role in agriculture, their symbol of fertility, their matriarchal society, as well as the understanding they gave to the universe through geometry.
While my name does not define me in the way that I see myself, it is interesting to think about how it could change the way others perceive me even before they have gotten to know me. My name has a significant nurturing and caring connotation in Greek mythology that could pose expectations on me, as any name with a certain meaning could. This is interesting to think about in relation to Beowulf as well because with his name meaning bear, his name, father's reputation, and societal norms were all weighing on him to be heroic, strong, and a capable warrior. His name added more pressure for him to succeed. I do not find that this is the case for my own name because I was not named specifically after someone else and only with a lot of research did I discover the true origins of my name. Despite not being applicable to me, pressure from one's name is definitely still prevalent now as people have to live up to certain standards or feel pressured to follow the footsteps of their name-sake.
In her essay "The Name is Mine", Anna Quindlen speaks about how there is one version of herself that is an individual and another that is a part of her family of four. She goes on to discuss how this marginalizes her, with the three other family members sharing a different name. In regards to my own life, there have been two versions of myself when one version is me as an individual and the other is me as a twin. While my twin, Nicole, and I are two extremely different people in the way we think and act, we still share a bond that connects us both by our own definitions as well as society's.
These two versions of myself pose dilemmas in more than one facet, but most remarkably in social settings. Beyond the common mixing of names, which happens more often than one would think with fraternal twins, the two versions of myself work against each other in this setting quite often. While Nicole and I are both very different individuals, we are often perceived as just one unit. But in some regards, we are almost polar opposites of each other and so when taken together as one, it is often difficult to express our vibrant individuality and unique traits. For example, Nicole loves dancing, singing, and other means where she can express her creativity and artistic abilities. This completely contrasts with my own love for soccer, math, and science. When we are taken together as one unit, it can be difficult to each show our own unique capabilities. I find that when we are together, we are referred to as "the twins", or some variation of the sort, that undermines our individuality.
This is often difficult to deal with because the standards that one twin sets often puts pressure on the other one to do the same. For example, if Nicole does really well in all of her classes, I feel pressure to do the same. While this can be motivating in many cases, the pressure can make one of us feel inadequate if we don't do as well as the other. It is as if we feel like others are constantly comparing the two of us because they see us as one entity and thus we each do not want to be seen as the "lesser twin" in any way. Thus, lumping us together puts a lot of external pressure on each of us to do as well as the other one. This imposes yet another standard that limits our individuality as we are trying to conform to the each other's goals and expectations.
While this is one way to look at it, another is to say that being a twin is unique in and of itself. Being referred to as "the twins" is special because while everyone else is their own entity, we are each half of a whole. Not everyone has this special bond with someone that they have lived their entire life with and grown up together with. This has its own advantages in a social setting as well because I have met a lot of new people through those that Nicole has become friends with, and the same is true for her. So while it can often be difficult as not being thought of as my own individual, it has its unique characteristics that can make it very special. The two versions of myself do often clash, so finding the place where we each feel we can express our individuality, while still sharing a connection, is vital to having a healthy bond between the two of us.
Works Cited:
Maes, Annemie. Melissa: The Origins of the Word Honey Is Feminin, annemariemaes.net, annemariemaes.net/melissa-the-origin-of-the-word-honey-is-feminin/.
"Melissa." The Bump, www.thebump.com/b/melissa-baby-name.
"The Melissae of Ancient Greece." Blue Star Owl, 9 Apr. 2013, bluestarowl.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/the-melissae-of-ancient-greece/.
"Nymphs." Paleothea, 16 July 2011, www.paleothea.com/Nymphs.html.
Zupan, Melissa. "The Melissae in Greek Myth and Legend." Three Hundred and Sixty-Six, 3 May 2013, threehundredandsixtysix.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/the-melissae-in-greek-myth-and-legend/.
Mellissa, you have a really interesting connection with your name and Beowulf's! It is evident that you did an enormous amount of research in order to draw these conclusions. It is interesting to look at the way that you tie in the connotations that name definitions put on an individual. I especially liked how you were able to mention the "nurturing" principle of "Melissa" and the "bear" principle of Beowulf. I also liked how you tied in the fact that you are a twin into your individuality. It makes me consider how I generalize you and Nicole, (and other twins), unintentionally. It would be interesting to also tie these real life generalizations into the generalizations that are put onto Beowulf from his father and the way that he attempts to break the common stereotype.
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