As an author, I write words. Yes, I know what something looks like and how a word or name is actually pronounced… To Me. I do my best to pass that information on to you, the reader, but unless you want to read an encyclopedia entry, a lot is left to your imagination.
Your brain is going to read the words and based on your own experiences determine what Venn looks like or how to say Hedy’s name. I’m okay with it. I have to be.
However, I've had a few readers ask me about things. Sure, the answer is technically a very simple response. But, it's also a chance to share the metric ton of backstory and writer’s thoughts and ideas I have. I’ve lost most of you, but the few that are saying to themselves, “Finally. I’ve been wondering.” this is for you.
For the non-nerds who just want the simple answer, scroll to the bottom.
For the nerds!
How do you say Hedy’s name?
I’ll be honest. I was pretty surprised to get this question the first time, much less multiple times. Hence the start of this blog post.
When coming up with a name for my main character, the MC, I wanted her full name to be easily turned into a short nickname that was easy to pronounce and that told you about her even before you met her (ah, I may have been a bit ambitious there). I also wanted it to mean something. I wanted it to reflect all my hopes and dreams for my MC.
My MC is an intelligent, mature woman who makes mistakes and still keeps going. Apologizes and then gets on with it. She’s important to the history of my world. She’ll do great things, but it may be quietly with zero public fanfare.
I spent three weeks looking for a name that did all that.
First, I landed on Hedy.
As in Hedy Lamarr. Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Film,” Hedy Lamarr was one of the most popular actresses of her day. Unfortunately, that day was also when women were dismissed and ignored. Well, their brains were, especially.
Check her out on Wikipedia!
Most importantly, in my opinion, she co-invented a frequency-hopping spread-spectrum radio guidance system during World War II that stopped Axis powers from jamming weapon signals! Which was cool enough. Go Hedy.
But here’s the thing… that invention laid the conceptual groundwork for modern Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. That’s right, every time you use your cell phone or TomTom… give Hedy a little shout out.
Other inventions include:
- Improved Traffic Light: Designed a stoplight system with better visibility and timing.
- Fizzing Drink Tablet: Created a powder tablet that turned water into a carbonated cola-like beverage.
- Aerodynamic Wing Design: Sketched streamlined airplane wing concepts for aviator Howard Hughes, inspired by the shapes of fast fish and birds
Go Hedy, indeed. I think we can all agree, not a stupid woman. Yet, she was frequently dismissed and stereotyped as the quintessential “beautiful but brainless” glamour girl or seductress. Yeah, people suck. She was a complex person. Faced hardships. Lived a real life. Made mistakes. Survived.
So, I had the name Hedy. And I intend for it to mean everything Hedy Lamarr actually was.
Except, Hedy was obviously a nickname. I needed the full name.
Before I ever got started on this particular task, I had already created a hefty backstory for my MC. She was adopted by a lovely couple in Roanoke, Virginia. The mom was a librarian with a penchant for history. The dad was an ancient history professor. I waffled on the exact school where he taught, but that was the dynamic. Oh, and there were three brothers.
Each of the four kids had a first name selected by the mom, but the middle name was left to the dad. This involved a slight rabbit hole, but here is the family.
- Stella and Tom Parker, mom and dad.
- Alastor Patroclus Parker, the oldest son.
- Myles Thutmose Parker, the middle son.
- Caleb Georgios Parker, the youngest son.
Right, so what was Hedy’s first name?
Ah, she’s adopted. Obviously, her birth mother only had one demand when she gave her up, her first name had to be Virela. The Parkers honored that, er, request (author attempt at intrigue).
We’re getting closer. I’ve got Virela – something that can become Hedy as a nickname – Parker. But, we know it has to tie into ancient history. The great rabbit hole descent into ancient names thus began. Surely someone would fit.
And yes, I could have totally made it up, but I think you’ll agree if you’ve read to this point, I’m a nerd about this stuff and “making it up” was never going to happen.
It took weeks, but I found her. Enheduanna. I loved her immediately.
Enheduanna (c. 2300 BCE) was a Mesopotamian princess, high priestess to the moon god, Nanna, and the earliest author known by name in human history.
I mean, right!?
- She has been analyzed as an early rhetorical theorist.
- She was exiled for pete’s sake!
- She composed masterpieces in cuneiform that merged Sumerian and Akkadian deities into a single pantheon.
And there you have it.
In the end, her first name is all about setting up Book 4. Her middle name is a shout out to amazing women in history, and a nod to the author in me.
Virela Enheduanna Parker. Known to family and friends as Hedy.
Head. E.
But if you read Hedy and hear Heidi in your head, that’s fine. It doesn’t change the story.