Onoma 49 (2014): Names and religion

Guest editor Per Vikstrand, Uppsala

Call for papers

Names
and religion are intimately bound together on
several levels and in several ways. As regards personal names, these
often reflect the religious conviction of the name givers. It would
be not entirely wrong to assert that in the Christian world most
personal names rely on the Bible or Christian tradition in the form
of saints or missionaries for their existence. In the Indo-European
languages, personal names with religious associations are a common
trait and such names make up an important part of the
anthroponomasticon in many languages.

A large amount of
place names emanates from tales and myths in which supernatural
beings of different kinds are connected with significant places in
the landscape. This seems to be a global phenomenon. But place names,
made obscure by the passing of time and language change, can also act
as agents for stories and myths, woven around a reinterpretation –
if you like a “folk-etymology”– of the name in question. From
such names there is only a short step to the mythological names –
that is names of persons, beings and places in the myths. The
etymologies of mythological names are often invoked to enlighten
characters or deeds in the stories of which they form a part. It is
my belief that an onomastic approach to such name – based on the
understanding that they actually act as and must be treated as names
– have much to contribute to the understanding of myths.

The subject of names
and religion has as far as I know never been approached in an
international forum. Although much work has been done on a regional
basis, very little knowledge on the subject trickles over the
barriers of languages and we are in want of global and inter-language
perspectives. This number of Onoma is a first, humble attempt at
bridging over this omission of knowledge.

I invite scholars in
the field of onomastics, history of religion and anthropology (and
others that might feel called upon) to submit studies of different
aspects of the theme names and religion. It is my firm belief that
the glimpses of knowledge from different cultures and religions thus
provided can enrich our understanding of the complex relationship
between names, naming, myths and religious beliefs. I would
especially like to encourage studies that deal with indigenous
religions and languages outside the Christian and Islamic cultural
spheres. Studies concerned with ancient European cultures such as the
Greek, Roman, Celtic or Old Norse would also be most welcome, as
would, of course, investigations with a more contemporary approach.

If you would like to
participate in this issue of Onoma, please submit a title and a short
abstract by September 1, 2013, to per.vikstrand@sofi.se.
Accepted authors will be informed by October 1, 2013, and
deadline for the articles will be February 28, 2014.