NAMES FOR BABIES: MYTHOLOGICAL HEROINES (III)

The mythical world that the great poets of Antiquity gathered and that was part of the beliefs and legends of the Hellenic peoples continues to offer us evocative names for babies that were before mythological heroines.

Recently a reader told us that her mother, a great lover of these stories, chose for her and her brothers classic names. Penelope It was one of them.

Penelope he married Odysseus, after he had renounced Helena's hand. Their marriage was happy and they had a small son, Telemachus, when misfortune fell upon them.

They lived in Ithaca, an island on the western coast of Greece, isolated from the conflicts in the continental zone, where the princes fought generation after generation for the preponderance of others. But in Ithaca life was simpler, there were fishing and fields that gave them all the wealth they need to own.

But Helena had left with Paris and the former suitors had to keep their promise, help the outraged husband. Odysseus, who was precisely the one who suggested this ploy to Helena's father, had also committed. They came looking for him but Odysseus didn't want to go to Troy. He had his palace, his beloved Penelope, to his little son Telemachus, he had everything in life he could wish for. However, despite all his cunning, he could not get rid of the oath.

He impersonated himself and plowed the sand on the beach as if it were a field in which to grow a wheat field. But those who came to look for him found a cruel way to confirm that his madness was true: they put Telemachus in front of the plow. If the father was crazy he would not stop and the child would die. If he was sane, he would stop.

And of course, Odysseus stood up and admitted the imposture. And he had to go to war, a terrible war that took him ten years away from his home. Penelope remained in charge of the country. At first everything went well, I had hope, I saw the child grow and I waited for the husband. But time passed, and the war was too long.

Ten years later, Trojan fall, the leaders began to return to their homes. The news also reached Ithaca, the news did, but Odysseus did not.

His trip was impeded by the curse of a god he had offended, shipwrecks and misfortunes kept him ten years more in the sea, wandering. But nobody knew that at home. Year after year his return was expected but eventually everyone thought that Odysseus had perished in a shipwreck. All but Penelope, who, bent on hope, awaited his return.

Odysseus's house was no longer a peaceful place. Powerful and ambitious men longed to occupy their throne and for that they had to conquer Penelope's bed. She resisted marriage, with hope or without her refusing to give up the absent husband.

They ate everything there was, they destroyed the rooms, they stole the riches, they mistreated the people of the house. That was what the suitors of Penelope, who had camped in the palace waiting for her to decide for one of them.

The woman asked for a little more patience. Before getting married, he wanted to finish his father-in-law's shroud, which was already very old. The suitors agreed to wait. She knitted, knitted, knitted, an endless shroud. Because every night he weakened what he was doing for the day, wanting to delay the fateful day that awaited him.

But the gods would not leave so much fidelity and hope to be in vain. Odysseus, after twenty years of absence, returned home. I finish with the suitors, regained his throne, and met this woman, Penelope, tireless weaver, who twenty years of absence loved him.

It is a beautiful name with a beautiful story too.

Pandora It is the Greek Eve, the first woman, the cause of the evils of men and the guardian of their hope. It was not human by birth, but was created by the gods. Hephaistos modeled her in clay, Aphrodite made her the gift of beauty soothing, Hermes the ability to deceive with words. Voluble, curious and absolutely irresistible.

As punishment for Prometheus' offense that had stolen fire from the gods to give to humans, the beautiful Pandora came into the world. Epimeteo, brother of the previous one, received it as a gift and soon decided to marry her.

Epimeteo kept a magic box that was the only thing his lovely wife was forbidden to touch. But, as expected, it was impossible for the girl to resist curiosity.

Pandora opened the box of secrets and then, all evils escaped and spread across the Earth. Envy, greed, war, obstinacy, violence, anger, disease and pain were ruled by the lives of men, for whom there seemed to be no consolation.

But nevertheless Pandora He had closed the box on time and had kept a gift that keeps men able to continue despite all the misfortunes, Hope, subtle and wonderful.

Pandora, the woman seen with the eyes of men who see the evils of the sensuality of the woman who loses them coming, is also a symbol of what women offer them, the hope of life that is renewed, of the smile, of sweetness Its name, of beautiful sonority, is also a precious metaphor of hope always maintained.

These and others names of heroines of Greek mythology they can be an option that we can consider for our daughters, and they are a gift that will accompany them throughout life, as a distant friend with a message to tell.