A Word on Names

A blog must start somewhere. Having no better place to start, I shall begin my blog with a little word on names. In particular, the name of this blog: Raven's Writings. The name Raven is often associated with a female personage. I, however, am male. It was a name I chose for myself when the internet was still a new creature. Free e-mail servers were beginning to abound. Several search engines vied for your patronage, and users argued over which was better. The noise has since died down. Still, many things were created in that day. One of them was screen names. I chose for myself the screen name Ravensbane. Given the 6 billion people in the world it was inevitable that I was not the first, and chances are that I am not the only one. The reasons for choosing it are lost to the memories of time, but I have held onto it for a decade now. It has become a fond part of my identity. Indeed, you'll find in my home a Raven tie and a Ravensbane stamp set made for me by my loving wife, as well as a few Ravensbane t-shirts. No one else understands, no one else needs to.

It was sometime after choosing my new moniker that I discovered that my given name, Brendan, had several translations. While the accuracy of these origins can be debated, I found listed the words: Sword, Flame, Beacon, and Raven. I also found the unflattering 'smelly hair.' I did the sensible thing upon finding that one and ignored it. But there it was. My name meant Raven. By choosing the name Ravensbane or Raven's Bane, I had declared in my mind that I was my own enemy. It seemed so deep and revealing at the time. Now it just seems like an illusion of deepness. Indeed, I rarely consider myself to be my own enemy anymore. In fact, while I often bemoaned and hated life as a teenager, I find it has a certain amount of joy in it now. I have found myself to be quite an enjoyable travel companion along the way. This hasn't been a change of life or a change of self, but a change of perspective.

Now I allow you to enjoy myself with me. I hope you do.