Naming customs in Themiclesia

In Themiclesia, an individual often possesses several names, each for a separate purpose. The manner in which these names are created and used is associated with a large body of cultural traditions and, in some cases, legal prescription.

In most cases, a surname can be combined with another name to give additional information about the person mentioned.

Family and clan names

Themiclesians have two inherited names. Both are found on the census.

The first, a surname (姓, sjiengh), is inherited from one's father. The composition of the Shinasthana character, however, suggests that it is more related to the female line than the male when the character was invented. This has been interpreted by some scholars to indicate a matrilineal society during the earliest phases of the Menggok culture. The surname was historically used to indicate ancestry, and Themiclesian culture prohibits marriage between two individuals of the same surname, which leads to inbreeding. Traditionally, at no distance in the geneological relationship between two persons is this rule dispensed with; in the modern age, laws forbid such unions between individuals that share a common ancestor in the eighth generation or more recently, as a continuation of this limitation.

The second, a family name (氏, dzhjie), is usually inherited from a person's father. The family name differs from the surname in that it reflects current family composition; that is, all individuals in the same family share one family name, regardless of their surnames. Though rare, a family name may be changed legally for reasons other than marriage and divorce; this most normally occurs when an offspring permanently takes up residence elsewhere. Prior to the 19th Century, many Themiclesians lived in extended families that grew to several hundred or even thousand in size, and a family member is expected to live with the family permanently. Additionally, family names have historically been changed for political reasons, whether to escape identification or to approximate a more desirable lineage. Two individuals sharing a single family name may not necessarily share a surname and thus ancestry; where family names are alike, but surnames different, marriage is permitted.

Personal name

An individual receives his personal name (本名, puehn-mjieng) at birth, usually given by his parents. Clairevoyants have been known to participate in a child's naming by exaimining the portend of each element of the name in combination with the hours of the child's birth; this practice is now obsolete in most regions of the country but remains customary in some, purely as a matter of tradition. A personal name can be one or two characters long, which typically contain a coherent meaning that may or may not be related to the person. In contrast with some cultures, Themiclesian names rarely draw from mythology or religion; instead, objects of cultural or philosphical importance, natural features, and abstract concepts are more popular themes. Most themes relating to war, violence, disease, misfortune, and negative images in general are avoided.

Personal names were thought to bear a supernatural relation to its owner. In antiquity, knowledge of a personal name enabled one to place a curse upon the name and by extension its owner; therefore, a courtesy name (see below) was required. It thus became highly taboo and offensive to utter the personal name of another person, particularly that of a social superior; in the case of the emperor, this constitutes the crime of lese-majeste. The personal names of prominent individuals are also referred to as their "taboo" (諱, hiuehis). Exceptions to this rule are one's own family members and oneself. Conversely, to identify oneself by personal name is deemed an act of humility, a notion probably associated with the ancient belief that exposing one's name was tantamount to exposing oneself.

The system of taboos significantly further historically. The personal names of a person's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents are all subject to taboo; the taboo is expected to be observed by visitors to the family, who may be informed beforehand of such prohibited words. In modern times, some very traditional individuals still maintain the habit of missing a stroke when writing these taboo words to demonstrate their respect towards their families.

Courtesy name

A courtesy name was granted to a person coming of age, which was 20 before 1935 and 18 after. As with the personal name, parents are responsible for coming up with a courtesy name, which typically displays much more pronounced positivity than a personal name. Other elements often augment the courtesy name proper, which usually is one or two characters long. Within one's family, the format is normally seniority + courtesy name + gender affix:

• Seniority is indicated for males by the order of 伯, 仲, 季, and 叔 in descending order.
• Gender is indicated for males by the word 父 after the courtesy name.
• Seniority is indicated for females by the order of 孟, 仲, 季, and 叔 in descending order.
• Gender is indicated for females by the word 母 after the courtesy name.

Beyond the family, the seniority element is typically omitted in favour of the family name, as the person's seniority amongst siblings is usually of less importance to outsiders.