Musings by someone not known as Joe
Word of the week — mononymous.
I can't remember where I came across it but I wrote it down on a notepad on my desk and it's been staring at me ever since demanding that I deal with it.
Its derivation is self-evident. Just as anonymous means having no name, so mononymous means having one name and one only.
Mononymity is standard among dogs, rare among people and common in religion.
All the early biblical boys and girls (though mainly, it has to be said, boys) were mononyms.
Things were just getting going so there were names enough for everyone to have one to him or herself: Adam, Eve, Noah, Satan and all the merry rest of them.
Most of the biblical mononyms have since become common Christian names, except for God and Satan.
Someone should give them a try, perhaps in combination. God Satan-Williams, say, would have been a fitting moniker for many of the kids I taught.
(Not having been raised religiously I have just looked up Noah to confirm his mononymity and discovered that the old boy lived for 950 years and packed a lot into them. Not only did he and his ark rescue all of creation, but he also cultivated the first vineyard, made the first wine, drank the first bottle and became the first drunk, having fallen asleep "uncovered" in his tent. First but not last.)
Top of the mononymous pops have to be the divine or semi-divine characters — Jesus, Mohammed and, if you don't consider the definite article counts as a name, the Buddha.
Their mononymity stresses that they come from no worldly family, that they are uniquely removed from the common ruck, even though they all had parents.
No children to my knowledge are ever named after the Buddha, but millions have been named after the other two without mishap.
Jesus is especially popular in Spanish-speaking countries. In the winter of 1979-80 the front row of the Zaragoza Veterinaria first (and only) XV consisted of, reading from tight head to loose, Jesus, Angel, Jesus. And though they were all good blokes you'd have to travel a long way to find three uglier ones.
Just as religions spawned mononyms, so did empires. The Roman Empire gave us Nero, Augustus and Caesar (though he is often diluted to a dinym), the French Napoleon.
Others produced a single name with an epithet attached — Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Vlad the Impaler. Whether these count as mononyms or trinyms, I'll leave to you.
Even in modern times the wielding of great power, especially for ill, continues to produce the mononyms of notoriety — Hitler, Stalin, Putin, Trump.
It's as if in their shameless greed and love of power, they have forsaken the gentler nature that a first name suggests. They have become their psychopathy.
The one other main source of mononymity is cultural. The Greek thinkers have come down to us as singletons — Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle.
The same is true of artists. Meneer Harmenszoon van Rijn of Leiden in the Dutch Republic will forever be just Rembrandt and his self-portraits as enigmatic as ever.
The little Tuscan town of Vinci near Florence had only the one famous son and he needs no more of an identifier than the name Leonardo.
And the touchy Michelangelo Merisi, who made enemies and died young but painted like an angel, will always be distinguished from his namesake who also painted like an angel, by being known for the little town he sprang from, Caravaggio.
Shakespeare's great tragic heroes are all mononyms. Hamlet is Hamlet. Any second name would be as unthinkable as Luigi Othello or Wee Willie Macbeth.
And Lear would not be Lear with any prefatory label other than King. Mononymity lends substance.
Today's global mononyms are few, and they tell of a world in love with amusement.
There are footballers: Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo. And there are pop singers, often self-appointed as mononyms — Madonna, say, or Bono, or our own, God help her the poor thing, Lorde.
Are they the Rembrandts of tomorrow? Will their mononymity stay afloat in time's gutter?
I have no opinion on the matter. Mononymous is done.
• Joe Bennett is a Lyttelton writer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Youth Take Root: A Rocha Aotearoa Planting 1,500 Trees For World Vision 40 Hour Challenge
Press Release – World Vision A Rocha Aotearoa is undertaking a massive tree planting drive in Auckland and Christchurch on Saturday, 14 June to seed more than 1,500 trees to support this year's World Vision 40 Hour Challenge. The Christian environmental organisation will gather Youth Groups from across the country to roll up their sleeves and plant native trees to raise funds to support the one in six children in the Pacific who face severe food insecurity due to climate change. James Beck from A Rocha Aotearoa says, ' By partnering with World Vision, we're giving young people an opportunity to plant hope – quite literally – by restoring native bush and improving biodiversity. The climate crisis can feel overwhelming – but small, local actions really do add up. This is about more than planting trees – it's about planting seeds of justice, hope, and resilience.' In Auckland, the teams of young people will gather to plant at Unsworth Reserve in Unsworth Heights to restore the ecological balance of the reserve, contributing to a healthier urban environment. They will have support from World Vision, the Upper Waitematā Ecology Network, and local churches. In Christchurch, youth will gather at South Shore Spit Reserve—an internationally significant ecological site—to help regenerate native vegetation and protect habitats for migratory birds. The project will be run in collaboration with the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust, Christchurch City Council, and forms part of A Rocha's Good News Project, which equips young people to care for creation as an expression of their faith. World Vision Associate National Director TJ Grant says the organisation values partnerships with organisations like A Rocha. He says through activities, like planting native trees and raising funds for communities affected by climate change, the partnership demonstrates that local action can have a global impact. It's a powerful example of hope, connection, and doing good—together. ' These tree planting events are a powerful example of hope, connection, and doing good—together. We know that climate change isn't just a distant issue—it's something we can respond to in our own communities and on behalf of our neighbours across the Pacific. Whether you're planting trees, taking on a personal 40 Hour Challenge, or donating, every action counts.' Youth groups interested in participating in either of the events can register online through A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand. To learn more about the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge, visit
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Youth Take Root: A Rocha Aotearoa Planting 1,500 Trees For World Vision 40 Hour Challenge
A Rocha Aotearoa is undertaking a massive tree planting drive in Auckland and Christchurch on Saturday, 14 June to seed more than 1,500 trees to support this year's World Vision 40 Hour Challenge. The Christian environmental organisation will gather Youth Groups from across the country to roll up their sleeves and plant native trees to raise funds to support the one in six children in the Pacific who face severe food insecurity due to climate change. James Beck from A Rocha Aotearoa says, ' By partnering with World Vision, we're giving young people an opportunity to plant hope – quite literally – by restoring native bush and improving biodiversity. The climate crisis can feel overwhelming – but small, local actions really do add up. This is about more than planting trees – it's about planting seeds of justice, hope, and resilience.' In Auckland, the teams of young people will gather to plant at Unsworth Reserve in Unsworth Heights to restore the ecological balance of the reserve, contributing to a healthier urban environment. They will have support from World Vision, the Upper Waitematā Ecology Network, and local churches. In Christchurch, youth will gather at South Shore Spit Reserve—an internationally significant ecological site—to help regenerate native vegetation and protect habitats for migratory birds. The project will be run in collaboration with the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust, Christchurch City Council, and forms part of A Rocha's Good News Project, which equips young people to care for creation as an expression of their faith. World Vision Associate National Director TJ Grant says the organisation values partnerships with organisations like A Rocha. He says through activities, like planting native trees and raising funds for communities affected by climate change, the partnership demonstrates that local action can have a global impact. It's a powerful example of hope, connection, and doing good—together. ' These tree planting events are a powerful example of hope, connection, and doing good—together. We know that climate change isn't just a distant issue—it's something we can respond to in our own communities and on behalf of our neighbours across the Pacific. Whether you're planting trees, taking on a personal 40 Hour Challenge, or donating, every action counts.' Youth groups interested in participating in either of the events can register online through A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand. To learn more about the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge, visit
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Paris moves to grant Seine legal rights - inspired by New Zealand
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the River Seine to show the river was clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games last year. Photo / Ville de Paris FREE FOR EDITORIAL USE RGP 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. WGP 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. HBG 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. HBG 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. BTG 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. NAG 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de ParisThe mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, takes a dip in the Seine to show the river is clean enough for water events to be held for the Olympic Games, starting in a few days. NZH 19Jul24 - Photo / Ville de Paris French authorities want to give legal rights to the River Seine to better defend the world-famous waterway in court and protect its fragile ecosystem, part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, the Paris City Council called on parliament to pass
