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The Meaning of Mal
Monday, November 27, 2006

For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with names and their meanings. As a kid I whiled away endless hours reading those mugs and keyrings you can buy with a person's name and a witty poem about its meaning. I've even bought baby name books just so I can look up a name's meaning whenever the mood strikes me.

Not that you can always trust a baby name book. Just about every book and website translates Linda as "pretty." Which it is... in Spanish, but that's not where the name comes from. Linda actually comes from the Germanic, and translates as "snake!" Naturally most books go for the "nicer" translation over the more accurate one, and to be fair most parents take the name with the Spanish translation in mind. Or so my Mum swears anyway. Still, learning my own name's meaning gave me an interest in accurately translating the names of others.

Mal's name is particularly interesting. As River mentioned before, the word "mal" itself means "bad" in Latin. The full name, Malcolm, is Celtic and is usually translated as "disciple of Saint Columba."

Nothing much interesting about that, you'd think, even if Columba was a bit more colourful than the average Saint. But once again the books and websites miss out on something important - they don't translate Columba's own name.

Columba, or "Colm" in modern Ireland, means "dove." Which means that Mal's name translates literally as "follower of the dove." And the dove, of course, is an almost universal symbol for peace and has been for centuries. So Mal, a man stuck in a war he lost years ago, unable to stop fighting, has a name that describes searching for peace - following the dove.

Not that I'm saying for a second that Joss knew about this, but it's damn interesting all the same. If you're me, anyway.

COMMENTS

Monday, November 27, 2006 4:23 PM

KELAI


Wow, I could never decipher that one. Everyone else's was straighforward but I was all, COLUMBA??

Jayne means victorious ;)

Monday, November 27, 2006 10:11 AM

FOLLOWMAL


Oh, DTH... I love it! Thank you for sharing. It has a truth about it, doesn't it, Mal being a "follower of the dove".

Wow... all the more reason for my daughter's ( one or the other!) to name their son, Malcolm.

Monday, November 27, 2006 8:38 AM

CYBERSNARK


I know it's not what you meant, but I love the thought that your name translates to "snake!" --WITH the exclamation point. ^_^

Monday, November 27, 2006 8:22 AM

MSG


wow...when I have to name my baby I know who to ask!! really interesting

Monday, November 27, 2006 8:12 AM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Yep...even if it's coincidence...it's brilliant;D

BEB


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