Names are very important in the dual stories of the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, which frame the Once Upon a Time narrative. Avatars and metaphors, the names of fairy tale characters—and even nursery rhyme characters are deep with both overt meaning and often-subtle subtext. And in this series, names may well be significant puzzle pieces—clues to the overall mysteries within.
The name “Snow White” suggests purity—both outward and within. “Mary Margaret” is a name that, to me, at least, creates an image of mousey Sunday school teachers with prim and proper appearance and rigid manners. While the image fits the Storybrooke version of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), it does not fit Snow White of the Enchanted Forest. Of course, “Blanchard,” her surname, comes from “blanche,” the French word for “white.” But the name also has Germanic origins, and in German, Blanchard signifies bravery and courage. And it’s a perfect for the courageous, bold Snow White.
What will the future hold for Mary Margaret? As she draws closer to Emma (and finds the pull towards David (Josh Dallas) growing more and more irresistible), what effect will that have on her memories? Will she, like Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) begin to understand the past in small snippets, dreams and visions? And if she does, will she draw strength and courage from them, becoming more her true self?
Speaking of David, it’s interesting to note that both his Storybrooke and Enchanted Forest personas have two names. In the Enchanted Forest he is known by his given name James—and by Prince Charming; in Storybrooke, he has been known as both David Nolan and John Doe.
David Nolan is an interesting name for Prince Charming. David was a Biblical philosopher-king and a great leader. The name Nolan means noble, and it is Prince Charming's nobility that eventually gets to Snow White. It's a perfect name for him.
David is drawn towards two women in Storybrooke just as he had been in the Enchanted Forest—one by duty and the other by love. If you recall, James is essentially coerced into his union with King Midas’ daughter, only going there out of fealty to his mother—and his sense of honor and nobility.
And, to carry Prince Charming’s duality even further, he is, if you recall, a twin. James replaces his twin, hiding his shepherd’s inner self with the false trappings of royalty.
Article comments
1 - Brighid45
This will be one powerhouse of an episode! Can't wait to see it.
It's fun to watch OUAT begin to find its feet. It's been my experience that perforce most shows spend their first season developing the mythos and universe the characters inhabit. IMO the progression here has been a bit uneven, but that's not unexpected nor problematic, it's part of the creative process. What keeps things interesting is the steady vision the writers have regarding the dual nature of this world--something you might think would be obvious, but there are some great subtleties within that premise that add wonderful depth to the storyline. Character names are a big part of those subtleties, as you rightly point out.
One of the few true powers we humans possess is the ability to name things. Names are old and deep magick. There's a great moment in Stephen King's novel It, where one of the children tells Pennywise she knows the true names of things and the monster recoils from her in fear. As you illustrate very well in your comments, in the mirrored world of OUAT names have even more significance because they hold clues to the characters true natures under the glamour placed on them by the curse. And yet they're not all straightforward hints; you have to think about them, which leads to discussion and debate, and the potential for deeper understanding (my favorite part of being a fangirl!).
I'm looking forward to finding out more about Rumple/Mr. Gold, but also hoping we come away with more questions than answers, and an urge to speculate on the enticing clues left behind.
Excellent post Barbara, thank you. This discussion is going to be great fun, I look forward to more of your comments as the season progresses.
Btw, the derivations you cite for the name Emma are correct. Just as an aside, Emma comes from the word 'ermin', referring the the animal prized for its winter coat of pure white fur. Interesting, yes? :)
2 - Nancy
I can give some additional info on names. Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, is French for "beautiful". Not sure what Gaston means, but gastronomy has to do with eating.
3 - Barbara Barnett
Hi Nancy--Those are of course the original names--and like Snow White, interesting. The cool thing about OUAT, is that such care was taken in creating the names for the STorybrooke characters--and creating new contexts for the original names. We'll see what that brings for Belle and Gaston in 1x12 (Skin Deep)
4 - Action Kate
Hubby pointed out that the editor of the paper is Sidney Glass... aka Mr. Mirror Mirror on the Wall.
5 - Nikab84
so as the huntsman, what does sherriff graham mean? makes me think of graham crackers or cookies which leads to the gingerbread man...also notice they didn't tell us the strangers name either...
6 - Breezy
Significance of the real world character names.