Thursday , March 28 2024
What's in a name? Quite a lot in Once Upon a Time's Storybrooke!

What’s in a Name on Once Upon a Time?

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.

When he meets Snow White by chance on the road to his marriage with Abigail, he is immediately (if not obviously) taken by the independent, rebellious young highway-woman. And clearly, the pull of love is stronger than the pull of fealty, so James and Snow eventually get together. However, things do not stay happy for long; the queen enacts the darkest of curses, affecting James, Snow—and everyone else in the Enchanted Forest.

As for The Evil  Queen (Lana Parrilla), she is called Regina Mills in Storybrooke. “Regina” is as royal as names get. But what about “Mills?” Okay, I’m going out on a bit of a limb here, but if you know the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin (the original Grimm story), you may remember that Rumple’s bargain was with a miller’s daughter. So I have to wonder if Regina’s tie to Rumple—perhaps the key to their relationship—is that she is the original miller’s daughter (or even granddaughter)? Although they appear roughly the same age in Once Upon a Time, age means nothing in the fairy tale world, so, who knows?

The queen’s father is Henry, just like her adopted son; it means “home ruler,” and has been the name of kings for centuries going back to the 11th Century. Do Once Upon a Time’s Henrys simply have regal names, or is there some other significance to their name? Regina’s father may not have been ruler of his own castle (and had his heart cut out by his scheming and vengeful daughter), but young Henry Mills (Jared Gilmore) seems to be taking charge of his destiny (and perhaps his home—and all its inhabitants) by having found Emma (Jennifer Morrison). Perhaps Henry will ultimately fulfill the promise of his important name.

And what of Emma’s name? Uniquely, her name is the same in Storybrooke as it had been in the Enchanted Forest. The name Emma signifies universality and wholeness. It is only through Emma, the rescued child of Snow White and Prince Charming that all the inhabitants of the fairy tale land can again be whole, and things be put back the way they belong. Without Emma, there can never be a happily ever after for any of them. Her name fits quite well, don’t you think?

There is no one in the Enchanted Forest to whom names mean more than to Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle). In a recent interview I did with the Jane Espenson, writer of this Sunday’s episode “Desperate Souls,” I asked about Rumple’s book collection last seen a few episodes ago. “Yes, he has lots of books,” she agreed. “Full of spells and secrets, and, I would guess, a lot of names.  This is man to whom names are very important.  Even more than to Santa.”

Rumple’s name in Storybrooke is Mr. Gold, and the connection would seem very obvious, since Rumple is legendary for spinning straw into gold. But why, I wonder, has he no first name? There must be a reason, and he is the only character in Storybrooke we’ve met so far without a first name.

In the original Grimm Rumpelstiltskin tale, a miller’s daughter makes a bargain with Rumple, promising him her firstborn in exchange for making her a rich queen. Eventually, he agrees to let her out of the bargain, but only if she can guess his name. And since all stories end happily ever after in the world of Grimm (at least for the story’s protagonists), the young queen learns Rumple’s name and foils the bargain.

Names are not only important, they hold much power, and I would guess that Mr. Gold’s given name will be a deeply held secret until the end of the series—for who knows what mysteries and magic it holds. Whoever learns this name, I would venture, will have power over the most powerful person in Storybrooke.

There are, of course, other Storybrooke characters with Enchanted Forest origins, and their names also signify those connections, for example, Little Red Riding Hood (Ruby) and Jiminy Cricket (Archie Hopper). Whether those names acquire deeper significance as time goes on is anyone’s guess.

So, does anyone want to guess? Feel free to use the comment thread to play your own Storybrooke name game. Once Upon a Time returns Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET with “Desperate Souls,” which explores Rumple’s origins. In the meantime, enjoy a clip from the episode to tease you ‘till then.

About Barbara Barnett

A Jewish mother and (young 🙃) grandmother, Barbara Barnett is an author and professional Hazzan (Cantor). A member of the Conservative Movement's Cantors Assembly and the Jewish Renewal movement's clergy association OHALAH, the clergy association of the Jewish Renewal movement. In her other life, she is a critically acclaimed fantasy/science fiction author as well as the author of a non-fiction exploration of the TV series House, M.D. and contributor to the book Spiritual Pregnancy. She Publisher/Executive Editor of Blogcritics, (blogcritics.org).

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