Name of the Day: Iskandar

The name 'Iskandar' has deep power; it resonates across the entire span of Eurasia, a name that speaks of conquest and dominion, of patriarchal protection and of the role of a hero. Iskandar is the old Persian version of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος or Alexander.

The roots of the name are interesting to explore. It comes from alexein-, which means 'to defend, protect, ward, keep safely (against something); to turn away, avert or repel (something harmful)', and -andros, which is 'man'. It is therefore an epithet which describes a messianic quality, that of protecting humanity from its unnamed enemies. The most common English translation is 'defender of men', but it should be made clear that the defence alluded to is both active as well as passive.

It is said that when Alexander III of Macedon was born, his mother dreamt that a comet had struck her womb, which absorbed the blast. Then the seal of a lion appeared over it, glowing golden like a mark of kingship. It was from this image that Alexander the Great received the title, 'Lion of Macedon'.

In Scotland, the name underwent two changes; Scots Gaelic has it as 'Alastair' (or Alasdair, or Alistair, or half a dozen other regional variations), while the natural contraction was 'Sandy'. Similarly, the feminine 'Alexandra' has been shortened to 'Sandra'. This curious inability of the Scots to spell things right has led to confusion with another Greek word, alastor.

Naming someone 'Alastor', however, would be a rather unusual thing to do. The etymology of 'Alastor' is very different; it comes from the Greek alathein, which means 'to not forget', 'to not allow to be forgotten', or 'to not allow to go away'. This name was assigned to the Greek spirits of vengeance, giving it the sense of 'avenger'. That's an interesting thing; the name 'Alethea' is a feminine form and means 'truth' — 'that which is not forgotten', 'that which you do not forget' or 'that which does not go away'.