Every name has an importance or meaning. My name, for example is Elena Waller. My first name Elena comes from Helen, a cousin of my dad’s who died before I was born. For people who do not know already, it is a tradition in the Jewish community to name your kids after someone who passes away. My brother’s name, Mikael, comes from my grandfather’s (on my dad’s side) Yiddish name and my sister’s name comes from my grandmother’s (also on my dad’s side) name of Florence. I should mention that my last name came from my mom’s side of the family. On both sides we have strong women.
The reason why I am bringing this up is because my dad and I recently met with Helen’s son a while ago. They were both telling family stories including about Helen. I was thinking to myself and I also asked my dad about this…”Am I living up to my namesake, Helen?” I have heard all of these stories about her over the years. There must have been some reason why I was named after her. As it turns out, I may have at least one thing in common with her. We both love working with children. She was a child’s psychiatrist and Henry (Helen’s son) was telling this story of his mom always being the children’s magnet. She would take any children who were crying and would find some way to make them stop crying just like that. I must say that she is a strong woman because she put herself back through school, especially as an older woman. So to answer my question, I would say without a doubt, absolutely yes!
Anyways, I know that I have talked a lot about the importance of names. I know mine has a lot of meaning and I am sure that others do too. I just want to take this time to acknowledge those who came before us. I am taking the time to do that because it is that time of year when we celebrate Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos in Spanish, which celebrates those who came before us. It especially honors those who have already died. We honor their memory by creating an alter with pictures and mementos. I am concluding with a quote by one of my heroes, Michelle Obama who says the following. “We’ve got a responsibility to live up to the legacy of those who came before us by doing all that we can to help those who come after us.” That ties this post all together because it is about the previous generation, this generation and the next one to follow. That is how we live up to a legacy and the people we are named after. It is a lot of responsibility, but I know that we can do it. I am wishing everyone a happy Halloween and Day of the Dead (let me know what the proper way to say this in the future).
Praise to Helen of Troy and the Name of Helen
“…the face that launch’d a thousand ships…”
– From Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlow
What do we know about Helen?
We know that while married to another,
She was desired by Paris. The Trojan prince.
Her rare and perfect beauty. Like a flower,
Which blooms on a rainy day.
Daughter of Zeus, ruler of all
Gods and goddesses.
Helen. A name that launched a war
Lasting 10 gruesome years.
When her husband raised an army
To reclaim what he had lost,
All for this one woman.
Her name is still among us
Although it takes on different forms.
The root, Helen
Coming from the Greek Helenē
Often meaning
“Light”, “torch,” or “bright.”
I share her name, Elena. One of those
Amid the list of so many others–
Ellen, Elaine, Alana, Yelena, Helen, Eleanor.
We are all the “bright ones,”
The one worth fighting for.