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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel
You asked about the meaning, symbolism, and stories connect to the names Ginevra, Lucretia, and Lysandra. You were particularly interested in Renaissance, Greek, and Roman relationships with these names.
<Ginevra> is an Italian borrowing of the French name <Guenievre>, which
in turn is a borrowing of the Welsh <Gwenhwyfar>. In addition to the
obvious Arthurian reference, a character named <Ginevra> or <Genevera>
appears in the
Decameron, 10th day (on which tales of worthy actions are told), 6th
Tale. The synopsis reads
"Victorious King Charles, surnamed The Aged, and first of that Name, fell in love with a yong Maiden, named Genevera, daughter to an ancient Knight; called Signoir Neri degli Uberti. And waxing ashamed of his amorous folly, caused both Genevera, and her fayre Sister Isotta, to be joyned in marriage with two Novel Gentlemen, the one named Signoir Maffeo da Palizzi, and the other, Signoir Gulielmo della Magna."
Although this name has literary origins, it was occasionally used by real people. In Florence, we found one <Ginevra> in 1427 and a <Ginevra degli Almieri> in the 15th century[1, 2]. In 13th centuiry Perugia, we found the forms <Genevria> and <Ginevria> [3]. There may be an association between this name and the juniper plant, ("ginepro" in Italian); a well known painting by Leonardo di Vinci shows a lady and a juniper bush. It is believed that this lady was named <Ginevra>.
<Lucretia> derives from the feminine form of the Latin nomen <Lucretius>. The name may be related to the noun "lucrum", which means gain or profit. The most famous Lucretia of literature is the beautiful and virtuous Lucretia, who, raped by the tyrant Tarquin, commits suicide after revealing the attack to her husband and father. Her suicide sets in motion the fall of the tyrant and the rise of the Roman Republic. Livy writes of this in his "De Feminis Romanis". The subject was popular with poets of the 15th and 16th century; Shakespeare's "The Rape of Lucrece" is probably the best known poetic treatment of the story. Lucretia's story was also a popular subject for painters of the period; Botticelli painted a typical example of the genre. While opera is not an art form found in period, the tale makes its appearance there are well; the most recent example is the opera "The Rape of Lucretia" by Benjamin Britten.
Literary references aside, <Lucretia> and <Lucrezia> were both used as names in period. The best known Lucretia is, of course, Lucretia Borgia. <Lucrezia> is recorded in Florence during the Renaissance [3], and the forms <Lucretia> and <Lucrece> are occasionally found in England, particularly in Lancashire, where the name was popular in the 16th-18th century. [4] It appears occasionally in America in the 18th, 19th, and 20th century.
<Lysandra> has two possible origins: There was a famous Spartan general named Lysander, of which this might be a feminine form, or it may be a variant of Alexander (LisandróLisandra). We were unable to find any references to this name in period, though it is a modern Italian given name.[1] <Lysandra> is also the genus for two species of butterflies found in Europe, that were classified and named in the 18th century. [5]
If you want to use an Northern Italian Renaissance name, then <Ginevra> or <Lucrezia> would be very appropriate. <Lysandra> is not specifically documented in that period, but it may have been used. If you want an earlier-period Italian persona, the best choice is some form of <Ginevra>.
We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Arval d'Espas Nord, Jamie FitzGeorge, and Alison Macdermot aided in researching and writing this letter.
In Service,
Margaret Makafee
[1] DeFelice, Emidio, Dizionario dei Nomi Italiani. Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1992
[2] Arval Benicoeur. Feminine Given Names from Thirteenth Century Perugia. (WWW: Privately published, 1997)
[3] Rhian Lyth. Italian Renaissance Women's Names. (WWW: Privately published, 1996)
[4] Withycombe, E.G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 1977
[5] Padding, Johan T."The Butterfly List": The Dutch Butterfly Pages. (updated 8/6/97)