help us name this farm!

We've been talking about what name to give our property and farm business.  I like the idea of a reference to the fact that we sit equidistant from two volcanoes..... But "volcan" seems to come out sounding like star trek when you say it outloud.  Any other vocabulary ideas?  Mythological stories with ideas we could swipe? 

any idea what some previous names for the area were?  indigenous names?  any plants or animals that have a particularly strong presence there or that you have a strong affinity for?  names for those in local languages or your ancestors' languages?

the only volcano story I know involves orange soda and Lloyd Bridges.  not so good for naming farms.

Uhm well, there's mugwart (probably my favorite because of its scent and medicinal qualities, but horrible common name), yarrow, and bracken fern out in the field along with the vetch.  I'll see what those names turn up.  Also yew trees in the wet area....carpets of wild ginger and self heal. 

We've been trying to look up historical names and such for the area but there's not much info.  Lots of lore about Mt. Shasta...but we're not close enough to her to claim her as our own volcano, and there's already a lot of really woo stuff surrounding that name with which I kinda would rather avoid association.  Mt. Lassen is about as far away. 

We're on the 'pit river gap'



"River Gap Farm" was just shot down by my partner.  Not terribly pretty.

I've got to hear this orange soda story!  Just for giggles. 

well, there was a volcanic island in the South Pacific called Waponi Woo.  the islanders drank a lot of orange soda.  somebody had to jump into the volcano every now and then, or it would erupt.  an industrialist who was after some mineral on the island tricked one of his employees into jumping in so that the islanders would let him build a mine.  Joe Banks, that employee, jumps in, but the volcano spits him out and the island sinks into the ocean.  the end.  starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

mugwort is "altimira" in Catalan.  you Catalan?  "pujo" in Finnish.  "altamisa" in Spanish.  "armoise commune" in French.  "amwaz" in Haitian creole.  "artemisia comune" in Italian.  "aels" or "bijvoet" in Limburgish.

Norwegian: burot
Polish: bylica pospolita
Saterland Frisian: muugerk
Sundanese: lokatmala
Swedish: gråbo
Tagalog: karaniwang damong-maria
Venetian: sinsioło
Vietnamese: ngải cứu

Artemisia (as in Artemisia vulgaris) is named for Artemis, who was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, childbirth, virginity, fertility, the hunt, and often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows (according to the wikipedia).  virginity and fertility.  anyhow, she seems an appropriate patron for a farm.

other names for mugwort in English: Felon Herb, Chrysanthemum Weed, Wild Wormwood, Old uncle Henry, Sailor's Tobacco, Naughty Man, Old Man or St. John's Plant.

Naughty Man Farm?

" Tween Peaks" ?   sorry

"Ojo de agua" --   eye of the water --  translates to something like "the best place for water"

I'm not sure about the farm, but we should call you Lassen Lass.   

How about "Lassentude"?

hah!  Thank you all for the suggestions, puns and all. 

If I could say 'tween peaks' with a straight face it would be in the running.  But I can't! 

I don't know much about my genetics, think I'm a super duper mutt -- my grandma's side has been traced as living in the USA back to the revolutionary war, so....I could be anything, really.  I'd rather stick with english language names, anything else sounds kinda not authentic to my ear and my back ground.  I really like the Ojo de Agua one...but again, I'm not a spanish speaker or of that descent.  I'd rather avoid native american references for the same reason, makes me feel like I'm appropriating things I don't really have a right to. 

The one we're drawn to thus far is the Artemisia mythology.  I like the virginity/fertility idea a lot, and I have a bow, though I can't string the dang thing (it's a recurve and they're tricky for beginners, I did not know how tricky when I bought it second hand).  She seems like fodder for a good logo drawing....

Man, that movie reference went right over my head cause I haven't seen it and don't really pay attention to pop culture that much these days.    dangit, tel! 

Awesome suggestions, everyone, thanks a lot! 

The one we're drawn to thus far is the Artemisia mythology.  I like the virginity/fertility idea a lot, and I have a bow, though I can't string the dang thing (it's a recurve and they're tricky for beginners, I did not know how tricky when I bought it second hand).

According to Wikipedia: 

Artemis, the goddess of forests and hills, was worshipped throughout ancient Greece.

Forests and hills certainly describes your area.  The genus Artemesia is a family of medicinals which includes wormwood and tarragon.   

She seems like fodder for a good logo drawing....

OK, I'm going to run with this.  A dell is a small wooded valley.  You could call the place Artemis Dell, and on the sign (I'm thinking an Art Deco overall theme, I don't know why) portray the Huntress wearing a stylized mask.  Typified by Comedy and Tragedy, masks are common in the Italian theatre style of Commedia Dellarte.  Thus, the pun Dell Arte(mis).

Artemis Dell 

Artemis Dell Farm?

Eh, I think I like the short version. 

I think I like it.  We will roll around with that one for awhile.  And perhaps I will work on a drawing.  I was thinking art deco as well....but a little more nature-y.  We'll see what I come up with!

Hey, Antibubba, that visual pun is a good one--and Dell Artemis (or Dell Artemisia) is more euphonious to me than Artemis Dell. More Artemis related words (I'm reading from Wikipedia; I am supposedly a degreed classicist but I have a lousy memory):

In a spring in a dell on Mt. Kitheron (approximately) was where Artemis was bathing when Actaon spied on her and got turned into a stag for his presumption.

Centers of her worship were at Delos (an island), Brauron (on a bay), Mounikhia (on a hill), and in the city of Sparta.

Her other Greek names include Aeginaea, Aetole, Alphaea, Potnia Theron (which means Mistress of Wild Animals), Cynthia, Amarynthia, and Phoebe. Her nearest Roman equivalent is Diana.

There is a circular cleft or fissure on Venus called the Artemis Chasma.

Dell Artemis.  I likey!  We have a huge storm rolling in tonight, I'll have time for drawing this weekend.  As it is I need to go take advantage of the relatively dry ground and sunshine while it lasts the rest of today. 

Thanks for your degreed input, Kerrick.     Is it ok to like a name because of the image that will go along with it?  A sexy goddess with a weapon is way more evocative than any ol' volcano.....(mistress shasta may strike me dead for that one....).

Except now I kinda feel like I'm appropriating from the classics.     Not exactly my culture, but - what is my culture, really?  Americans are the ultimate appropriators, that's a big reason why I enjoy speaking american english.  Maybe I should get over that in general. 

The whole point is to avoid one of those Verb-Noun names.  Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just want something that stands out.  There are enough Whistling Duck, Barking Moon, (to name only two that actually exist in Oregon) etc small organic farms in this neck of the woods.   

Since you solicited an opinion: The ancient Greeks have been appropriated SO HARD already, from the Renaissance through the Victorian era to the 60s-70s. There are real things to be concerned about, like the fate of the Parthenon friezes (popularly known as the "Elgin marbles"). Naming your farm in tribute to Artemis because you like her image and one of her sacred plants is kind of down there on the scale. For me personally I would be concerned more about taking a name from a cultural context that is really marginalized, rather than already forming a big part of my own culture due to earlier appropriations--and I'm eyeballing all those "Great Spirit Striking Eagle Farms" and "Kumbaya Kenya Dance Troupe of White People Who Really Like Africa" phenomena. Those actually do harm to people who are living now. Few of the currently living Greeks worship the ancient Gods, and those that do are mostly part of a modern current of paganism that spans the globe.

If you wanted my advice: If you are into doing so, I'd pay some respects to Artemis, and make sure she's really a Goddess you want to invoke on your land. I'd avoid over-sexualizing her in the imagery, since in myth she's known to turn people into things and make them die in nasty ways for putting their hands where they don't belong, or spying on her in the bath. And I'd also make sure to get the right spelling on the sign. But that's just my personal preferences. My paganism is way more Orthodox than my Judaism.

On the other hand: Some would say a volcano IS a sexy Goddess with a weapon...

If not Greek Mythology, whose?

If the founding members are all women, you could call yourselves the ShasTinas!

I remember reading a book a while back that featured Artemis.  She is the goddess of a lot of things.  Including chastity.  In the book, all of the other gods seemed to spend a lot of time pursuing pleasure.  But Artemis thought they were all a bit .... vulgar.  Time spent getting laid could be better spent doing something productive.

I'm eyeballing all those "Great Spirit Striking Eagle Farms" and "Kumbaya Kenya Dance Troupe of White People Who Really Like Africa" phenomena.

ha!  Yeah, that's how I feel too, Antibubba and Kerrick (spelling error corrected, sir!).  There are other cultures I could "borrow" from that could make me feel like a big white a**hole.  The greeks had their day, the proliferation of their stories around the globe to this day speaks to the power of the archtypes they invoked with their pantheon, and their familiarity in my "culture" (greek is european is american, is that the right order?).

Her broad reach of domain seems to fit with this place.  I think I can identify with her in regards to unsolicited sexual attention (uhm, probably every woman can?).  And I definitely believe we should be getting stuff done in a timely manner rather than spending such amounts of time entertaining ourselves in all kinds of ways.  But....and this seems to fit her seemingly contradictory nature....I also believe that pleasure and beauty are worthy pursuits - provided they aren't the only goal, but companion outcomes to other, higher goals. 

I won't make her look too sexy on purpose, but the grace and power of an athletic young woman, surrounded by trees, bow slung over a shoulder and arrows at the ready....that's all pretty hot to me.   

Shasta is a pretty hot volcano, as they go.  Lassen's a bit past her prime, so to speak.  They might appear in the drawing in some way....

Remember the name of that book by chance, Paul? 

Sounds a bit like "Gods Behaving Badly" which I have on my shelf, 1/4 finished. Does that sound familiar?

That's it.  Gods behaving badly. 

Awesome.  I haven't read anything about 'the gods' since highschool.  It would be good for a refresher course. 

Uh .... don't get your hopes too high.  This is a work of fiction set in modern times.  It's kinda funny and kinda dank.  The gods hire a housekeeper. 

ha!