Taking some time off from arranging songs from my Itunes, looking at my name Carlo Magno (Charlemagne, that is.) It occurred to me that I never really get to know anything about it.
I got teased by it by my school mates cause the English name Charlemagne sounded like a female name (called me Charmaine) and some, sorry to say, teachers of mine also, thought I was Charmaine and mispronounced it.
My father, who loves to read told me back then that my name came from the history books, I remember going to my school library and looked it up. My name, Charlemagne is the name of the first King of France during the 800's. End of it.
Until now, curiously I looked it up in the ever-famous Wikipedia, (as the infamous starlet Rosanna Roses says in the suspended local Filipino TV show, "I-Wikipedia nyo yan ha!"), and found a lot of interesting facts about the King.
"Charles I the Great, Called Charlemagne(In German: Karl der GrosseIn Latin: Carolus MagnusIn french e english: Charlemagne, (* April 2 of 742[1] - † January 28 of 814) Was King of the Franks from 768 until his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdom than to transform them into a Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central. Conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus[2] by the Pope Leo III the December 25 of 800 in Rome." - Wikipedia
The name also enjoyed a wild variety of translations which I find very, very interesting and I wonder maybe I'd choose one as a pen name in my poetries and some of my short stories and the much awaited (ehem) novel.
"Names of Charlemagne
As a result the number of languages spoken within the empire, and its expansion to the European level, the name of Charlemagne has been preserved under abundant forms in many different languages. His own language no longer exists in itself, but evolved into the Frankish language.
"Carlos"His birth name, derived from his grandfather, Charles Martel; This name in turn comes from "Karl" lexeme Germanic meaning "man'Or'freeman"[11] and is related to the 'Churl" english. The names Latinos "Carolus'Or'Karolus"Represent the first existing forms of his name.
In several Slavic dialects, the word 'king' corresponds to a derivation of his name slavicized.
In Danish, Norwegian and Swedish: Karl den Store
In Netherlands: Karel de Grote
In German: Karl der Große
In Luxembourg: Karel de Groussen
In West Frisian: Karel de Grutte
The name was Latinized Germanic[12] and preserved in modern Romance languages:
In Spanish: Charlemagne
In Catalan: Carlemany
In french: Charlemagne and Charles le Grand, Shunt Old French Charles le Magne
In Italian: Carlo Magno and Charlemagne
In Portuguese: Carlos Magno
In Walloon: Tchårlumagne and Grand Tchala li
Modern variants of the Slavic dialects Germanic influence are:
In Croatian: Karlo Veliki
In Czech: Karel Veliky
In Polish: Karol Wielki
In Slovak: Karol Veľký
In Slovenian: Karel Veliki
Variant Breton is Karl-Veur." - Wikipedia
Famous as he is, the name also suggest leadership and power. Unfortunately I haven't risen to the occasion, I never get to be a leader, well, not in a sense that I get to exercise great leadership skills and decision making capabilities. I am the opposite. Usually I am reserved, on my own, silent, observant and often in a world of my own.
Another fact was he lived at the same time St. Joan of Arc (the famous "lesbian" soldier of God who got burned at the stake for "heresy") and Roland (his "favorite" soldier whom the famous SONG OF ROLAND, an Epic Poem in France, was based and the "rumor" that they were, err, secret "lovers.")
Pierre Richer (Biographer) writes:
. . . enjoyed an exceptional destiny, and the direction of his reign, by his conquests, legislation and legendary stature, deeply marked the history of Western Europe.[6]
And I wonder, will I ever have the same destiny, not of the same kind, but an exceptional one that's filled with success, love and happiness? Maybe, I bear a famous and a powerful name, that's a good start, I can only hope.
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