Myrtali, Polyxena, Olympias, or Stratonice ? The Weight of a Name
Have you ever thought about the power of your name? A simple question from a guest on my tour made me dive into Hegel’s theory of recognition, the turbulent history of a Macedonian Queen, and our modern struggle to claim our identity.
VIEWS
Konstantina Kalimeri
8/9/20262 min read
"What is your name?" a guest on my tour asked me. "Tina," I replied, giving her my "guide" name, the one that is easier for non-Greek speakers to remember and call me by. "No, no," she said. "Your real name. I want to pray for you, and I don't want to pray for a Tina," Marissa insisted. "Konstantina," I answered. "It is a Roman name derived from the Latin constans (constant, steady)." "Don't shorten it. That is your name."
Her words made me wonder: how does a name eventually become ours, define us, and become our identity? How do we choose to introduce ourselves, to build our profile, our personal brand?
For Hegel, self-consciousness is achieved exclusively through the act of recognition. Your name and the identity you have built acquire a real, objective existence only the moment the other person accepts and pronounces them. Our constant effort today to manage our public image stems from our existential need for the Other to validate the image we have constructed for our Self.
But what happens when your identity is not accepted? Or, even worse, if it is violently altered? The mother of Alexander the Great was born Polyxena. With her marriage and her initiation into the Cabeirian Mysteries, she became Myrtale. She was now defined by her initiation into the Mysteries of the Great Gods, and she wore the myrtle wreath, a symbol of Aphrodite, at her wedding. However, when Philip won at the Olympic Games, Myrtale was lost. Her name was lost, and perhaps something more. Her identity was now defined by her husband's victory: Olympias. Her name, her entire existence, became an instrument of royal propaganda. For a woman stripped of her choice, it is no wonder scholars speculate she might have been behind the assassination of Philip II.
The queen acquired the identity that truly belonged to her when the men of her family were gone. Philip was assassinated, Alexander died, and this woman fought for her rights in her son's vast empire. Stratonice (She who defeats an army) was the name bestowed upon her in the end, and perhaps the most fitting. The Macedonian army refused to fight against her and surrendered. Thus, Polyxena, Myrtale, Olympias, Stratonice finally found her lost identity.
Ultimately, we may change names and identities throughout our lives. Identities, little labels given to us by society, circumstances, habit, or our roles. The question today, then, is with what name, with what identity do we choose to present ourselves? What is it that makes us us? We might look for the answer in our social media profiles, trying to find our digital consciousness, but perhaps a look into our inner mirror might enlighten us better.
Image: Gold medallion depicting Olympias, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.