Elvira... that’s Me!

I remember asking my mother, even as a kid that from where they managed to get this unusual name for me! Make no mistake I was and still am extremely proud of carrying this name as in my city I’m absolutely sure... no one still has it! It’s unique, I’m unique! One in a million! At least in this sphere if not anywhere else... I’m the one and only, ME! Wow... this feels wonderful! Well, this is just a childish obsession, actually! Silly me... I know!

So getting back on track...I remember asking my mother where in the world the family went to find this name! I was enlightened that it was my paternal grandmother who picked this name for me. Well, I can’t deny she was very fond of me and lovingly called me Elvi! I was her darling granddaughter who had to read well, hear all the bedtime stories, stories from the Bible, do my maths sums correctly, learn to shell peas with her, feed the sparrows and squirrels and stray dogs too! I got to know from her and my mother the story of my christening when the parish priest, Fr. Lesser told my parents that ‘Elvira’ is a beautiful name and means ‘gates of heaven’! Well, extremely flattered I’ve searched for this meaning but haven’t found it till date! In my quest to know more about my name I’ve uncovered various other meanings. Some are amusing and others relevant!

When I typed ‘Elvira’ on Google, pat came the suggestion... Elvira, mistress of the dark! You can’t imagine my horror! After all what Fr. Lesser had said... is this who I am? Mistress of the Dark! I swallowed hard and typed in ‘Elvira name meaning’ which brought up few suggestions. I clicked on Urban Dictionary which showed words to describe ‘Elvira’ – fit, wild, interesting, magnetic, mysterious, gorgeous etc. ‘Hmm...’ thought I ‘Interesting...! Somehow all these words fit so well!’ I even unearthed the latest version of Oak Ridge Boys’ song – Elvira! I can’t say ... I wasn’t flattered!

But my curiosity was not yet satiated (well, who wouldn’t want to know more, and that too all good about oneself) so I now clicked on Origin and was surprised to see it’s a Spanish name which means ‘fair’ ‘white’! Not happy still... I clicked on ‘Elvira Definition’ and read what I had read years ago in an ancient dictionary for names - ‘from a Germanic word meaning – elf counsel’. Ahh... I felt this makes more sense! I like fairies and elves and relate to them and write about them! No wonder...After all, I’ve been bestowed with ‘elf counsel’ by name! Fairies and elves are a part of me since my birth...! This is ‘Me’! This is good! Thus, my search came to a happy halt!

Nicknames and pronunciations of ‘Elvira’ is another important topic worth mentioning. I’ve been bestowed with nicknames like – Elvi, L.V., Elvu, Ellie and Veera! Not weird... right? Wait till you hear about the pronunciation part... I’ve been called – Alvira, Aloe vera, el-vahyr-uh, Elveera and Elvis too! God be merciful! Attendance in the classroom, more than once would become painful to sit through! In the Primary Classes my Hindi teacher would insist on calling me Aloe Vera and she still does so when I meet her or call her up. And, in the Senior Classes, my Political Science lecturer would make it a point to call me Alveera!

Thus, I journey through life happy with my name at times, unhappy at others but proud of it always! More so, after I found the ‘elf counsel’ angle!