Thanks so much! That's a good tip. The Latinization of "Guinevere" (related, tangentially in meaning only, to Gwyneth, which I think is a modernization of Gwynedd, the region of Wales) is Guanhumara, so you can see why that would never have occurred to me for "Venetia".
Incidentally, one of the books I have - and I have just about all of them published in English - says that she was named Venetia because she was born on St Venetia's Day (Dec 19th, IIRC - not "St Venetia's Day" as the item I'm recalling, but VSD's DOB - 19 Dec 1600). If not 12/19, then another date in December. Some books give her middle name as Anastasia, and I don't recall why. I have not had the opportunity to look up any info on a "St Venetia" - and now I will see if there is any relation to a St Gwyneth or Gwynedd, either.
The Stanley and Digby families have had Venetias (and Kenelms) in them ever since, and I think it was a popular Edwardian name for women. However, nowadays, at least in the US, it seems to mostly be popular for African-American women born in the 1960s (if my google photo searches are any indication). And the pseudonym that KGD chose for her in his memoirs, Stelliana, is a popular name for younger women in Greece.
And Emmy Rossum really does look helpfully like her. Anne Hathaway a bit, too. But I'm still using pics of Lena Headey for descriptive inspiration for the character based on her. Tom also made me an 11x14 color copy of Van Dyck's portrait of Venetia as Prudence.
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Date: 2005-01-24 03:24 am (UTC)Incidentally, one of the books I have - and I have just about all of them published in English - says that she was named Venetia because she was born on St Venetia's Day (Dec 19th, IIRC - not "St Venetia's Day" as the item I'm recalling, but VSD's DOB - 19 Dec 1600). If not 12/19, then another date in December. Some books give her middle name as Anastasia, and I don't recall why. I have not had the opportunity to look up any info on a "St Venetia" - and now I will see if there is any relation to a St Gwyneth or Gwynedd, either.
The Stanley and Digby families have had Venetias (and Kenelms) in them ever since, and I think it was a popular Edwardian name for women. However, nowadays, at least in the US, it seems to mostly be popular for African-American women born in the 1960s (if my google photo searches are any indication). And the pseudonym that KGD chose for her in his memoirs, Stelliana, is a popular name for younger women in Greece.
And Emmy Rossum really does look helpfully like her. Anne Hathaway a bit, too. But I'm still using pics of Lena Headey for descriptive inspiration for the character based on her. Tom also made me an 11x14 color copy of Van Dyck's portrait of Venetia as Prudence.