Life of a Blogger: Origins of My Name

LIFE OF A BLOGGER: Origin of My Name

Life of a Blogger is a weekly meme by Novel Heartbeat.  It gives us a chance to talk about non-bookish passions and interests.

My name is Shannon Marie.  My mom picked it out after seeing it written on a piece of paper in a baby name book and liked the way it looked.  (Fun fact:  If I was a boy I was going to be named Justin).

Shannon is an anglicized version of the Irish name Sionainn. 

Sionainn is the Irish name for the River Shannon.  It is a portmaneau of sion (wise) and abhainn (river). I have actually been to the River Shannon.  Sadly I have no pictures of me at the River Shannon.  Haha.

More Wikipedia goodness: 

The name Sionainn alludes to Sionna, a goddess in Irish mythology whose name means "possessor of wisdom". She is the namesake and matron of Sionainn, the River Shannon. Sionainn is the longest river in the British Isles.

Sionainn is one of seven rivers of knowledge said to flow from Connla's Well, the well of wisdom in the Celtic Otherworld (the realm of the dead). Nine sacred hazel (or, by some accounts, rowan) trees grow near the well, and drop their bright red fruit in it and on the ground. In the well live the Salmon of Knowledge, whose wisdom comes from eating this fruit. By eating the fruit or one of the salmon, one can share in this wisdom.

I like my name quite a bit.  It's common enough that everyone knows it, but I don't usually run into a lot of Shannons.  I've personally known maybe 4 or 5 Shannons in my life.