New Animal Names

Yesterday evening, during our traditional community gathering where we had the last games of our Horusiadi Summer Games, we have conquered new animal names.

At Damanhur, assuming a new name is a spiritual tradition that marks a new phase of life, like a rebirth. The names chosen are animals because they allow us to connect ideally with another animated species and nature in general. And because it’s fun and humorous: to do things seriously, we say at Damanhur, we must also not take ourselves too seriously!

Alternatively to animal names, which can also be mythical animals like the hippogriff or centaur, one can choose the name of a nature spirit. Each person chooses their own name, which is ratified by others during a collective gathering.

So, now we have in our Popolo six new representatives with these animal species: Monal, Tarantola, Upupa, Grifone, Babbuino and Amadriade.

Here’s a quick rundown of each:

🦚 Monal — Himalayan pheasant with rainbow iridescent plumage and a wiry crest; Nepal’s national bird, forages in high-altitude forests.
🕷️ Tarantola — Large hairy spider, mostly docile despite its looks; nocturnal burrowing predator, can live decades.
🐦 Upupa — Bird with a long curved beak, fan-crest, and black-and-white banded wings; known for its distinctive call and ground foraging.
🦅 Grifone — Large Old World vulture with broad wingspan and bare white neck; a cliff-nesting scavenger that soars on thermals.
🦍 Babbuino — Large ground-dwelling baboon with a dog-like muzzle; lives in socially complex troops, intelligent and adaptable.
🌳 Amadriade — Greek nature spirit bound to a single tree (often oak); shy, elusive, and protector of the forest.

It’s beautiful to have such diversity with these new names! 💛

Which animal name would you choose and why? Share with us the intricate motivation behind such a profound choice as the choice of our own name.