Name That Pet: Thalestris’ Owl

Final Name: Shiraha

Thalestris, a night elf hunter from Bloodhoof PvE (US), has asked for our help naming her new Owl. I don’t need to add much of an introduction here — Thalestris is a very eloquent night elf!

She writes:

At level 52 I put aside everything to tame Olm the Wise, and spent several days in the process. Now I have this beautiful white bird at my side with the less-than-beautiful name of ‘Owl’. I dont usually have a problem naming my pets, but this time…I’m stumped! I was hoping your readers could help me out.

I chose Olm for his gorgeous white plumage, which matches my hunter’s pale hair and skin. I’m looking for a more elegant name in any language, any gender, etc, that might sound like something an elf would really name her pet owl. I’m a roleplayer at heart but have never stepped in-character in the World of Warcraft. Thalestris, my hunter, is a bubbly and cheerful young lady with a heart of gold. My play-style centers around PvE, just for reference.

Here is Thalestris with her owl:

Thalestris and her unnamed Owl

Suggestions? I know you guys can come up with some exceedingly elegant possibilities!

Update: Thalestris let us know that she’s decided to go with Shiraha for her new white owl!

52 Comments

  1. Cordwainer - January 21st, 2008 @ 6:53 am EST

    I’ve had a pair of owls. One named Gibson. The other, and the usual name, was SkyCaptain.

  2. Pimukiekko - January 21st, 2008 @ 7:35 am EST

    Lumi - means snow in finnish. Simple but stylish.

  3. Rish - January 21st, 2008 @ 7:36 am EST

    My owl that I’ve only just recently parted from was named Sanity. It’s important to not just be wise, but sane as well. (plus I always used to get a giggle out of dismissing him).

    My very first owl was called Lwo. Yes it’s owl backwards, but it also has an oriental sound (again with the wisdom theme, but ancient wisdom this time) and a little like the sound an owl makes.

    I miss my owls. but the stable gets crowded too easy.

    I do have one suggestion for you (if you haven’t found one already) and that is Amaterasu, which means “shining over heaven” and has a night elvish sound to it. It’s the name of the japanese sun goddess and night elf architecture has a very strong japanese influence.

  4. Erebos - January 21st, 2008 @ 8:10 am EST

    My suggestions is “Athena” or “Athene”.
    It is the greek goddess of wisdom and her symbol
    is - how fitting ^^ - the owl.

    I named my owl “Athene” and I think it fits perfectly.
    The pet is a smart way of supporting the raid with
    its attackpower-debuff (the screech) - and therefor a
    lot wiser than for example a cat. ;)

  5. one among many - January 21st, 2008 @ 9:37 am EST

    Atreyu
    Salaria
    Solar

    That’s all I’ve got - maybe I need more caffiene…

  6. Gwystyl - January 21st, 2008 @ 9:49 am EST

    I named my owl Aigolios, which is supposedly a greek word meaning “bird of ill omen”, which owls were/are believed to be. Aegolius is a genus of owls, the latin form supposedly derived from the same word. Whether all that is accurate or not, the moment I saw the word Aigolios, I found it sufficiently elvish-sounding enough for my hunter’s tastes. Good luck!

  7. Shanrei - January 21st, 2008 @ 10:29 am EST

    FlyingJones.. funny, simple.. and srsly, Jones is a great name imo ^^

  8. Ronorin - January 21st, 2008 @ 10:32 am EST

    Thalion, it’s Tolkienelfish for Strong.

  9. Messyah - January 21st, 2008 @ 11:06 am EST

    Here’s a few…

    1. “Descent”

    2. “Sagewing”

    3. “Huginn” or “Muninn” (Odin’s two Companions)

    4. “Boobo” (Clash of the Titans)

    5. “Swoop”

  10. windlark - January 21st, 2008 @ 11:25 am EST

    i called my owl larkscream why? well he screams for azaroth and lark well thats pretty obvious

  11. MiT - January 21st, 2008 @ 11:50 am EST

    Baither
    Irlunae
    Diel
    - Diel vertical migration refers to a pattern of movement that some organisms living in the ocean’s photic zone undertake each day. The organisms that exhibit this pattern of behaviour range in size from microscopic plankton through to much larger nekton such as fish.

    Neornith
    Neognathae
    Aves
    Neoave
    Strigiforme
    Strigidae
    …yeah, I went and wiki’ed up ‘owl’ - there you go, if you’re fond of latin, this should suit you.

  12. Suzanna - January 21st, 2008 @ 12:33 pm EST

    Hedwig (:P lol )
    Rialto
    Dovewing
    Stratus
    Noct

    —–

    Just a quick brainstorm of names along the lines of birds and the sky, with an exception for Rialto.

  13. Jayhawk - January 21st, 2008 @ 12:43 pm EST

    Neige (snow) or Nuage (cloud) might work?

  14. Faeldray - January 21st, 2008 @ 12:56 pm EST

    I just randomly thought of the name “Taris”. I have no clue what it means but I like the sound of it.

  15. Styfios - January 21st, 2008 @ 1:50 pm EST

    Bubo, from Clash of the Titans

  16. cloudmonkey - January 21st, 2008 @ 2:23 pm EST

    I like nature-themed names for my nightelf hunter’s pets.

    I think Sleet would be a good name for a white owl.

  17. BEEF - January 21st, 2008 @ 2:30 pm EST

    Frank

  18. Sifaka - January 21st, 2008 @ 4:09 pm EST

    I would name the owl Sophie (French name I think?) from the greek word for wisdom (Sophia). This would link the creature to it’s past, while giving it an elfin feel.

  19. Nanase - January 21st, 2008 @ 4:21 pm EST

    I think Miyuki is a elegant but still cute name.
    And it has something to do with snow to.

    Or maybe Yukiko (snow child)?

    My last suggestion is Shiraha, wich means white feather, it fits the owls beautiful white plumage :)

  20. Yvelle - January 21st, 2008 @ 4:23 pm EST

    I named my owl Nichodemus. The name always sounded wise to me, and his face reminded me of the rat Nichodemus in the animated movie “The Secret of Nimh.”

  21. presicion - January 21st, 2008 @ 5:16 pm EST

    Sage. that was my owls name, considering the bird i named sage was olm the wise, still a good name for a bird

  22. Wolfington - January 21st, 2008 @ 5:38 pm EST

    Sage is an awesome name for that owl. Has that mystic feel to it. Ironically, the name I am suggesting is “Mystic” but another good one might be “Mist” or “Cloud”.

    Nice pet. Owls rock ^.^

  23. Ansawa - January 21st, 2008 @ 5:42 pm EST

    Belili or Inanna, after two ancient Sumerian goddess, pop immediately to mind. Belili was a variation on the “first woman” theme exemplified by Lilith in later mythology.

    Of course, my last test is usually to ask myself how it looks when people see me with my pet out–Thalestris and Belili has a certain assonance to it that I like. :)

  24. Rasen - January 21st, 2008 @ 6:05 pm EST

    I’ve had a buttload of Owls. (None in stabel now for some reason) named them:

    Swoop
    Divebomb
    Twilight
    Tequila (Had to use a foreign symbol for the i as the name was not allowed)
    Whisper
    Murder (Black Gutripper skin)

    OUt of those, prossible Whisper or Twilight are similar to what you’re after

  25. Maree - January 21st, 2008 @ 6:52 pm EST

    Gingonarthe
    Turiramangin
    Itusohaor
    Tesinaar
    Rituctaun
    Aronnian
    Nathasalo
    Latltaz
    http://www.seventhsanctum.com Have credit for all the name. Go check yerself for more.

  26. Empello - January 21st, 2008 @ 8:41 pm EST

    I would go with the name Olm or Olum
    Its a good name for an owl.. and if people ask about it, you can tell them the story about how you spent sleepless nights and restless days in the quest to tame an owl that has a faction instead of a common winter spring owl

  27. Sxc-Blackhand - January 21st, 2008 @ 9:52 pm EST

    …. Bella luna = Beautiful- moon
    Athena - Owl Goddess
    Blanca = white
    Saggia - civetta = Wise- Owl
    Purity
    Passion
    Hey not many but i hope this helps =)

  28. Mazil - January 22nd, 2008 @ 4:19 am EST

    Thethuthinnang - the name of a rabbit from the book Watership Down. It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but means “Movement of Leaves”.

    Gossamer - cobwebs, light and airy

    Ambrosia - the food of the gods

  29. FirstChAoS - January 22nd, 2008 @ 4:33 am EST

    I had an owl once, a windroc I named petroc. as in Pet Rock.

    here are my name ideas

    harfang (a very very obscure term for a snowy owl)
    boreal(the north woods)
    strix (a genus of owls)
    mousehunter

  30. Stevesy (Mal'Ganis) - January 22nd, 2008 @ 8:09 am EST

    Given the pose in the photo I would call it Mitre or Corona.

  31. Torrnet - January 22nd, 2008 @ 11:36 am EST

    Im a simple PvE hunter and Ive always like the Owls name Whisper .. my reason is an owl in real life when it flies by is like a whisper of wind and alot of grace

  32. Rainhoove - January 22nd, 2008 @ 11:58 am EST

    I’d probably go with Hedwig, due to the similarities between this owl and Harry Potter’s. Barring that, you could always give it back it’s original name of Olm. I went through the trouble of finding and taming “Snort the heckler” and was very disappointed that the name reverted to “Hyena” after it was tamed. I chose a different name but kind of wished I’d set it to “Snort”.

  33. Kevryn - January 22nd, 2008 @ 12:01 pm EST

    I had a Ghost Sabre whom I named “Fea”.
    This is the translation in Elven or Elvish, for “Ghost or Spirit”.
    Seeing as the Owl is White or a Ghostly color “Fea” would fit.
    I don’t have the Ghost Sabre any longer, so I’m not using the name Fea. It is a very nice name though.

  34. Rusthoof - January 22nd, 2008 @ 2:30 pm EST

    I spent about as long in tracking Humar the Pridelord out in The Barrens. Proving myself to him was not an easy (or painless) task, but it was well worth it. Humar left The Barrens with me and has been my faithful companion ever since. One day, though, he will leave me and return to the savannah, where he will be the Pridelord once again.

    Humar is not some domesticated mouse catcher. I would not presume to cast aside his name and replace it with one of my own choosing.

  35. Angelakane - January 22nd, 2008 @ 3:27 pm EST

    Lunatico(it means “a man who changes mood like the moon” in Spanish but I like the name=P)
    Bella
    Freia/Freja(Nordic love godess)
    Azmaria
    Yuka
    Bianca
    Sheila

  36. Hechojazz - January 22nd, 2008 @ 5:07 pm EST

    Here’s some Gaelic suggestions…

    Aon - ace
    Cleasai - acrobat
    Feallmharu - assassination
    Sceireog - white lie
    Scath - shadow or shade
    Beo - quick
    Upa - love potion
    Moladh - eulogy
    Eachra or Marcra - cavalry

  37. Fayne - January 22nd, 2008 @ 5:57 pm EST

    If I were naming it myself I’d choose something like Caleka or Achara. Owls seem very feminine to me so I doubt I’d opt for a masculine name. I also like the name Civetta that was mentioned above.

  38. raventhegirl - January 22nd, 2008 @ 9:13 pm EST

    i tamed barnabus a rare for badlands when i was lvl 40 i named him barnabus as that was his name have gotten alot of compliments about him i couldnt be without him today :) but yes for an owl vacker maybe it means beutiful in swedish

  39. Cylithera - January 23rd, 2008 @ 1:44 am EST

    I named mine…

    Valkyrie - a nice and strong name that fit nicely.

    I thought I might shorten it to:

    Kyrie

    But I like my original. Still either is good for an owl pet. And if you like a male name:

    Archimedes

  40. Tokkelos - January 23rd, 2008 @ 12:12 pm EST

    Hooters…

  41. Anbhas - January 23rd, 2008 @ 12:48 pm EST

    Cookie!

  42. Apollo - January 23rd, 2008 @ 2:47 pm EST

    I’d call that owl either “Tellos”, “Ruddigar”, “Alhazad”, or “Sammy” :P

  43. Thalestris - January 23rd, 2008 @ 8:22 pm EST

    Wow! No shortage of excellent names here! I had one heckuva time even narrowing it down :D I’ve decided to go with Shiraha for my new white owl (who is now level 57), but rest assured I’ll be peeking back to this page when I begin taming the Outland owls. Thanks for the wonderful suggestions!

  44. Kintara - January 23rd, 2008 @ 11:36 pm EST

    I like “Divinity”

  45. Truck - January 24th, 2008 @ 9:10 am EST

    Billina- a chicken in numerous Land of Oz books by L. Frank Baum
    Chanticleer- a rooster and Pertelote his favorite hen in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer
    Gwaihir and Landroval- eagles in The Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkien
    Thorondor- an eagle, king of the eagles in the works of J. R. R.Tolkien
    Camulatz- in Maya mythology
    Chamrosh- in Persian mythology
    Pisia in Native American mythology

  46. Mania - January 24th, 2008 @ 4:20 pm EST

    Good choice, Thalestris! And thank you, everybody, for helping out!

  47. shocka - January 25th, 2008 @ 4:19 pm EST

    What to name a white owl?

    you had only one adequate choice and that name was

    “ORLY”

  48. Athemar - January 26th, 2008 @ 7:42 am EST

    what to name an owl….

    “Flaps”
    thats what i called mine

    :0

  49. Rook - January 27th, 2008 @ 4:05 pm EST

    How about an Azeroth-specific botanical name– Wintersbite. It’s an alchemical herb, a white blossom, and it encompasses a bit of threat.

  50. Scharfschuze - January 31st, 2008 @ 3:09 am EST

    I named my owl Luftwaffe, which is “air force” in German. Fitting, since I’m a Marksman hunter, and my name means “sniper” in the same language.

  51. shannon - January 31st, 2008 @ 3:45 pm EST

    i would try this, take a variety of things you like and try to make a suitible name or name her after somthing that you think sound nice or intresting…or take one of these names

    Shambala
    Nikita
    Celestia
    Ghostalon

  52. Moonlitglade - February 6th, 2008 @ 6:32 am EST

    Snowflake, Snowfall, Blizzard, Luna, Moonlight, Moonglow, Wisdom, Athena, Snowstorm, Winterkiss, Frostbite.

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