What's in a Name?

   What's in a name? Plenty. Laeviss would go so very far as to say, "Really, don't bother reading the ancient myths if you won't bother to look up what the names of the characters may have meant. Because that is, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story."
   Laeviss has gone through many name changes over the years. His first two names, while pretty much describing his life's purpose, had the added baggage (among other things) of stemming from a religious tradition not his own. So he will admit to changing his name a number of times, first to plain initials and eventually (after a great many years) being gifted with the name Laeviss.
   Not much of a gift, one might say. More like a Hobbit's mathom ("Here, take this ugly or useless thing away from me!") or a white elephant ("Though it is honourably given, the cost of this name is hard to bear.") But the magic is that of laeviss and the magic is me, so here it is, with explanation duly given.
   Lae is nearly always translated (when it shows up in the lore) in ways that connote evil, destructive or vicious tendencies.  However, my innate understanding of the magic involved in lae (and it is nearly always some form of magic that the word "lae" is describing) is that it is neutral as in the sense of any energetic purpose. It is merely the direction, or forcefulness of intention, that would make it destructive or not. (Rather like seidr, it can be used for harm or used for benefit.)
   When I received the name, it was understood that the name, and the knowledge of lae, would be used to reclaim this magic in a positive way for the good of the Earth. Which is rather like Wiccans and other Pagans taking back and restoring the balance to the word "witch."
   Almost everyone has seen the Star Wars movies. In the movie, "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke Skywalker is being trained as a Jedi by Yoda on the planet Dagobah. Luke finds a hollow tree in the swamp, which he feels he must enter as a challenge. He asks Yoda what he will meet inside the tree, and Yoda responds, "Only what you take with you."
   In translating from ancient texts, it is almost impossible not to take baggage with you inside that tree. Despite hearing Yoda tell him that he won't need his weapons, Luke takes them with him inside the tree, convinced that he'll need them. In so doing, he sets himself up to need those weapons.
   In Laeviss' discussions regarding the gift of his name, he was informed that his understanding of the name was correct: it has no negative connotation *unless the listener or reader chooses to give it one* and/or the speaker or writer *chooses to imply that it has one.*
   Kevin J. Wanner's article "Cunning Intelligence in Norse Myth: Loki, Odinn and the Limits of Sovreignty" notes that the word lae can be translated into English in a number of ways, "from neutral terms such as "craft," "art," or "skill," to the more negative ones..." (and here he gives a long list of the more negative ones! Check his article out, it's available online and there is so much interesting information there.)
   "Viss" is wisdom, knowledge, so "laeviss" would mean something like, "knowledge of magic-craft" or "wizard."
   There are plenty of forms of magic, so what sort of magic is lae? Wanner also points out that Lothur gives this lae-stuff to humankind when they are formed from trees. The sort of stuff Lothur provides humans with has been described by various translators as physical form and colour, blood and/or "burning desire." So this would be the sort of magic of lae, the original creation magic of the Earth. (The physical manifestations on Midgard.)
   This is probably, by Laeviss' UPG, the sort of knowledge held by Gullveig, the very old magic that some of the Aesir found distasteful as it was associated with women. Laeviss' UPG tells him that Gullveig (directly translated meaning "gold-greedy") actually was desirous of learning and sharing knowledge, and was offering to trade her magic secrets for those of the Aesir.
   Those who did not like him called Loki by a name (Laeviss) that to them had negative connotations, and they likewise gave Gullveig similar negative connotations. Was that her real name? Or was it always Heid (bright, shining?)
   The Aesir eventually did exchange magical traditions with the Vanir, as, after the truce between the warring gods, Freyja taught Odin seidr in return for his knowledge of galdr.