JE M'APPELLE...
What is in a name? I am the only blessed one in the family without family names...my mother refused to have another Dirk or Wilhelmus! My grandmother thought my mother was crazy calling me Leon Jacques...she expressed her disgust in no uncertain terms: "Jock??? Jock is a dog's name!" Maybe she would have felt differently knowing that...
Saint Léon, who was pope from 440 to 461, is celebrated in France on 10 November every year, only a few days away from my own birthday. Among the top 100 male names in France is the name Léon. Since the twentieth century, more than 107,000 people have been named Léon. Rather conformist, Leon is a very organised, methodical and thoughtful being. He is also distinguished by his perseverance, patience and determination in all his endeavors. Bon vivant, he likes to enjoy life and stands out for his great joie de vivre. Many celebrities carry the name, including French novelist and essayist Léon Bloy, politicians Léon Gambetta and Léon Blum, revolutionary and politician Leon Trotski, and the oncologist French Léon Schwartzenberg.
On 28 November Saint Jacques is celebrated in France. The name Jacques is inspired by the Hebrew Ya'aqov. Jacques is an elegant and charming man. He stands out for his intelligence and perfect self-control. Appreciated by some and detested by others for his frankness, Jacques lives according to his own principles and does not allow himself to be destabilised by others. When times are difficult it stimulates him to give the best of himself. In love, Jacques proofs himself loyal and affectionate. He is also a jealous man even if he tries to hide it behind his calm air. The name Jacques is carried by several celebrities including the French-Belgian singer Jacques Brel, the French cellist and composer Jacques Offenbach, and the 22nd President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac.
With this knowledge I felt I was ready for France...both my prénoms were very French!
However, months before my first trip to Châlus I started learning French on the internet. I was therefore very excited about the prospect of introducing myself in French at the first possible opportunity! Which came very soon...the first day of my ‘holiday’ in December 2014, as I walked down to the village for my initial shopping experience in rural France. An elderly gentleman appeared from his front gate and greeted me with a jovial Bonjour ! This was my chance to show off my French: "Bonjour, je m’appelle Leon". Monsieur looked at me in total disbelief. Damn, my pronunciation must have been wrong, I thought. He started making growling sounds...was it a stroke? A heart attack?? No, the growls actually turned into uncontrollable laughter!
Only much later I realised that my name is pronounced differently in French: Léon (lay-on and not lee-on). Monsieur heard lee-on which means lion in French, a very prominent word in Châlus where Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart died while trying to conquer the Château of Châlus-Chabrol. He simply could not comprehend why someone so small in stature could be called a lion!
Until today Monsieur Marcel slips in a growl or two when he greets me!!!
Images from Châlus-Chabrol: the tower from where Richard the Lionheart was fatally wounded with an arrow, his tombstone (where only his entrails were buried, the rest of his body was entombed further north, in Fontevraud Abbey, but his heart was embalmed and buried in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen. ); and an interior scene from the castle
