Name origin: Karl May (1842-1912), a German author best known for his novels of travels and adventures, set in the American Old West, the Middle East, and other locations. He also wrote poetry, a play, and music. He was a proficient player of several musical instruments. Many of his works were adapted for film, theatre, audio dramas and comics.
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Name origin: Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary (1777-1860), Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1818 to 1844 as the wife of King Charles XIV John. Her name was officially changed to Desideria in Sweden, and she initially travelled there as crown princess. Unhappy in her new home and finding the change of etiquette difficult, she returned to Paris ostensibly for health reasons and lived incognito.
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Name origin: Bavaria, a state in the south-east of Germany and the largest by land area. Its capital city is Munich. The region has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, with Celtic tribes such the Boii being the first recorded settlers of the Bavarian Alps.
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Named for Brünn, now Brno, Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and is currently the second-largest city in the Czech Republic after Prague.
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Sapientia is Latin for “wisdom”. The corresponding Ancient Greek term (Sophia) variously translates to “clever, skillful, intelligent, wise”; it also implies “skill in handicraft and art” in Homeric usage, which has been applied to both Hephaistos and Athene.
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Name origin: Roman goddess of justice. Justice was one of the virtues celebrated by Roman emperor Augustus, and a temple of Iustitia was established in Rome by his successor Tiberius.
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St. Hubertus or Hubert (c.656-727), a kind of pre-Francis who established ethical rules on hunting, and cared about the welfare of animals. Hubert is venerated every year by the hunts in formal ceremonies. He is patron of archers; dogs; forest workers; trappers; hunting and huntsmen; mathematicians; metal workers; smelters and the city of Liège.
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Name origin: Pacific Ocean, the largest on the planet, which covers approximately 46% of Earth’s water surface and about 32% of its total surface, more than its entire land area. Mean depth is 4km; the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench reaches 10.9km. The ocean straddles the International Date Line.
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Name origin: Cleopatra, queen of Egypt from about 50 BCE to her death in 30 BCE. Realising she needed Rome’s help to sustain her nation, she became the lover of Julius Caesar and, later, the wife of Mark Antony. However, during the war between Antony and Octavian (Augustus), Antony was defeated and Cleopatra’s kingdom was finally annexed by Rome.
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‘Possibly’ named for the Irish princess Iseult in Celtic myth, though some other characters bear that name. Iseult is to marry Tristan’s uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and on the voyage there Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a love potion meant for the engaged couple, and fall hopelessly in love.
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