*Roxanne*

Mar 16, 2008 - 05:00 AM PST
Alexander the Great was a student of the great philosopher and teacher Aristotle. A great man, one of the most successful military commanders in history, undefeated in battle. He conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.
He was also the man who married Roxana, or Roxanne, or Roshanak (Persian), after killing her father. Although their union was an attempt at reconciliation, ancient sources describe Alexander's love for her. She bore him a son.

I looked up their story because I was talking to my mother about my name yesterday. 'Your father does spoil me,' she was saying, blushing rather, 'and he's always given me anything I asked for'. She paused for a while, surveying the road on both sides. She was driving, and she does tend to stick to the rules a little too much.
'Except, of course, the choice of your names,' she said, referring to me and to my younger sister, who sat obliviously in the back seat, mp3 player blaring music into her ears.
This was news to me. I had always thought they'd chosen our names together. She laughed at my incredulous 'really?!'
It seems he was quite adamant that we wouldn't have Biblical names, or the names of our grand-parents or popular film stars of the time. I sighed inwardly with relief - thank God for my father's sense of realism and practicality. Not that I think 'Roxanne' is very practical and matter-of-fact, but it's definitely better than something like 'Pamela' (I was born at a time when Baywatch was at full swing, after all).
They both loved Sting's song, although my mother insisted rather frantically that they did not name me for it, because that Roxanne was a whore. I grinned, insisting that the song must have been a major determining factor. I don't mind being named for a whore - it's rather exciting, though of course, I wouldn't want to be her.
'And,' continued my mother, firmly, eyes never leaving the road, 'Roxanne was the wife of the great Arab leader Suleiman, who was defeated in the 1500s by the Knights of Malta'.
Of course, being Maltese and educated in Malta, the Knights are part of our blood, not only heritage/culture/study programme.
I had no idea. 'And she was the wife of Alexander the Great,' I added, rather proudly. It was my mother's turn to admit that she hadn't known that.
'Suleiman loved her beyond all rational sense,' she told me. 'In fact, when she died, his Empire started waning. Historians believe that her death was one of the major reasons for that - he gave her everything she wanted when she was alive, and lost all hope in life when she died'.
I want to be loved in that way. I want it with every living fibre of my being.
We sped on, nearing home.
'They were wives of great men,' I said, cheering up considerably at the thought. 'Though I'd rather be a great lady, than the wife of a great man'.
And I really would.

*Roxanne*


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Mar 26, 2008 - 02:35 AM

MissBorg on
ps. not that there's anything WRONG with being named Pamela. It's being named Pamela after someone that gets to me ;)