A young couple in France is currently engaged in a legal battle for the right to name their baby ‘Hades’, a name made famous by the god of the underworld from Greek mythology.
Kristina Desgres and Rodrigo Velasquez, a young couple from the historic French port city of Saint-Malo, which happens to have the highest and most spectacular tides in Europe, had their first baby in September of last year. However, they still don’t have their ‘livret de Famille, a mandatory document obtained when a child is born or adopted by an individual or a couple, because the public prosecutor of Saint-Malo refuses to accept the baby’s name. Baby Hades is a little angel, but to anyone familiar with Greek mythology, his name is synonymous with the god of the underworld, the realm of the dead.
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“Nobody makes the connection. In the maternity ward, it didn’t shock anyone. On the contrary, people like it,” Kristina, the baby’s mother protested. “We chose this name simply because we thought it was pretty. Hades Velasquez Desgres sounds good.”
In France, as in many other civilized countries around the world, parents can’t just name their babies whatever they want. If authorities consider that the name goes against the interests of a child, they have the power to ask the parents to change it, and in this case, the public prosecutor decided that the negative connotation of ‘Hades’ as the god of the underworld, whose task is to prevent the dead from leaving, was inappropriate.
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“We do not understand this decision. We do not believe that we have chosen a first name that is prejudicial to him,” Kristina added. “We didn’t call him Lucifer or Satan, we’re not stupid. We just wanted an original first name, which sounds good. When Rodrigo suggested ‘Hadès’ to me, I immediately liked it.”
The couple has hired a lawyer and is determined to fight tooth and nail for the right to keep the name chosen for their baby. They have already identified several; other parents who previously opted for the same name – 12 of them in 2020 alone -without any opposition. They have even contacted the parents to confirm that the children grew up ok, and without being teased because of their names.
“It’s an old first name which is not ridiculous and we really don’t see why the Saint-Malo public prosecutor’s office decided to sue while the other public prosecutor’s offices in France had no objection to this first name,” the couple’s lawyer said.
The court is due to render its deliberation in this case on April 4. Should it uphold the public prosecutor’s decision, the French couple will have to opt for another name. The parents have already stated their intention to appeal, in case the court rule against them.
