MSoM: Ida

See Introductory Post where I discuss what prompted me to study a list of 31 female names alleged to be currently in use as part of a rotating schedule of New Names used in the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
MSoM: Mocked Sacred or Mock-Sacred?

 

 

IDA

Noted LDS Idas
Romney, Ida (Jensen): wife of apostle and First Presidency member, Marion G Romney
Smith, Ida Elizabeth (Bowman): wife of apostle, Hyrum M Smith
Dusenberry, Ida M (Smoot): 2^nd Counselor in General RS Presidency, daughter of apostle
Whetten, Ida (Jesperson) – maternal grandmother of Elder Carl B Pratt, seventy

 

LDS Significance:
IDA: This name does not appear in LDS scriptures, Bible Dictionary, Topical Index or Guide to the Scriptures. We can therefore presume it’s use in temple worship is wholly related to Ida Romney and wholly because of whose wife she was.

An account in Marion G Romney’s 1988 biography asserts that, through a prayer and the power of a priesthood blessing he gave her thereafter, his wife was healed from a grave illness she faced in 1967. I’d say that’s quite the Sacred Big Deal to include as part of your life story for the public (Luke 2:19, Matt 7:6). Oink. 

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE MENTION OF IDA ROMNEY

1951, Marion G Romney
I am grateful for my own family and their support of me: my sons and daughter-in-law, my sixteen-month-old granddaughter who gives me lots of joy, and last, but not least, my beloved companion, the sweetheart of my youth, and the mother of my children. They have never put a straw in my way. We had been married seventeen years when I became an Assistant to the Twelve, and I had only been away from home, leaving Ida alone two nights. When I first started traveling around the Church, it was hard for her. She used to cry every time I left and every time I came back. Now she only cries when I come back.

1991, Russell M Nelson
“Husbands and wives, learn to listen, and listen to learn from one another. I was amused to read of an experience recorded by Elder F. Burton Howard in his biography of President Marion G. Romney: “His good-humored love for Ida was manifested in many ways. He delighted in telling of her hearing loss. ‘I once went to see a doctor about her hearing,’ he would say. ‘He asked me how bad it was, and I said I didn’t know. He told me to go home and find out. The doctor instructed me to go into a far room and speak to her. Then I should move nearer and nearer until she does hear. Following the doctor’s instructions, I spoke to her from the bedroom while she was in the kitchen—no answer. I moved nearer and spoke again—no answer. So I went right up to the door of the kitchen and said, “Ida, can you hear me?” She responded, “What is it, Marion—I’ve answered you three times.”’

GENERAL CONFERENCE MENTION OF IDA JESPERSON WHETTEN

2011, Carl B Pratt
An entire talk about the example of his maternal grandparents paying tithing. “Yes, brothers and sisters, just as John and Ida Whetten realized that summer decades ago, we are all indebted to the Lord. Let us not be accused of robbing God.”

Etymology according to behindthename.com

“IDA: Derived from the Germanic element id meaning “work, labour“. The Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem ‘The Princess’ (1847), which was later adapted into the play ‘Princess Ida’ (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan. Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.”

(Pictured: Mount Ida, on the island of Crete)

Further IDA Name Information
Sourced from revolvy, babynamesofireland , ireland101, wikipedia, edmooneyphoto

Alternately, the given name IDA may IDA may be related to the name of the Old Norse goddess Iðunn (Idun), [which I believe is a corrupted memory of the origin stories central to Mother Eve. The Norse legend does “the mother of all living” much more credit, properly blames Loki (Lucifer) and ends happier than the Hebrew scriptural account does, too.] 

Probably derived from Old Norse ið “again” and unna “to love“. In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods’ apples of youth. So the name Idunn means “active in love” or “to renew nature.” The name is pronounced Eee-Yu-DUN (rhymes with “see you YUN”) I speculate, but doesn’t Idun sound a lot like Eden? So, to me, this name is the Old Norse equivalent of Eve.

Ida also occurs as an anglicisation of the Irish girl’s given name Íde, which is pronounced EEE-duh. Meaning “thirst” as in “thirst for goodness or knowledge” or “thirst for divine love” or “thirst for holiness”. St. Íde and St. Brigid are considered the most influential woman saints of early Irish Christianity.

Associated with education, Íte of Killeedy founded a monastery in County Limerick where a holy well is dedicated to her (Gen 21:19; 24:19; 29:10, Isaiah 51:1-2; Ezek 19:10; John 4:7; Rev 22:1-2). She’s known as “the foster mother of the saints of Erin.” In an earlier legend says Íde was the foster-mother of the infant Jesus.

(Photo of Ída’s Well sourced from photographer Ed Mooney’s wordpress website.)

There were numerous minor Germanic princesses named IDA,
Princess Ida Caroline of Saxe-Meiningen (1794 – 1852)
Princess Ida Caroline of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1796 – 1869)
Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (1804 – 1828)
Princess Ida Matilda Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe (1852 – 1891)

 

Wikipedia

PRINCESS IDA; or Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert. It was their eight operatic collaboration in fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theater on 5 January 1884, for a run of 246 performances. The piece concerns a princess who founds a women’s university and teaches that women are superior to men and should rule in their stead. The prince to whom she had been married in infancy sneaks into the university, together with two friends, with the aim of collecting his bride. They disguise themselves as women students, but are discovered, and all soon face a literal war between the sexes.

The opera satirizes feminism, women’s education and Darwinian evolution, which were controversial topics in conservative Victorian England. Princess Ida is based on a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson called The Princess (1847), and Gilbert had written a farcical musical play, based on the poem, in 1870. He lifted much of the dialogue of Princess Ida directly from his 1870 farce. It is the only Gilbert and Sullivan opera in three acts and the only one with dialogue in blank verse.

THE PRINCESS (1847): The poem tells the story of a heroic princess who forswears the world of men and founds a women’s university where men are forbidden to enter. The prince to whom she was betrothed in infancy enters the university with two friends, disguised as women students. They are discovered and flee, but eventually they fight a battle for the princess’s hand. [Just her hand? Better than her arms and head, says Eunice.] They lose and are wounded, but the women nurse the men back to health. Eventually the princess returns the prince’s love…

By ministering to the men, the ladies of the university become more fair, and Ida finds peace. Love blossoms between the nurses and the nursed. [AAAGH!] Ida eventually comes to love the prince. As he regains consciousness at times, they discuss their ideas of love, and she discovers that they agree on the equality of love; not, as she had always feared, women’s servitude in love – he has been well-schooled in this by his mother. The prince envisages a future where “The man may be more of woman, she of man”. He says “my hopes and thine are one” and asks her to place her trust in him. [AAAGH!]

 

My Jaundiced Commentary: IDA

So here we are, over 150 years later, and where has all that trust gotten us women? I am laboring hard, here, trying not to go out of my gourd! There is more information and cultural allusions related this new name outside of the Gospel than in it! Not that I mind them in the least. Learning about all these strong and intelligent women called IDA has made me kind-of like the name now, when I didn’t at all before. Especially in it’s Irish pronunciation and form.

Maybe I sound like an ungrateful beast for not feeling honored to receive one of the dearest names held by a now-dead apostle. It is absolutely and honestly not my intent to seem so.

My issue is – continues to be – that the rest of the names received in the temple openly point toward emulation, magnification; yes, further honoring of said name in the recipient. Ida means nothing to me. At all. For an LDS woman of my generation, a name like Cheiko would mean far more. (Yes, even if it still raises the question of whether her calling and election is already made sure or not.)

For if a temple-worthy woman received the name of somebody dearly beloved, who they actually know, or at least know of, (even a little bit)… somebody who they felt loved and cared about them during some part of their existence… wouldn’t you think that temple patron would sincerely work all her life to honor that name and make it mean more?

I mean, even Catholic women, in some places, get a privilege that LDS women do not. At their confirmation they get to pick their own new names.

 

A woman being able to pick her own New Name! Wow. That’s a dang sure-fire way to keep the New Name unforgettable. What’s more, returning to an individualized, personalized New Name addresses my whole beef about the institutionalization and the mechanical industrialization that has been occurring with New Names since 1964. I mean, if it’s nothing more than an alleged rotating monthly calendar system, what’s to stop some sisters from just starting Day of the Month sorority-style clubs on social media? How is having an assigned day for one particular saintly New Name not TOTALLY Roman Catholic?! Look it up!

Speaking of calendars, for a Church that makes the claim to be carrying forth that same truth with originated with our First Parents in the Garden of Eden, why are we using the pagan Roman calendar again? When there exists a Hebrew calendar which might better fit with Hebrew ordinances and all their symbolism? This is a big deal to me, personally, because of my own dealings and discoveries with the Lord and his timetables. I believe He still follows the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon… where the new day begins at sunset… and where we only recently celebrated the New Year at Rosh Hashanah. He doesn’t care if most of the rest of us are not following His calendar. He “always maintains a correct principle, even if He stands alone in it.”

This whole secretarial filing system of name assignment? How can we not admit that it’s run like a business, moving cattle through the stalls, rather than a spirit-led moment that is supossed to be the culmination of countless hours of spiritual preparation through righteous living? How is this ear-tagging supposed to assist in bringing about that promised moment of exquisite personal communion with the Lord? It’s entirely this priority given, instead, to Letter of the Law (the going-through-the-motions) which already has – or very soon could – make beastly little traitors rejoice in mocking the Spirit of the Law. I worry about the tender, the weak, the novice, the doubting, for it seems to add just one more insult that says “You really aren’t very special. You’re just a number.” And tell me, just how is one supposed to keep a sacred secret – with cursed consequence or not – when it takes just one cowardly No-Name absolutely no time at all to go blab their faces everywhere? Even to a meddling two-bit website?

 

With all the technology that we have now, (and surely you don’t expect me to believe that the Church doesn’t utilize encoding software), certainly a record could be kept, one by one; with every sister and brother; one by one, at every temple (Exodus 33:11,17). “Give me [back] this mountain !” I am a child of God, not the date of the month on the calendar that happened to be “my first time”. Thank goodness we don’t name our children that way: by the day of the week (“Hi, Thursday!”) or month of the year (“Hey there, August”), or day of the month when they were conceived or born! Otherwise I’d be yelling for 16, 9, 6, 2 … and 2 to come to dinner! Even Buffalo-Biff and Biffalo-Buff are more original monikers.

 

With all of President Nelson’s recent talk about the name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I wonder if he even thinks of these things. The nameS by which you are called ARE important. They’re important for an institution. They are just as important for an individual (Helaman 5:6-7). Yes, it matters  to that starfish.

 

 

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A woman’s reach is bounded only by what her mind accepts and her heart allows.
– Belle S. Spafford, 9th General Relief Society President.

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👎  MSoM: ABIGAIL
👍  MsOM: CAMILLA
😕  MsOM: CLAUDIA
👎  MsOM: DINAH
👍  MSoM: ELIZA

👎  MSoM: EMMA
👍  MSoM: ESTHER
👍  MSoM: EUNICE
👎  MSoM: FLORA
👎  MSoM: FLORENCE

👍  MSoM: GRACE
👍  MSoM: IDA
😕  MSoM: IRENE
👎  MSoM: LOIS
😕  MSoM: LUCY

😕  MSoM: LYDIA
😕  MSoM: MARTHA
👎  MSoM: MAY
😕  MSoM: MIRIAM
👎  MSoM: NAOMI

👎   MSoM: NORMA
😕   MSoM: PRISCILLA
👍   MSoM: PHOEBE
👎   MSoM: RACHEL
👍   MSoM: REBEKAH

👍   MSoM: RHODA
👎   MSoM: RUBY
👍   MSoM: RUTH
👍   MSoM: SARAH
😕   MSoM: TABITHA
👎   MSoM: ZINA

 

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