What is a Virago?
Now, nasty dictionaries (note the word “dic” in their name) make viragoes sound bad – a quick Google search gave me “a noisy or scolding or domineering woman,” and wikipedia even said it’s ” a pejorative name for a verbally abusive and angry woman. It is borrowed from Latin virago, which means ‘resembling (-ago) a man (vir)’. ”
Well, this “noisy, domineering, angry woman” says to hell with all that.
I got the wonderful phrase Virago from Florence King’s book “Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady.”
In it King writes that viragoes are “the only V worth having… A virago is a woman of geat stature, strength and courage who is not feminine in the conventional ways.”
That’s me to a V.
Like King’s mother, I should have it painted on my bowling ball. If I had one, I would.
Instead, I’m painting it on my blog.
Perhaps my parents knew before I was born that I wouldn’t fit the conventional ways of womanhood.
My father decided to christen me Elliotte, the name of a cocktail waitress he met on vacation in Hawaii. She’s not my mother, and dad claims “nothing happened, I just liked the name.”
I’ve yet to meet another female with the same name, although the brilliant show “Scrubs” has a female Eliot Reid (I like my spelling better) as one of its main characters.
A few people have told me they’ve met other female Elliottes (spelling varies), and another quick Google search showed me “Elliotte Crowell” is an actress, but generally I’m a unique first encounter with the female Elliotte kind.
I like it that way, because my dad might not have known it when he named me Elliotte, but I’m a woman of geat stature, strength and courage who is not feminine in the conventional ways.
So when I start my vagabonding in August, you can call me Elliotte, or Virago for short.
Tags: About Me, Bio, Female Elliottes
Virago Vagabond
June 21st, 2005 at 3:54 am
EB, I admire the strength and power of your writer’s voice. You’ve got style. Go places. Write about them. Then let your writing take you places, because I’m certain it will.
June 22nd, 2005 at 11:08 am
Call me if you need money or bailed out of jail!
I Love you and hope that you find all that you are looking for an more!
June 22nd, 2005 at 9:39 pm
Thanks Cass. I’ll let you know when I need one or both. Love you too. 🙂
June 25th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
Humm..do you think you will have luck finding the “original” Elliotte who you were named after.
June 25th, 2005 at 9:13 pm
Excellent question Madhu.
Many times have I recommended my dad take me back to Hawaii to search.
I’ve asked him for more details about the “original” Elliotte , but he doesn’t seem to remember much – like what resort he stayed at, or even on what island. He said, “The big one, I think.”
And I don’t think he wanted to describe the “original” Elliotte in much detail in front of my mom.
However, that won’t stop me.
I don’t know when I’ll go, but my hunt will definitely take me to Hawaii some day. And when I meet other Elliottes, I’ll ask if they’ve ever served drinks in a Hawaiian bar.