
Aleta Halston took the name Aetos because she embodies the Aetos Dios, the eagle of Zeus (wings, talons, genetically altered bone structure that allows her to fly). After Task Force: Gaea—Finding Balance came out, I received questions about her name (as well as why three members of the team had names beginning with "A"). Now, while I'm working on Task Force: Gaea—Memory's Curse, I have the ability (for reasons that become apparent in the novel) to alter some aspects of the story.
Recently, I posted a poll on Facebook, asking friends and fans to decide which codename might be best suited to replace 'Aetos':
- Cloudsplitter
- Eagle
- Javelin
- Thunderstrike
- Talon
So, I thought I would go back to the Greek language and see what the word for 'talon' was. It turned out that in Greek 'talon' is 'onyx'. I liked that name a lot. I thought I had finally found a replacement name, but then a friend told me that a black heroine named Onyx seemed not only cliché, but also a bit racist since (a) an onyx is black, and (b) no other teammate name reflected the color of his or her skin, even by coincidence.
After much reflection, I choose Talon. It reflects the eagle aspect of Aleta as well as the weapon that she is. So, in Memory's Curse, Aetos becomes Talon.
My nephew is also a Greek mythology fanatic....will show it to him!
ReplyDelete