[expand]
Names were not always permanent. In some circumstances, individuals received new names that replaced or supplemented their birth names. A warrior who performed particularly notable deed might earn reputation-name that became his primary designation. A person who survived serious illness or injury might take new name marking their rebirth. Someone who converted to Christianity might adopt baptismal name while retaining traditional name for certain contexts.
These name changes were not casual but required ceremony similar to original naming—public declaration, witness acceptance, offerings made. The new name created new identity that coexisted with or replaced the original, reshaping the person’s wyrd, establishing different relationship with divine and social structures.
The ability to change names recognized that identity was not entirely fixed at birth but could evolve through experience and action. The name marked who you were, but who you were could transform, and the name should reflect this transformation.
[/expand]