Bertha

Bertha is an ancient Germanic female name, from the Old High German “beraht” meaning “bright, splendid, luminous, famous” (Olde English equivalent: “beorht”). Berchta (also called Perchta, literally “the bright one”) was the name of a Teutonic goddess borrowed from Norse mythology and worshiped among pre-Christianized Germans in the Alps region of southern Bavaria. Generally regarded as a beautiful and benevolent spirit in her earliest incarnations, Frau Berchta later became haggardly and demonized as the patroness of witches with the arrival of Christianity (which endeavored to discredit all pagan gods). Still, her folklore survived and she was especially connected to the Winter Solstice (her holy day). Hard-working and morally upstanding folk might find a shiny silver coin in their shoe or be rewarded with a prosperous year. Naughty or lazy children were scared into good behavior under the threat of Berchta’s favorite form of punishment: having their bellies sliced open and their innards replaced with straw and pebbles. Bertha is indeed an ancient female name used among the Germanic peoples as evidenced by the 6th century Frankish princess, Saint Bertha of Kent, who played an important role in bringing Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons through her arranged marriage to a powerful pagan King Æthelberht of Kent (England). Bertha was also the name of an 8th century Queen Consort of the Franks (the mother of Charles the Great, aka Charlemagne). Charlemagne in turn named one of his own daughters Bertha after his mother. We can safely speculate that Bertha was a favorite medieval name choice among girls; however, it pretty much vanished after the Middle Ages. The name was again revitalized in the 19th and early 20th centuries but has since become unfashionable. Bert, Berta and Bertie are nicknames for this “luminous” lady.