Delia

Like Cynthia, Delia was another appellation for Artemis from Greek mythology. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo; her position among the Olympic gods and goddesses was among the most complex and prominent. Born on Mount Kynthos (hence the epithet Cynthia) on the tiny Greek island of Delos (hence the epithet Delia) in the Aegean Sea, Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, childbirth, virginity and the protector of young women (her Roman equivalent was Diana). Delia was not a name used among English-speakers until 1592 when a cycle of romantic sonnets to “Delia” by English poet Samuel Daniels were printed. To give you an idea how the peom’s speaker idealizes his subject (Delia), the first line of the first sonnet opens with “Unto the boundless Ocean of thy beauty…” and later as “fairer than the sun.” In fact, it’s quite fitting that the poet’s muse (Delia) is an anagram for “ideal” (pretty cool, huh?). In terms of usage from the 17th century onward, Delia saw most of her success in the 19th century. We should also mention that Delia is considered a short form of names ending with the “-delia” suffix such as Cordelia and Bedelia (a diminutive of Bridget). Today the name is surprisingly underused among English-speakers.