Zisa (ZEE-sah), sometimes spelled Ziza, was a Germanic goddess, possibly the equivalent of the god named Tyr of the Norse pantheon who was also called Ziu, or more likely she was the Germanic version of Tyr's wife. Since Tyr means "god," Zisa means "goddess." Her name can be found in manuscripts dating from the 12th to 14th century. Most of them recall a battle between the Swabians and the Roman Empire in the 1st century BCE. A connection has also been made between this goddess and the Swabian goddess Isis. She is the patron goddess of Augsburg, which was originally named Zizarim after her. Her worship has been primarily left to that general area, which is one reason she remains mostly unheard of. From the little bit we know about her, she was a protective goddess, and it is rumored that Tuesday was not actually named after Tyr, but after Zisa, as it was "Zistag" according to the Suevi. Zisa is unused as a baby name in the U.S., with no records.
I grew up on a street that was named an Italian variant of Roger. When I got married and we bought our first house, it turned out to be on Roger Street. Once noting that coincidence, I started searching for other variants of the name. However, female variants turned out to be pretty nonexistent. Save for Roxeria, which I later discovered was the Galician female form, possibly pronounced rohz-AIR-ee-uh. That led me to a few lists of female Galician names, ranging from common to rare. Here is a sampling of names not often heard here in the states... Albina Alda Alma Alodia Aloia Amada Amadora Amalia Amparo Anisia Antia Araceli Aranzazu Artemisa Avelina Azucena Baia Balbina Baltasara Beatriz Benvida Berenice Bieita Branca Braulia Caetana Carola Casilda Casimira Ceferina Celsa Cipriana Cira Clorinda Coralia Cornelia Cosima Davinia Delfina Desideria Dionisia Dominga Dorinda Dorotea Dositea Edelmira Edenia Elba Elvira Emiliana Etelvina ...
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