(ORDO NEWS) — A young couple in France is currently in a legal battle over the right to name their child after the god of the underworld from Greek mythology – “Hades”.
Christina Degre and Rodrigo Velasquez, a young couple from the French port city of Saint-Malo, which has the highest and most impressive tides in Europe, gave birth to their first child last September.
They still don’t have a “livret de Famille”, a mandatory document given when a child is born or adopted by an individual or a married couple, because the Saint-Malo prosecutor refuses to accept the child’s name.
Baby Hades is a little angel, but for anyone familiar with Greek mythology, his name is synonymous with the god of the underworld, the realm of the dead.
“No one is making contact. In the maternity ward, this did not shock anyone.
On the contrary, people like it,” Christina, the mother of the child, protested.
“We chose this name simply because we thought it was beautiful.”
In France, as in many other civilized countries of the world, parents cannot simply name their children whatever they want.
If the authorities feel that the name is contrary to the best interests of the child, they have the right to ask the parents to change it, in which case the prosecutor decided that the negative connotation of “Hades” as the god of the underworld was inappropriate.
“We do not understand this decision. We don’t think we’ve chosen a name that harms him,” Christina added.
“We didn’t call him Lucifer or Satan, we’re not stupid.
We just wanted an original name that sounds good. When Rodrigo offered me “Hades” [“Hades”], I immediately liked it.
The couple have hired a lawyer and are determined to fight tooth and nail for the right to keep the name chosen for their child. They’ve already identified a few.
Other parents who have previously chosen the same name without any objection, 12 of them in 2020 alone.
They even contacted the parents to confirm that the children grew up normally and were not teased because of their names.
“It’s an old name that’s not funny and we really don’t understand why the Saint-Malo prosecutors decided to sue while other French prosecutors didn’t mind the name,” the couple’s lawyer said.
The court is due to deliver its ruling on the case on 4 April. If the prosecutor’s office upholds the decision, the French couple will have to choose a different name.
The parents have already indicated their intention to appeal if the court decides against them.
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