Ariane

This name is of Ancient Greek “Ariádnē (Ἀριάδνη),” composed of two elements: “ari- (ἀρι)” (strengthening prefix, generally with a sense of goodness, excellence) plus “hagnós (ἁγνός) adnós (ἀδνός)” (pure, chaste, holy, sacred, purifying). In turn, the name means “very sacred, very pure, pure one.” In Greek mythology, she was King Minos of Crete’s daughter, and Queen Pasifaë, daughter of Helios, the titan of the sun. She is mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths due to her involvement in Minotaur and Theseus’sTheseus’s myths. It was also a general geographical term used by some Greek and Roman authors of the ancient period for a district of vast extent in central Asia, composing part of the Persian kingdom, all of Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. Ariane fell in love with Theseus and helped him out of the maze by giving him a long ball of yarn. Abandoned by Theseus, she was then married to Dionysus. Saint Ariadne of Phrygia († 130 AD) is a 2nd-century Christian saint. According to legend, she was a slave in the household of a Phrygian prince.