To understand the meaning of the name Altair, it is necessary to take into account that it is translated from Arabic as “Flyer” or “Flying”. Often it is translated as a "soaring falcon." The meaning and origin of the name Altair is directly related to the Greek-Latin world, and from Greek it translates as "bird".
Altair: the meaning of the name in Islam
Muslim names fall into three categories:
- Those that are based on Islamic tradition, that is, taken from the Qur'an or are the names of the Prophets and Companions of the Prophet Muhammad.
- Names that do not have religious significance, but are used by Muslims, such as Rami, Hannan, etc.
- Finally, names that are not very significant for Muslims, often of foreign or pagan origin.
To understand the mystery and meaning of the name Altair, you need to understand that it most likely refers to the third paragraph. On the one hand, it claims to be of Arab origin, on the other hand, it is almost never found among the Arabs themselves. Particle Al - an analogue of the English particle the - is a name, not a name, while "Tair" means a bird. Apparently, the meaning of the name Altair still goes back to the pagan pre-Islamic tradition, since it is rather difficult to imagine a believing Mohammedan who decided to call his child a “bird”. Still, it is not customary to deify birds, like any other animals, in Abrahamic religions.
Meaning of the name Altair for a boy
Since the symbolism of this name is closely connected with the eagles, and the eagle is a male, solar and warlike symbol, it is considered to be masculine. There are few male carriers of this name, and the rarity, as well as the mystery and meaning of the name Altair, can be an excellent occasion to give it to your son. The lack of religious commitment, despite its exotic origin, looks very beneficial in our secular and cosmopolitan era.
The meaning of the name in popular culture
Altair is also the name of a character in the Assassin's Creed video game series. His full name sounds like Altair ibn La Ahad. He is a good guy, Arab in origin, but it is unclear whether he is a Muslim or an atheist / agnostic.
Raising from birth to become an assassin, Altair became a killer master at the age of 25, the youngest in the history of this title. In July 1191, he was unable to recapture the Apple of Eden from Robert de Sable and subsequently allowed the Templars to attack the city of Masyaf, the headquarters of the Assassin Order, to which Altair himself belongs.
After these events, he was demoted to the novice rank and sent to seek redemption. As a result of the death of nine people who, without knowledge, made up the ranks of the Knights Templar in the Holy Land, Altair began to search for a way to rectify his fate and to cleanse the Kingdom of Jerusalem from corruption. However, during his search, he found out about a much more sinister conspiracy. Having completed his mission, he also delivered the Order from the traitor leader Al Mualim. Then Altair became the Mentor, giving the Assassins a new, more secretive and mysterious direction. With the Eden Apple in his hand, Altair changed the way of life of the members of his Order, writing the rules and details in his legendary Codex, left for future generations of the Order.
Altair was convinced that the mission of the Assassin Order was to spread the influence of the Order throughout the world, so he began to create many Assassin Guilds during his tenure as Mentor. Throughout his travels, Altair strengthened the Order, ending the various Templar conspiracies for many years, and also stopped the inexorable march of Genghis Khan. Altair is the maternal ancestor of Desmond Miles.
For most modern people, the meaning of the name Altair is forever associated with this computer game.
Altair Star
Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Eagle and the twelfth star in brightness in the night sky. Currently, it is located in the G-cloud - a relatively close accumulation of gas and dust, known as the interstellar cloud. She is the star of the main A-type sequence with a visible visual magnitude of 0.77 and is one of the upper parts of the star cluster known as the Summer Triangle (the other two peaks are marked by Deneb and Vega). Altair is located 16.7 light years (5.13 parsecs) from the Sun and is one of the closest stars visible to the naked eye.
Altair rotates rapidly at a speed at the equator of about 286 km / s. A study with a Palomar interferometer showed that Altair is not spherical in shape, because it is flattened at the poles due to its high rotation speed. Other interferometric studies with several telescopes operating in the infrared range have revealed and confirmed this unique phenomenon. Therefore, the meaning and origin of the name Altair (name for the boy) is not so important - in the end, the idea to name a child in honor of this beautiful star is not so bad.
"Altair" - a new generation lunar rover
Recently, NASA has developed a new model of the lunar rover - Altair.
The new name of the lunar rover also implies a new logo, which pays homage to the original Apollo 11 logo, which also shows an eagle, but facing the other way (image after the jump).
The emblem of the lunokhod depicts an eagle landing on the moon and clutching an olive branch in its clawed paws - the image that Michael Collins, the pilot of the Apollo 11 command module, had once chosen to unambiguously report that Apollo 11 was an exclusively peaceful mission. The new program continues this theme by adapting the triangular shape and ten stars of other logos to the new logo. It is said that ten stars represent ten NASA centers that "work to bring astronauts back to the moon."
To name a child not only in honor of a star, but also in honor of a lunar rover is an extremely eccentric idea, but interesting in its own way.
Altair as a female name
History knows at least one woman who bears this beautiful name - we are talking about the Mexican actress and top model Altair Jarabo.
Being a famous model in Mexico, Jarabo made her screen debut in 1993. In 2002, she appeared on the screen with Vanessa Acosta and Sandra Echeverria.
She became popular all over the world, playing Isela in 2004 in the telenovela "Innocent", working perfectly with such venerable Latin American actors as Camila Sodi, Valentino Lanus and Helena Rojo. In 2005, she appeared in the telenovela "Lovely Love" in the role of Vanessa.
In 2006, Jarabo played Aphrodite Carvajal in Código Postal, a telenovela for teens. It was a Mexican adaptation of two famous television series: Beverly Hills, 90210 and Baywatch. As a result, a strange story happened with the series: being popular all over the world, he never gained popularity in his native Mexico.
Altair Harabo continues to shine at fashion shows and play in Latin American youth shows, delighting viewers around the world with his good looks, almost perfect figure and vivid emotionality. Was it named after a star, an eagle, or some little-known Arab figure? Who knows. But thanks to her, we know for sure that this name can decorate not only a man, but also a woman. These are the facts about the meaning of the name Altair.