We've been talking about baby names a lot around here lately. This is because we're expecting a CMU baby. And you know that we love music around here. But I can pretty much assure you, writing as the expected child's mother, that there's no way it's going to be called Benfoldia. Or Infadelica. Or anything like that. Especially not if it's a boy. But some parents in Sweden have been given the go-ahead to name their seven month old baby girl Metallica. It's true. But they apparently wanted to do it not after the band, but because it's made up of their own first names. Which seems a bit egotistical to me, but there you go. Actually, I happen to know that actress Malandra Burrows' parents did it. True. They're called Malcolm and Sandra.
Now, in Sweden they have a system that stop you from calling your children by insane names that might get them teased in the playground, and this particular couple were told by their local authority that they couldn't name their daughter Metallica because of the association with the band and the word 'metal', and the case ended up in court. The jury, however, decided that it was okay to call the child Metallica, only one member of the jury putting up any objection, so all's well that ends well. For the parents at least. What little Metallica will think of the name once she's old enough to have an opinion remains to be seen...