It started getting a bit difficult posting here because my old username, Tuuktuuk, is based on my official name that is slowly fading away, and the temporary username I invented to get started here, Egghead, no longer properly fit me either. So, I just became unable to post or comment anything at all in the Forumverse because the nicknames didn't feel "mine".
But this one really makes me happy. Before I was born, my mother still knew I'm a girl, and named me Linda, which then was changed to another name right after I was born.
So, I took that given name as a base. It has several concurrent etymologies, but one of them is the linden tree. It symbolizes softness and caring, and those have always been adjectives people have used for describing my personality. Linden in my native language, Finnish, is lehmus. But, in many Indo-European languages -us is a masculine suffix.
But then: added an a to feminize it a bit. Made the u longer to include the word "muusa", which is Finnish for muse, the goddess things from Greek mythology. And then Lehmuusa also sounds like a Finnish dialect reference, and it can be understood as meaning either "linden-y" or also "kinda cow-like" (from lehmä = cow), which is kind of a bonkers way to refer to a fine lady, but I have always had a very absurd sense of humour. Happy to be a little bit of a cow! Also, I'm very good in emulating mooing sounds of a cow, so it fits. Plus, there's also "muu", which is how you write "moo" in Finnish.
Also, an earlier nickname I had used for about two decades had been a reference to me being good in quacking like a duck, so the mooing, also an animal sound, connects to my past.
And then, I studied Latvian philology as my main subject for a long time before I changed professions, and the linden tree has importance in the Latvian folklore, as a symbol of feminity. And Latvian language and culture have become important parts of my identity even though I have no Latvian roots.
Then, I also lived in Germany for some years when I grew adult. My German was good enough that people confused me for a native speaker. And Lehm is German for "clay", and I like clay as a material. And it connects to my past in Germany.
And of course, I just really love trees and forests!
This is by far the best nickname I've ever had anywhere. Feels mine! 🌳💚♀️🐮🇫🇮🇬🇷🇩🇪🇱🇻🫖
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