For my Riduna Series I chose Riduna and Ancasta for the titles of my first two books. My understanding at the time was that they were probably of Roman origin.
Why Riduna?
Inspired by the island of Alderney
Fond memories of family holidays on the island of Alderney, the birth place of my Great Grandmother, made a wonderful backdrop for my first novel, but snippets of Harriet’s life, dropped into conversation by my father, sowed the seeds of a story which began to form in my head. But why ‘Riduna?’
Genealogy and How it Shaped my Writing
I was so aware of recent World War 2 history of the island, when its inhabitants were evacuated and the island itself was used as a concentration camp. I wanted to distance my novel from this time, after all it was set in the Victoria era. The name ‘Riduna’ could be seen on shop signs, on their crest (below) and the islanders called themselves Ridunains (and still do when talking of rugby teams for example, in interisland matches)
At the time it was believed that Riduna was the Roman name for the island of Alderney. A few historians have disputed this since I released my novel, but, nevertheless, it would be really hard to sever the ties of Alderney to this, its most romantic of names, which is deep in the psyche of true islanders.
Why Ancasta?
Back in 2012, when Ancasta Guide me Swiftly Home, I described my choice of title in a blog post:
Why Ancasta? ~ The Ancasta Stone.
My understanding has crystalised since, by reading a Wikipedia post on Ancasta, which shows her originally as a local Celtic Goddess, probably of the River Itchen in Southampton (from which my novel ebbs and flows.) She was almost certainly adopted by the Romans at their large settlement at Bitterne, up the water, called Clausentum. See the Philosophy Now Forum for clarification.
Diana Jackson 