Call me Jacob

Something weird happened today. I’m still trying to rewrite myself as always, stuck working at my parents shop again after my RSI injury as typing and working a mouse hurts my hands too much still to find an IT job. A job I really dislike but am making the best of for the time being, and with the help of a green tea extract pill I’m taking called Theanine. A nootropic substance that gives you a focused relaxation. I can’t say I really notice much effect on my consciousness, but I can say I’m experiencing much less stress and not losing my temper as often.

This had a strange effect today, not on my mother/boss who still gets angry at me when I’m doing nothing wrong, though a lot less. But on other people who know me less well. One collegue was adressing me but forgot my name for a second and actually said “who are you again?” in a jesting way which was funny, but still. What was weird was I replied with “Jakobus”, which I thought sounded funny but totally came out of the blue (you know where that is!). Jakobus is an old dutch form of Jacob. And I really don’t know anything about the name except for Jacob’s Ladder.

What’s really peculiar is the girl’s father came at the end of the day to fix our dishwashing machine, I was getting mom’s car from the garage to park it in front of the shop so I came in later when he was already inside, and when I entered the shop I said “hi!” to her dad and he said “Hi… sorry I just can’t think of your name.” So I replied, “It’s Jakobus!” which made the girl and me laugh out loud.

So tonight I’m watching an anime about a multiple personality killer called Monster, and the main protagonist is watching the news and this happens:

 Another Jacob!

I don’t have much time to research the name today after work, nor will I tomorrow. But a quick wiki search gives me this.

The name comes from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning “to follow, to be behind” but also “to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach”, from the word for “heel”, עֲקֵב ʿaqeb).

Jacob (Ya`aqob or Ya`aqov, meaning “heel-catcher”, “supplanter”, “leg-puller”, “he who follows upon the heels of one”, from Hebrew: עקב‎, `aqab or `aqav, “seize by the heel”, “circumvent”, “restrain”, a wordplay upon Hebrew: עקבה‎, `iqqebah or `iqqbah, “heel”).

In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob’s birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau (Genesis 25:26). The name is etymologized (in direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the significance of Jacob having “supplanted” his elder brother by stealing his birthright. 

Interesting so a guy who supplatned his elder brother (I derive, my older personalities) by stealing his birthright.

Spoilers about the anime Monster so don’t read on. But the guy drying his hair with the towel is also a multiple personality sufferer, whenever he gets in a pinch he goes Berserk and switches to his Magnificent Steiner personality who saves him every time he’s about to die.

Steiner: a) occupational name for someone who worked with stone: a quarryman, stonecutter, or stonemason; an agent derivative of Stein.
b) This interesting name of English origin is an occupational name for a dyer, particularly of grass rather than fabrics and deriving from the Middle English Steyn(en) and latin “distingere” meaning to dye. 
http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/steiner#ixzz2zH8ECXvO

So a stonemason or a dyer.
Rudolf Steiner, Wayne Dyer. 

His name in the series though is Wolfgang Grimmer.

Grimmer: 1) One who is named after the norse god Wodhin. The root of which is ‘grimm’ meaning to bear a lot. Therefore Grimmer is one who can bear a lot. (from urban dictionary)
2) 1. harsh, unyielding. 2. frightful, horrible, dire, appalling, horrid, grisly, gruesome, hideous, dreadful. 3.severe, stern, hard. 4. ferocious, ruthless.
(from the dictionary)

Wolfgang:  Its earliest known bearer was a tenth-century saint. The name is a combination of the Old High German word wulf, meaning “wolf” and gang, meaning “path, journey”. Grimm (Teutonic Mythology p. 1093) interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of whom walks the “wolf of victory”.

All interesting connections to what I’m trying to do with myself. I may research some more later on or maybe you guys know some connections!