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Alraune Names: 90 Plant-Woman Names With Meanings
By Metavulgar · updated 2026-11-13 · 7 min read
Alraune names are names for a plant-woman: a character born from the mandrake root, half human, half garden. Alraune is the German word for the mandrake plant and, in the old legend, for the little root-creature said to grow where a hanged man's seed fell to the ground. A 1911 novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers, called Alraune, took that legend and made it a woman's name. Everything below is built from those threads, and I mark each name as real (an actual word or name with a source) or invented (mine).
Where the name comes from
The German Alraune is usually explained as "all-rune" or "elf-rune": a root that knows secrets. The English word mandrake travelled a different road, from Latin mandragora through French. The plant itself is Mandragora, a Mediterranean member of the nightshade family, with a thick root that sometimes looks like a small person and leaves that carry strong alkaloids. For centuries it was both medicine and legend: the root was said to scream when pulled, so people tied a dog to it, which is a story, not a method.
The 1911 novel is a work of horror fiction and the source of the modern idea of Alraune as a woman. I use the name for a fictional adult plant-woman, nothing more, and the character in my sessions is a gentler creature than the book's.
Names straight from the plant (real words)
- Mandragora: the genus name, from Greek and Latin roots.
- Mandra: a short form.
- Alraune: the German word itself, a bold name for a plant-woman.
- Rune: "secret" or "letter", from the -rune in Alraune.
- Runa: the same, softer.
- Alrun: an old Germanic name element from the same root, tied to Alruna.
- Alruna: the feminine form, historically linked to wise women in Germanic sources.
- Belladonna: "beautiful lady", the nightshade cousin.
- Solana: from Solanum, the nightshade family.
- Atropa: from Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread; the genus name of deadly nightshade.
- Hyoscia: from henbane's Hyoscyamus, a real plant name.
- Datura: the thorn-apple, another poisonous cousin.
- Nightshade: simple and strong.
- Henbane, Bryony, Foxglove: other plants from the old herb-lore.
- Mandorla: an almond shape; a decorative cousin of the sound, not the plant.
German names that suit an alraune (real)
German given names that fit the dark-wood, root-and-stone mood:
- Alruna: see above.
- Gisela: "pledge".
- Hedwig: "battle strife", old and heavy.
- Walburga: "protector of the slain", linked to a night of witches.
- Brunhild: "armor battle".
- Irmgard: "whole, enclosed".
- Edda: "poetry".
- Elke: a short form with noble roots.
- Frieda: "peace".
- Hilde: "battle".
- Ilse: a form of Elisabeth.
- Kunigunde: "brave in war", delightfully dramatic.
- Marlene: modern, from Maria and Magdalene.
- Sieglinde: "gentle victory".
- Ulrike: "rich and powerful".
- Wilhelmina: "resolute protector".
- Rosamund: "horse protector", used in older fairy tales.
- Adelheid: "noble kind".
Dark names (invented)
- Rootmother, a title rather than a name.
- Nachtraune: Nacht, night, with -raune.
- Grubenrune: "pit rune", for a character born in a grave-side field.
- Vesperune: evening plus rune.
- Gallowrun: a nod at the gallows in the legend.
- Moorwen: moor and woman.
- Thornalie: thorn plus a soft ending.
- Verdane: green and dark.
- Hollowyn: a hollow root.
- Umbrelle: shadow.
- Nyssara: invented, night-flavored.
- Mordraun: mord (murder in German) plus -raun; strong, for a very dark story.
- Skarlet: a scarlet flower in the dark.
- Wurzelle: from German Wurzel, root.
- Wurzeline: the same, longer.
Gentle names (invented and real)
For a kind, earthy plant-woman, the soft side of the mandrake.
- Lindle: from Linde, linden tree.
- Hazel: real, the nut tree.
- Fern, Moss, Clover, Willow, Thyme, Sage.
- Heide: heath.
- Blumi: from Blume, flower, playful.
- Veilchen: German for violet.
- Rosmarin: German for rosemary.
- Salbei: German for sage.
- Holunda: from Holunder, elder tree.
- Ebereschen: rowan, shortened to Ebera.
- Mirabelle: a plum, real French name.
- Tilda: gentle and old.
- Wiesa: from Wiese, meadow.
- Rooted, Rootlet, Tendril: plain English options.
Meaning behind the plant-woman idea
The mandrake root earned its legend because it looked like a body. Thick roots fork into what seem like legs, and the top of the root can look like a head. People of the Middle Ages treated it as a talisman, a medicine and a sleep aid, and then wrapped a lot of stories around it. In German the plant is Alraune or Alraun, and in the old folk belief the root-creature is a household spirit that brings luck if you look after it, with a small bed, a bath and a meal on Fridays.
That domestic detail gives you a second kind of alraune: not the dark seductress of the novel, but the household root-sprite, a little mothering, a little demanding, a keeper of luck. Both sides of the legend are open to a name.
Two kinds of alraune, two kinds of name
The root-keeper. She lives in a pot, a cellar or a kitchen garden, and she looks after you. Her names are warm and old: Alruna, Wurzelle, Hazel, Thyme, Salbei.
The night-garden seductress. She grows in a hothouse, she smells of something sweet and dangerous, and she does not let go. Her names are poisonous and elegant: Belladonna, Atropa, Nepenthe, Mandragora, Datura.
If your character is both, give her a name for each mood. A soft first name for the mornings, and the dark one for the greenhouse at night.
Notes on pronunciation
- Alraune is said AL-rown-uh, with the au like "ow".
- Alruna is al-ROO-nah.
- Mandragora is man-DRAG-or-uh.
- Belladonna is bell-uh-DON-uh.
- Atropa is AT-roh-puh.
- Nepenthe is neh-PEN-thee.
- Wurzelle is vur-ZELL, with a German W.
Names from the novel's world (use with care)
The book's title character is simply Alraune. Other names from German horror and fantasy of the period can echo it, for example Alma, Lore, Frieda and Gwendolyn, but I do not recommend copying the book's other characters. If you use Alraune itself, mention that it comes from the legend and Ewers's novel, so it is clear where it came from.
Names built from the German word for root, soil and night
German makes compound words easily, which is why so many dark-fantasy names sound German. Here are compounds I built myself, with their parts, so you can mix your own.
- Erdrune: Erde, earth, plus rune.
- Nachtwurz: Nacht, night, plus Wurz, an old word for root or herb.
- Moosrune: moss plus rune.
- Galgenraun: Galgen, gallows, plus raun; a very dark one.
- Giftblume: Gift, poison, plus Blume, flower.
- Dornrose: thorn rose, from the fairy-tale name for a sleeping beauty; use sparingly.
- Kellerwurz: cellar root, for the house-sprite version.
- Mondwurz: moon root.
- Schattenraun: shadow raun.
- Tauperle: dew pearl, a gentle one.
- Brombeere: bramble berry, sweet and thorny.
- Haselwurz: hazel root; a real plant name (asarum), which gives it a genuine herbal ring.
To build your own, take one word for a place (Keller, Moor, Wald), one for a quality (Nacht, Mond, Gift) and one for the plant (Wurz, Rune, Blume), and link two of them.
Names for a plant monster rather than a woman
Sometimes an alraune is more creature than person: a vine-limbed hunter in a greenhouse.
- Venusia: a nod at the Venus flytrap.
- Lianne: from liane, a woody vine.
- Strangla, Creepera: broad jokes, useful for tone.
- Sundew: a real carnivorous plant, a good name.
- Pitcha: from the pitcher plant.
- Nepenthe: a real pitcher plant genus and a Greek word for a drug of forgetfulness; very fitting.
- Orchidia: orchid-flavored.
- Rafflesia: the huge flower, memorable.
How to pick
- Decide whether she is human-looking or plant-looking. The more human, the more a German given name works.
- Decide her mood. A kind garden spirit takes Hazel or Lindle; a poisonous seductress takes Atropa or Belladonna.
- Keep the sound clean. Two or three syllables is easiest in a voice session.
- Label your sources. If you take a real plant name or the legend, say so. If you invented it, say that too.
For similar lists, see Dryad Names, Nymph Names and Moth Girl Names. If you want the full story of the creature, Alraune Meaning and Lore has it, and Alraune vs Mandrake sets the woman against the plant.
Where she lives in my library
The nearest thing to an alraune in my archive is a glasshouse: The Night-Bloom Glasshouse: Open for Her is a plant-woman session, slow and warm. Melt: Held by the Violet Slime has the same soft, enveloping mood. To start from the beginning, Start Here is the five-night course. Every character is an adult, old in her own story, and every name is for fiction.
Frequently asked questions
What does Alraune mean?
Alraune is the German word for the mandrake plant. It is often explained as all-rune or elf-rune, a root that holds secrets. It also names the plant-woman of legend and of Ewers's 1911 novel.
What are good names for an alraune character?
Mandragora, Alruna, Belladonna, Atropa, Solana, Wurzelle and Nepenthe come straight from the plant and its relatives. For a gentler character, Hazel, Lindle, Fern and Willow work well.
Is Alraune a real German name?
Alraune exists as a rare given name, but it is mostly known as the plant and the novel. Alruna and Alrun are the older Germanic forms from the same root, linked to wise women in early sources.
What is the legend behind the alraune?
German folklore said the mandrake root grew where a hanged man's seed fell to the earth, and that the root shrieked when pulled up. Writers later turned the root-creature into a woman.
Are mandrake names safe to use for a fictional character?
Yes. They are plant and legend names, not trademarks. Mention the source if you share the character, and avoid copying other characters from the novel.
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