Nephele Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 A dear, old onomastics buddy of mine who lives in Greece has started up an intriguing website which he is calling Etymologica: Deciphering Hellenic Names. His mission statement is that this site is intended eventually to become "a comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative reference on the meaning and etymology behind Greek names." Knowing Pavlos as I do, I've no doubt that he'll achieve that goal. In fact, he's already off to a great start. Here's a sample of the sort of fascinating information on Hellenic names that he's providing: Greek or Hellenic (terms to be used interchangeably) names have a very intriguing nature: most of them are literally embedded with meaning. Take Lysistrate for example, a heroine of Aristophanes. Her story is well known: Lysistrate convinced her peers to deny all sexual liaisons with their husbands so long as they continued fighting a bloody civil war. Lysistrate is probably the most postmodern of ancient heroines. Now consider her name: Lysistrate is derived from the verb lyo meaning "to disband" and stratos meaning "army". Her very name summarizes the plot of Aristopanes' play! I hope those of you with an interest in Hellenic culture will visit the site. I'll have to invite my friend over here, as well! -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted July 21, 2007 Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 Good link, thank you a lot for the information ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAVLOSAVRVS REX Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 A dear, old onomastics buddy of mine who lives in Greece has started up an intriguing website which he is calling Etymologica: Deciphering Hellenic Names. ... I hope those of you with an interest in Hellenic culture will visit the site. I'll have to invite my friend over here, as well! -- Nephele Thanks, Nebula, for plugging my site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 Thanks, Nebula, for plugging my site My pleasure, Bro'. Hey, since you're here, how about deciphering these Hellenic names for me?: Hyale, Rhanis, Psecas, Phiale, and Crocale? They, along with Nephele, were the nymph-attendants to the goddess Diana/Titania mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses. I kind of already have an idea as to what their names might mean, but I'd appreciate confirmation from you, O Learned Greek One. I need to know what their names mean because they are, after all, my sister nymphs. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAVLOSAVRVS REX Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 (edited) Hey, since you're here, how about deciphering these Hellenic names for me?: Hyale, Rhanis, Psecas, Phiale, and Crocale? They, along with Nephele, were the nymph-attendants to the goddess Diana/Titania mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses. By all means, ΝΕΦΕΛΗ: Hyale (ΥΑΛΗ) is derived from ΥΑΛΟΣ, meaning tranluscent stone. The word was used to denote crystal and amber, and later evoved to ΥΑΛΙ (glass) and possibly ΥΕΛΗ (gel). Rhanis (ΡΑΝΙΣ) means drop or trickle. Either of blood or water, depending on how one gets his or her kicks. Psekas (ΨΕΚΑΣ) is related to from the verb ΨΕΚΑΖΩ meaningto spray, or sprinkle. The cryptic inscription "ΕΙΠΕ ΑΥΤΟ ΟΥΧΙ ΨΕΚΑΣ ΑΥΤΟ" was unearthed on an otherwise unmarked tomb, translated by linguistic experts as "say it, dont spray it". Phiale (ΦΙΑΛΗ) is a wide and shallow vessel of glass, used in rituals and invocations - or on a more practical note, cooking Crocale (ΚΡΟΚΑΛΗ) probaby relates to the deep yellow - reddish color of either egg yolk (κροκός) or the crocus/saffron plant (κρόκος) ...add to all the above some... Nephele (ΝΕΦΕΛΗ), derived from ΝΕΦΟΣ (cloud) which in turn is derived from ΝΙΦΗ (snowflake) And you have all the ingredients to make a glorious ambrosia-flavored omelette, yum-yum Later, PAVLVS Edited July 24, 2007 by PAVLOSAVRVS REX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted July 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 Wow! That's more than I ever expected! Thanks for all that, Bro'! You know, I think those names look even prettier when spelled with the Hellenic alphabet -- and the etymologies you provided are knock-out. I could've used you awhile back when I was compiling my list of dogs' names mentioned by ancient Roman writers, as many of the suggested names were of Hellenic origin. Thanks again! -- ΝΕΦΕΛΗ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 What fun! Thanks for those Pavlos! ... I could've used you awhile back when I was compiling my list of dogs' names mentioned by ancient Roman writers, as many of the suggested names were of Hellenic origin. I don't suppose you still have that list of dogs' names, Nephele. I'd love to see it. Flavia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted July 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 I don't suppose you still have that list of dogs' names, Nephele. I'd love to see it. I wrote it as an article for UNRV back in April. Here's the link, Flavia: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6401 Your Ferox is on the list! But, sorry, no Scuto. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 What a wonderful resource! The kids who visit my website would love to see it. May I put it up if I give you credit? Copyright? A million dollars? Scuto (shield) is named after my younger nephew, whose nickname was Scooter. Nipur (Nubia's dog) is named after my older nephew, whose nickname was Nipper! That might explain why those two don't appear on your list. Those names could also be useful for gladiators or bodyguards. Maximas gratias! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 ...Or I could just put up a link to that page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted July 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 (edited) What a wonderful resource! The kids who visit my website would love to see it. May I put it up if I give you credit? Copyright? A million dollars? Scuto (shield) is named after my younger nephew, whose nickname was Scooter. Nipur (Nubia's dog) is named after my older nephew, whose nickname was Nipper! That might explain why those two don't appear on your list. Those names could also be useful for gladiators or bodyguards. Maximas gratias! Thank you for your kind praise, Flavia! You're welcome to use my article (and I'd be honored), but I'd appreciate a mention also of UNRV in your use of it. (I owe a lot to this site!) -- Nephele Edited July 24, 2007 by Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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