Personal protection and tailor-made deities: the use of individual epithets
The use of epithets was a fundamental component of Greek polytheism. The present study brings attention to a small subgroup of such divine bynames, referred to as individual epithets because they stem from the names of mortal individuals. The function of these epithets is to designate a deity specif...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Centre
[2008]
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| In: |
Kernos
Year: 2008, Volume: 21, Pages: 81-95 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The use of epithets was a fundamental component of Greek polytheism. The present study brings attention to a small subgroup of such divine bynames, referred to as individual epithets because they stem from the names of mortal individuals. The function of these epithets is to designate a deity specifically concerned with the individual in question, thereby providing a close relationship and personal benefits for the eponymous worshipper and his or her close kin. The article exemplifies the phenomenon through the investigation of a goddess Isis Aphrodite Dikaia identified in Hellenistic Delos. Through the epithet Dikaia, two Athenian brothers, Dikaios and Asklepiades, sons of Dikaios, intimately tie the deity to themselves and their family. It is moreover proposed that a positioning of the epithet in its historical and physical context furthers our understanding of its origins and significance. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Kernos
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.4000/kernos.1602 |