Thursday 17 July 2014

The transparency of Greek personal names: Λυσιμάχη

Aristophanes, Peace 987-992:
Trygaeus: μὰ Δί’, ἀλλ’ ἀπόφηνον ὅλην σαυτὴν
γενναιοπρεπῶς τοῖσιν ἐρασταῖς
ἡμῖν, οἵ σου τρυχόμεθ’ ἤδη
τρία καὶ δέκ’ ἔτη,
λῦσον δὲ μάχας καὶ κορκορυγάς,
ἵνα Λυσιμάχην σε καλῶμεν·
No, indeed; rather reveal yourself in full and generously to us, those who desire you, we who have pined for you for thirteen years already. Resolve our conflicts and our broils  in order that we may call you Resolve-Conflictess (or: Miss Resolve-Conflict).
 
Aristophanes, Lysistrata 551-554:
Lysistrata: 
ἀλλ’ ἤνπερ ὅ <τε> γλυκύθυμος Ἔρως χἠ Κυπρογένει’ Ἀφροδίτη
ἵμερον ἡμῖν κατὰ τῶν κόλπων καὶ τῶν μηρῶν καταπνεύσῃ,
κᾆτ’ ἐντέξῃ τέτανον τερπνὸν τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ ῥοπαλισμούς,
οἶμαί ποτε Λυσιμάχας ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι καλεῖσθαι.
Well, so long as sweet-hearted Eros and Cyprus-born Aphrodite breathe desire over our bosoms and our thighs, and so engender in our menfolk a delightful rigidity and 'clubisms', I believe that one day we will be called Resolve-Conflictesses among the Greeks.

Note the plural of a female personal name.
These references are from M. Janse and D. Praet 'What's in a Name: Orsilochus, or the Perfect Adulterer', Glotta 88 (2012) 166-173.
 

No comments: