Photo:1
Photo:2
Photo:3
Photo:4
Photo:1 Photo:2 Photo:3 Photo:4 |
| Linguistics | |
| 2>
In linguistics, an epithet can only be a metaphor, essentially a reduced or condensed use of apposition. Epithets are sometimes attached to a person's name or appear in place of their name, as what might be described as a glorified nickname or sobriquet. An epithet is linked to its noun by long-established usage and some are not otherwise employed. Not every adjective is an epithet. An epithet is especially recognizable when its function is largely decorative, such as if "cloud-gathering Zeus" is employed other than in reference to conjuring up a storm. "The epithets are decorative insofar as they are neither essential to the immediate context nor modelled especially for it. Among other things, they are extremely helpful to fill out a half-verse", Walter Burkert has noted.[2]
Some epithets are known by the Latin term epitheton necessarium because they are required to distinguish the bearers, e.g. as an alternative to ordinals after a prince's name — such as Richard the Lionheart (Richard I of England), or Charles the Fat alongside Charles the Bald. The same epithet can be used repeatedly, in different spheres of life and/or joined to different names, eg. Alexander the Great as well as Catherine the Great.
Other epithets can easily be omitted without serious risk of confusion, and are therefore known (again in Latin) as epitheton ornans; thus the classical Roman author Virgil systematically called his main hero pius Aeneas, the epithet being pius, which means religiously observant, humble and wholesome, as well as calling the armsbearer of Aeneas fidus Achates, the epithet being fidus, which means faithful or loyal.
There are also specific types of epithets, such as the kenning which appears in works such as Beowulf. An example of a kenning would be the term whale-road, meaning "sea".
[edit] Tags:Edit,Linguistics,Metaphor,Walter Burkert,Richard I Of England,Charles The Fat,Charles The Bald,Alexander The Great,Kenning,Beowulf,Whale-road,Zeus,Nickname,Sobriquet,Help, | |
| Literature | |
| 2>
Epithets are characteristic of the style of ancient epic poetry, notably in that of Homer or the northern European sagas. See above, as well as epithets in Homer. When James Joyce uses the phrase "the snot-green sea" he is playing on Homer's familiar epithet "the wine-dark sea". The phrase "Discreet Telemachus" is also considered an epithet.
The Greek term Antonomasia, in rhetoric, means substituting any epithet or phrase for a proper name, as Pelides, signifying the "son of Peleus", to identify Achilles; an opposite substitution of a proper name for some generic term is also sometimes called antonomasia, as a Cicero for an orator. However, it should be noted that the use of a father's name or ancestor's name, such as "Pelides" in the case of Achilles, or "Saturnia" in the case of the goddess Juno in Vergil's Aeneid, is specifically called a patronymic device and is in its own class of epithet.
In William Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet, epithets are used in the prologue, used in the familiar phrase of "star-cross'd lovers" and "death-mark'd love."
[edit] Tags:Epic Poetry,Homer,James Joyce,Antonomasia,William Shakespeare's, | |
| Religion | |
| 2>
In many polytheistic religions, such as in ancient Greek and Roman religions, a deity's epithets, easily multiplied in the practice of cultus generally reflected a particular aspect of that god's essence and role, for which their influence may be obtained for a specific occasion: Apollo Musagetes is "Apollo, [as] leader of the Muses" and therefore patron of the arts and sciences[3] while Phoibos Apollo is the same deity, but as shining sun-god. "Athena protects the city as polias, oversees handicrafts as ergane, joins battle as promachos and grants victory as nike."[4]
Alternatively the epithet may identify a particular and localized aspect of the god, sometimes already ancient during the classical epochs of Greece or Rome, such as a reference to the mythological place of birth or numinous presence at a specific sanctuary: sacrifice might be offered on one and the same occasion to Pythian Apollo (Apollo Pythios) and Delphic Apollo (Apollo Delios). A localizing epithet refers simply to a particular center of veneration and the cultic tradition there, as the god manifested at a particular festival, for example: Zeus Olympios, Zeus as present at Olympia, or Apollo Karneios, Apollo at the Spartan Carneian festival.
Often the epithet is the result of fusion of the Olympian divinity with an older one: Poseidon Erechtheus, Artemis Orthia, reflect intercultural equations of a divinity with an older one, that is generally considered its pendant; thus most Roman gods and goddesses, especially the Twelve Olympians, had traditional counterparts in Greek, Etruscan, and most other Mediterranean pantheons, e.g. Jupiter as head of the Olympian Gods with Zeus, but in specific cult places there may even be a different equation, based on one specific aspect of the divinity. Thus the Greek word Trismegistos "thrice grand" was first used as a Greek name for the Egyptian god of science and invention, Thot, and later as an epitheton for the Greek Hermes and, finally, the fully equated Roman Mercurius (Mercury; both were also messenger of the gods). Among the Greeks, T. H. Price notes[5] the nurturing power of Kourotrophos might be invoked in sacrifices and recorded in inscription, without specifically identifying Hera or Demeter.
Some epithets were applied to several deities of a same pantheon, rather accidentally if they had a common characteristic, or deliberately emphasizing their blood- or other ties; thus in pagan Rome, several divinities ( -gods, heroes) were given the epitheton Comes as companion of another (usually major) divinity. An epithet can even be meant for collective use, e.g. in Latin pilleati 'the felt hat-wearers' for the brothers Castor and Pollux. Some epithets resist explanation.[6]
Similar practices still exist in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity in the veneration of Christ and, mainly, of the saints. "Our Lady of Lourdes" is essentially periphrasis, unless some aspect of the Virgin were being invoked.
[edit] Tags:Ancient Greek,Cultus,Apollo,Muses,Athena,Promachos,Numinous Presence,Carneian Festival,Poseidon Erechtheus,Artemis Orthia,Twelve Olympians,Jupiter,Thot,Hermes,Mercury,Hera,Comes,Christ,Our Lady Of Lourdes,Periphrasis,Read, | |
| Politics and military | |
| 2>
In historical, journalistic, and other writings, one often encounters epithets, but it is worthwhile distinguishing different types. While the same rationale as in the genealogical section above may apply, in some cases posthumously politicians, unlike ordinary citizens, often have some control over public opinion and generally more of an interest in their image, so whether forged for themselves or contrived by opponents, their epithets often carry a political message.
Indeed, while these differ from official titles as they express no legal status, epithets have been awarded and adopted (though the official procedure may provide for the formal decision to be issued by another institution, such as a legislative assembly) by statesmen in power for fairly formal use, not dissimilar in purpose to various sinecures, knighthoods or peerage-type titles in postfeudal societies: they confer prestige without any legal authority, so essentially a matter of image or even propaganda, aimed at a domestic and/or foreign target audience. Examples of such epithets are the various traditions of victory titles (see there) awarded to meritorious generals and rulers since antiquity, and the epithets awarded to entire units: such adjectives as 'Fidelis' ('loyal') to various Roman legions.
Titles attached to modern units (such as the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army being called the 'screaming eagles') may be a continuation of this tradition.
[edit] Tags:101st Airborne Division,Titles, | |
| Alternative contemporary usage | |
| 2>
In contemporary usage, epithet may also refer to an abusive, defamatory, or derogatory phrase, such as a racial epithet or as in 'the dismal science'.[7] The euphemistic use is deprecated by Martin Manser and other prescriptive linguists.[8]
[edit] Tags:Racial Epithet,The Dismal Science,Prescriptive Linguists, | |
| See also | |
| 2>
Bahuvrihi, a Proto-Indo-European formation designed for epithets.
List of ethnic slurs
List of monarchs by nickname
List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility
Moniker
Nickname
Sobriquet
[edit] Tags:Bahuvrihi,List Of Ethnic Slurs,List Of Monarchs By Nickname,List Of Nicknames Of European Royalty And Nobility,Moniker, | |
| References | |
| 2>
^ Epithetos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
^ W. Burkert, The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture of the Early Archaic Age 1992, p 116.
^ Hence the word mouseion= museum
^ Walter Burkert, Greek Religion (Harvard University Press, 1985) III.4.4. "The special character of Greek anthropomorphism", especially p. 184.
^ Price, Kourotrophos, 1978, noted by Burkert 1985:184.
^ Burkert 1985:184.
^ Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epithet
^ Manser, Martin H. (2007), Good Word Guide sixth edition, A&C Black, p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7136-7759-1
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epithet&oldid=473915156"
Categories: LinguisticsTitlesGreek loanwordsHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from February 2010All articles needing additional referencesArticles containing Ancient Greek language text
Personal tools
Log in / create account
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
Actions
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact Wikipedia
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a bookDownload as PDFPrintable version
Languages
Беларуская
Български
Català
Česky
Deutsch
Eesti
Español
Esperanto
Galego
Ido
Interlingua
Italiano
Kaszëbsczi
Latviešu
Lietuvių
Magyar
Македонски
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk (bokmål)
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Slovenčina
Српски / Srpski
Suomi
Svenska
Українська
This page was last modified on 29 January 2012 at 20:23.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply.
See Terms of use for details.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Mobile view
if ( window.isMSIE55 ) fixalpha();
if ( window.mediaWiki ) {
mw.loader.load(["mediawiki.user", "mediawiki.util", "mediawiki.page.ready", "mediawiki.legacy.wikibits", "mediawiki.legacy.ajax", "mediawiki.legacy.mwsuggest", "ext.gadget.wmfFR2011Style", "ext.vector.collapsibleNav", "ext.vector.collapsibleTabs", "ext.vector.editWarning", "ext.vector.simpleSearch", "ext.UserBuckets", "ext.articleFeedback.startup", "ext.articleFeedbackv5.startup", "ext.markAsHelpful"]);
}
if ( window.mediaWiki ) {
mw.user.options.set({"ccmeonemails":0,"cols":80,"date":"default","diffonly":0,"disablemail":0,"disablesuggest":0,"editfont":"default","editondblclick":0,"editsection":1,"editsectiononrightclick":0,"enotifminoredits":0,"enotifrevealaddr":0,"enotifusertalkpages":1,"enotifwatchlistpages":0,"extendwatchlist":0,"externaldiff":0,"externaleditor":0,"fancysig":0,"forceeditsummary":0,"gender":"unknown","hideminor":0,"hidepatrolled":0,"highlightbroken":1,"imagesize":2,"justify":0,"math":1,"minordefault":0,"newpageshidepatrolled":0,"nocache":0,"noconvertlink":0,"norollbackdiff":0,"numberheadings":0,"previewonfirst":0,"previewontop":1,"quickbar":5,"rcdays":7,"rclimit":50,"rememberpassword":0,"rows":25,"searchlimit":20,"showhiddencats":false,"showjumplinks":1,"shownumberswatching":1,"showtoc":1,"showtoolbar":1,"skin":"vector","stubthreshold":0,"thumbsize":4,"underline":2,"uselivepreview":0,"usenewrc":0,"watchcreations":1,"watchdefault":0,"watchdeletion":0,"watchlistdays":3,"watchlisthideanons":0,
"watchlisthidebots":0,"watchlisthideliu":0,"watchlisthideminor":0,"watchlisthideown":0,"watchlisthidepatrolled":0,"watchmoves":0,"wllimit":250,"flaggedrevssimpleui":1,"flaggedrevsstable":0,"flaggedrevseditdiffs":true,"flaggedrevsviewdiffs":false,"vector-simplesearch":1,"useeditwarning":1,"vector-collapsiblenav":1,"usebetatoolbar":1,"usebetatoolbar-cgd":1,"wikilove-enabled":1,"variant":"en","language":"en","searchNs0":true,"searchNs1":false,"searchNs2":false,"searchNs3":false,"searchNs4":false,"searchNs5":false,"searchNs6":false,"searchNs7":false,"searchNs8":false,"searchNs9":false,"searchNs10":false,"searchNs11":false,"searchNs12":false,"searchNs13":false,"searchNs14":false,"searchNs15":false,"searchNs100":false,"searchNs101":false,"searchNs108":false,"searchNs109":false,"gadget-wmfFR2011Style":1});;mw.user.tokens.set({"editToken":"+\\","watchToken":false});;mw.loader.state({"user.options":"ready","user.tokens":"ready"});
/* cache key: enwiki:resourceloader:filter:minify-js:4:b41a86ec4e0fe8329bc3ce917e792339 */
}
Tags:Museum,Isbn 978-0-7136-7759-1,Categories,Greek Loanwords,Articles Needing Additional References From February 2010,All Articles Needing Additional References,Articles Containing Ancient Greek Language Text, | |
zote monety |