Ounomata and Epōnymiai:

Knowledge of Divine Names in Herodotus

Abstract

This article re-examines various passages from the second book of Herodotus’ Histories concerning the origins of the divine names. It is argued that the distinction between οὔνομα and ἐπωνυμίη is not between theonym and epithet, but between a word which insists on the function of the name, to identify, and a word which highlights its etymology. When Herodotus writes that most divine οὐνόματα came to Greece from Egypt, he probably means that the Greeks first heard about the gods and learnt their names from the Egyptians, who may have learnt these names from the gods themselves. The Greeks then adapted the names to their own language, while maintaining the general ideas expressed by them. Herodotus’ statement that Hesiod and Homer gave the gods their ἐπωνυμίαι is analysed in the context of Histories 2.53. It is argued that these ἐπωνυμίαι are poetic names reflecting the characteristics of the gods and inspired by the Muses, and that the verb δίδωμι (‘to give’) indicates that they were given as offerings to the gods by the poets. Passages 2.3, on human knowledge of divine matters and names, and 2.4, about the Twelve Gods, are also discussed.