The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece
Names are of fundamental importance in communication. We use them to attract the attention of people we wish to interact with, to establish relationships, and to show the relationship we have with a particular person. People living in the polytheistic society of ancient Greece undoubtedly felt the n...
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2026
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| Accés en línia: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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cairn-RHR_2432_0207RHRRevue de l'histoire des religions https://shs.cairn.info/journal-revue-de-l-histoire-des-religions-2026-2-page-207?lang=en https://doi.org/10.4000/16djs The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece Wallensten, Jenny2026 fre Revue de l'histoire des religions | 243 | 2 | 2026-06-04 | p. 207-227 | 0035-1423 RHR_243234 Names are of fundamental importance in communication. We use them to attract the attention of people we wish to interact with, to establish relationships, and to show the relationship we have with a particular person. People living in the polytheistic society of ancient Greece undoubtedly felt the need to use names in the same way, not only in interactions with their fellow humans, but also in trying to establish effective (or “efficacious”) communication with one of their innumerable deities. The present study explores a particular strategy for initiating and conducting effective dialogue with the divine through a certain group of epithets. I discuss the entanglement created when men are named after gods, and gods after men, with special attention to the anthropophoric onomastic attributes present in the narrative of the traveller Pausanias.Les noms sont d’une importance fondamentale dans la communication. Nous les utilisons pour attirer l’attention des personnes avec lesquelles nous souhaitons interagir, pour établir des relations et pour démontrer les relations que nous entretenons avec quelqu’un. Les femmes et les hommes de la société grecque polythéiste ressentaient certainement le besoin d’utiliser les noms de la même manière, pas seulement dans les contacts avec des autres humains, mais aussi pour établir une communication efficace avec l’une de leurs innombrables divinités. Cette contribution explore une stratégie particulière pour initier et mener un dialogue efficace avec le divin à travers un certain groupe d’épithètes. Je discute de l’enchevêtrement créé lorsque les hommes sont nommés d’après des dieux, et les dieux d’après des hommes, en accordant une attention particulière aux attributs onomastiques anthropophoriques présents dans le récit du voyageur Pausanias.Cairn restricted access |
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Français |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/Cairn/ |
| description |
Names are of fundamental importance in communication. We use them to attract the attention of people we wish to interact with, to establish relationships, and to show the relationship we have with a particular person. People living in the polytheistic society of ancient Greece undoubtedly felt the need to use names in the same way, not only in interactions with their fellow humans, but also in trying to establish effective (or “efficacious”) communication with one of their innumerable deities. The present study explores a particular strategy for initiating and conducting effective dialogue with the divine through a certain group of epithets. I discuss the entanglement created when men are named after gods, and gods after men, with special attention to the anthropophoric onomastic attributes present in the narrative of the traveller Pausanias. |
| author |
Wallensten, Jenny |
| spellingShingle |
Wallensten, Jenny The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| author_facet |
Wallensten, Jenny |
| author_sort |
Wallensten, Jenny |
| title |
The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| title_short |
The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| title_full |
The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| title_fullStr |
The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Efficacy of Epithets: Anthropophoric Onomastic Attributes in Pausanias’s Description of Greece |
| title_sort |
efficacy of epithets: anthropophoric onomastic attributes in pausanias’s description of greece |
| publishDate |
2026 |
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| container_issue |
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| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://shs.cairn.info/journal-revue-de-l-histoire-des-religions-2026-2-page-207?lang=en https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/16djs |
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