Cratylus 5

Soc. Again, Hermogenes, there is Orestes [the man of the mountain] who appears to be rightly called; whether chance gave the name, or perhaps some poet who meant to express the brutality and fierceness and mountain wildness as his hero’s nature (W#sper ge kai\ o9 “O)re/sthj”, w} E(rmo/genej, kinduneu/ei o0rqw~j e1xein, ei1te tij tu/xh e1qeto au0tw~| to\ o1noma ei1te kai\ poihth/j tij, to\ qhriw~dej th=j fu/sewj kai\ to\ a1grion au0tou= kai\ to\ o0reino\n e0ndeiknu/menoj tw~| o0no/mati).

Her. That is very likely, Socrates (Fai/netai ou3twj, w} Sw&kratej).

Soc. And his father’s name is also according to nature (E#oiken de/ ge kai\ tw~| patri\ au0tou= kata\ fu/sin to\ o1noma ei]nai).

Her. Clearly (Fai/netai).

Soc. Yes, for as his name, so also is his nature (Kinduneu/ei ga\r toiou=to/j tij ei]nai o9 “A0game/mnwn”); Agamemnon [admirable for remaining] is one who is patient and persevering in the accomplishment of his resolves, and by his virtue crowns them (oi[oj a4 do/ceie au0tw~| diaponei=sqai kai\ karterei=n te/loj e0pitiqei\j toi=j do/casi di’ a0reth/n); and his continuance at Troy with all the vast army is a proof of that admirable endurance in him which is signified by the name Agamemnon (shmei=on de\ au0tou= h9 e0n Troi/a| monh\ tou= pa/qouj te kai\ karteri/aj, o3ti ou]n a0gasto\j kata\ th\n e0pimonh\n ou[toj o9 a0nh\r e0nshmai/nei to\ o1noma o9 “A0game/mnwn”). I also think that Atreus is rightly called (i1swj de\ kai\ o9 “A0treu\j” o0rqw~j e1xei); for his murder of Chrysippus and his exceeding cruelty to Thyestes are damaging and destructive to his reputation (o3 te ga\r tou= Xrusi/ppou au0tw~| fo/noj kai\ a4 pro\j to\n Que/sthn w(j w)ma\ diepra/tteto, pa/nta tau=ta zhmiw&dh kai\ a0thra\ pro\j a0reth/n) – the name is a little altered and disguised (h9 ou]n tou= o0no/matoj e0pwnumi/a smikro\n parakli/nei kai\ e0pikeka/luptai) so as not to be intelligible to everyone (w#ste mh\ pa=si dhlou=n th\n fu/sin tou= a0ndro/j), but to the etymologist there is no difficulty in seeing the meaning (toi=j d’ e0pai/ousi peri\ o0noma/twn i9kanw~j dhloi= o4 bou/letai o9 “A0treu/j”), for whether you think of him as a0teirh/j the stubborn, or as a1trestoj the fearless, or as a0thro/j the destructive one, the name is perfectly correct in every point of view (kai\ ga\r kata\ to\ a0teire\j kai\ kata\ to\ a1treston kai\ kata\ to\ a0thro\n pantaxh=| o0rqw~j au0tw~| to\ o1noma kei=tai). And I think that Pelops is also named appropriately (dokei= moi kai\ tw~| Pe/lopi to\ o1noma e0mme/trwj kei=sqai); for, as the name implies, he is rightly called Pelops who sees what is near only [o9 ta\ pe/laj o9rw~n] (shmai/nei ga\r tou=to to\ o1noma to\n ta\ e0ggu\j o9rw~nta).

Her. How so (Pw~j dh/;)?

Soc. Because, according to the tradition, he had no forethought or foresight of all the evil which the murder of Myrtilus would entail upon his whole race in remote ages (Oi[on pou kai\ kat’ e0kei/nou le/getai tou= a0ndro\j e0n tw~| tou= Murti/lou fo/nw| ou0de\n oi[ou te gene/sqai pronohqh=nai ou0de\ proi+dei=n tw~n po/rrw ei0j to\ pa=n ge/noj, o3shj au0to\ dustuxi/aj e0nepi/mplh); he saw only what was at hand and immediate (to\ e0ggu\j mo/non o9rw~n kai\ to\ paraxrh=ma), – or in other words, pe/laj [near] (tou=to d’ e0sti\ “pe/laj”), in his eagerness to win Hippodamia by all means for his bride (h9ni/ka proequmei=to labei=n panti\ tro/pw| to\n th=j I(ppodamei/aj ga/mon). Everyone would agree that the name Tantalus is rightly given and in accordance with nature (tw~| de\ Tanta/lw| kai\ pa=j a2n h9gh/saito tou1noma o0rqw_j kai\ kata\ fu/sin teqh=nai), if the traditions about him are true (ei0 a0lhqh= ta\ peri\ au0tou= lego/mena).

Her. And what are the traditions (Ta\ poi=a tau=ta;)?

Soc. Many terrible misfortunes are said to have happened to him in his life (A# te/ pou e1ti zw~nti dustuxh/mata e0ge/neto polla\ kai\ deina/) – last of all, came the utter ruin of his country (w{n kai\ te/loj h9 patri\j o3lh au0tou= a0netra/peto); and after his death he had the stone suspended (talantei/a) over his head in the world below – all this agrees wonderfully well with his name (kai\ teleuth/santi e0n A#idou h9 u9pe\r th=j kefalh=j tou= li/qou talantei/a qaumasth\ w(j su/mfwnoj tw~| o0no/mati kai\ a0texnw~j e1oiken). You might imagine that some person who wanted to call him tala/ntatoj [the most weighted down by misfortune], disguised the name by calling him Tantalus (w#sper a2n ei1 tij boulo/menoj tala/ntaton o0noma/sai a0pokrupto/menoj o0noma/seie kai\ ei1poi a1nt’ e0kei/nou “Ta/ntalon”); and into his form, by some accident of tradition, it has actually been transmuted (toiou=to/n ti kai\ tou/tw| to\ o1noma e1oiken e0kpori/sai h9 tu/xh th=j fh/mhj). The name of Zeus, who is his alleged father, has also an excellent meaning (fai/netai de\ kai\ tw~| patri\ au0tou= legome/nw| tw| Dii/ pagka/lwj to\ o1noma kei=sqai), although hard to be understood (e1sti de\ ou0 r9a/|dion katanoh=sai), because really like a sentence (a0texnw~j ga/r e0stin oi[on lo/goj to\ tou= Dio\j o1noma), which is divided into two parts, for some call him Zena [Zh=na], and use the one half, and others who use the other half call him Dia [Di/a] (dielo/ntej ga\r au0to\ dixh=| oi9 me\n tw~| e9te/rw| me/rei, oi9 de\ tw~| e9te/rw| xrw&meqa – oi0 me\n ga\r “Zh=na”, oi9 de\ “Di/a” kalou=sin); the two together signify the name of the God (suntiqe/mena d’ ei0j e4n dhloi= th\n fu/sin tou= qeou=), and the business of the name, as we were saying, is to express the nature (o4 dh\ prosh/kein fame\n o0no/mati oi3w| te ei]nai a0perga/zesqai). For there is none who is more the author of life to us and to all (ou0 ga\r e1stin h9mi=n kai\ toi=j a1lloij pa=sin o3stij e0sti\n ai1tioj ma=llon tou= zh=n), than the lord and king of all (h2 o9 a1rxwn te kai\ basileu\j tw~n pa/ntwn). Wherefore we are right in calling him Zena and Dia, which are one name, although divided, meaning the God through whom all creatures always have life (sumbai/nei ou]n o0rqw~j o0noma/zesqai ou[toj o9 qeo\j ei]nai, di’ o4n zh=n a0ei\ pa=si toi=j zw~si u9pa/rxei, diei/lhptai de\ di/xa, w#sper le/gw, e4n o2n to\ o1noma, tw~| Dii\ kai\ tw~| Zhni/). There is an irreverence, at first sight, in calling him son of Cronos [who is a proverb for stupidity] (tou=ton de\ Kro/nou u9o\n u9bristiko\n me\n a1n tij do/ceien ei]nai a0kou/santi e0cai/fnhj), and we might rather expect him to be the child of a mighty intellect (eu1logon de\ mega/lhj tino\j dianoi/aj e1kgonon ei]nai to\n Di/a). Which is the fact; for this is the meaning of his father’s name: Kro/noj quasi Ko/roj [kore/w, to sweep] not in the sense of a youth, but signifying the pure and garnished mind [sc. a0po\ tou= korei=n] (ko/ron ga\r shmai/nei ou0 pai=da, a0lla\ to\ kaqaro\n kai\ a0kh/raton tou= nou=). He, as we are informed by tradition, was begotten of Uranus (e1sti de\ ou3toj Ou0ranou= u9o/j, w(j lo/goj), rightly so called from looking upwards (h9 de\ au] e0j to\ a1nw o1yij kalw~j e1xei tou=to to\ o1noma kalei=sqai, “ou0rani/a”, o9rw~sa ta\ a1nw); which, as philosophers tell us, is to have a pure mind, and the name Uranus is therefore correct (o3qen de\ kai/ fasin, w} E(rmo/genej, to\n kaqaro\n nou=n paragi/gnesqai oi9 metewrolo/goi, kai\ tw~| ou0ranw~| o0rqw~j to\ o1noma kei=sqai). If I could remember the genealogy of Hesiod (ei0 d’ e0memnh/mhn th\n H(sio/dou genealogi/an), I would have gone on and tried more conclusions of the same sort on the remoter ancestors of the Gods (ti/naj e1ti tou\j a0nwte/rw progo/nouj le/gei tou/twn, ou0k a2n e0pauo/mhn dieciw_n w(j o0rqw~j au0toi=j ta\ o0no/mata kei=tai) – then I might have seen whether this wisdom, which has come to me all in an instant, I know not whence, will or will not hold good to the end (e3wj e0pepeira/qhn th=j sofi/aj tauthsi\ ti/ poih/sei, ei0 a1ra a0perei= h2 ou1, h4 e0moi\ e0cai/fnhj nu=n ou3twsi\ prospe/ptwken a1rti ou0k oi]d’ o9po/qen).

Her. You seem to me, Socrates (Kai\ me\n dh/, w} Sw&kratej), to be quite like a prophet newly inspired, and to be uttering oracles (a0texnw_j ge/ moi dokei=j w#sper oi9 e0nqousiw&ntej e0cai/fnhj xrhsmw|dei=n).

Soc. Yes, Hermogenes, and I believe that I caught the inspiration from the great Euthyphro of the Prospaltian deme (Kai\ ai0tiw~mai/ ge, w} E(ermo/genej, ma/lista au0th\n a0po\ Eu0qu/fronoj tou= Prospalti/ou  prospeptwke/nai moi), who gave me a great lecture which commenced at dawn (e3wqen ga\r polla\ au0tw|~ sunh= kai\ parei=xon ta\ w}ta): he talked and I listened, and his wisdom and enchanting ravishment has not only filled my ears but taken possession of my soul (kinduneu/ei ou]n e0nqousiw~n ou0 mo/non ta\ w}ta/ mou e0mplh=sai th=j daimoni/aj sofi/aj, a0lla\ kai\ th=j yuxh=j e0peilh=fqai), and to-day I shall let his superhuman power work and finish the investigation of names – that will be the way (dokei= ou]n moi xrh=nai ou9twsi\ h9ma=j poih=sai, to\ me\n th/meron ei]nai xrh/sasqai au0th=| kai\ ta\ loipa\ peri\ tw~n o0noma/twn e0piske/yasqai); but to-morrow (au1rion de/), if you are so disposed (a2n kai\ u9mi=n sundokh=|), we will conjure him away (a0podiopomphso/meqa/ te au0th/n), and make a purgation of him (kai\ kaqarou/meqa), if we can find some priest or sophist who is skilled in purification of this sort (e0ceuro/ntej o3stij ta\ toiau=ta deino\j kaqairei=n, ei1te tw~n i9ere/wn tij ei1te tw~n sofistw~n).

Her. With all my heart (A0ll’ e0gw_ me\n sugxwrw~); for I am very curious to hear the rest of the enquiry about names (pa/nu ga\r a2n h9de/wj ta\ e0pi/loipa peri\ tw~n o0noma/twn a0kou/saimi).