why did phobos mean phyge

7252019 Why Did Phobos Mean Phyge

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Why did φόβος mean φυγή

in the Homeric Greek

Abstract This paper attempts a linguistic analysis of the words φο984012βοςandφυγη984012 as they

appear in Homeric Greek emphasizing both their partial synonymy and their phonetic

resemblance Excerpts from Iliad and dyssey highlight a presumed relatedness of the

words The concluding remarks point out the common rotoIndoEuropean root of φο984012βος

andφυγη984012

Keyords fear flight Homeric Greek Indo-European semantic reconstruction

The study of the structure of meaning is a relatively new field in the case of modern

languages and even newer in the case of Indo-European and its daughter languages ntil the

twentieth century semantics had never een systematically eamined within linguistic

studies although the idea of using etymology for the reconstruction of past events was old

$orpurgo avies amp(amp)+ irst steps were made y the ancient Greeks even if they

mostly speculated on the suect when they tried to detect the truthful meaning of words

ne uestion that 0lato1s ratylus dealt with is whether the word has an original meaning

that is to e found in its nature 23456+ or its meaning is only a matter of convention 78456+

The discussion aout this issue was continued y the 9toics who introduced the concept of

etymology1 and decreed that any proper name later any kind of word+ has a deeper

meaning lt=gt+ which is to e searched in the history of the word lt=gtgtABC+ in order toἔ ἐ

have an optimum understanding of the language This perspective was further adopted in the

$iddle Dges ut y overstating the application of the etymological method there was

generated a popular field of study that concerned a fictional history of words uring the

enaissance and the early modern period the real meaning of the words was usually

estalished y a rather groundless etymological eamination that set the oldest meaning as

the real meaning which should have provided a more complete picture of the physical and

intellectual world from the distant past

In the late nineteenth century the confidence in the veracity of the etymological approach

changed significantly into a much more cautious attitude regarding the possiility of



reconstructing Indo-European culture on the asis of reconstructed leical items Dpart from

this attitude Indo-Europeanists elaorated etymological dictionaries and handooks that

opened new avenues1 in the field In spite of some maintained sceptical opinions regarding

the feasiility of the Indo-European leical studyamp in last two decades there has een noticed

a general change of attitude that encourages Indo-European semantic approachF

This paper attempts to step forward into Indo-European linguistics dwelling upon a semantic

partial euivalency etween two different Greek words respectively two different Indo-

European roots The paper aims to an etymological eamination of this partial synonymy

which may in the same time contriute to a more etended knowledge of the Indo-European

mentality

The two leical items chosen for the comparative approach fear1 and flight1 in the

Homeric writings φο984012βοςand φυγη984012+ differ from one another oth from a formal and a

semantic point of view evertheless fear1 and flight1 in Iliad and dyssey are often used

in a synonymic alternation Thus a uestion is to e answered why those two words acted as

interchangeale leical items in Homeric Greek The hypothesis of this paper postulates the

eistence of a single Indo-European root that generated two different words ecause of its

inherent phonetic instaility

The inuiry into the works dealing with Indo-European semantics reveals plenty of studies

covering various semantic fields such as physical world fauna flora anatomy and medicine

family and kinship hearth and home clothing and tetiles ut not a single study regarding

feelings and emotions D discussion aout the roots that indicate feelings can e found only

in etymological dictionaries where it is argued that φο984012βοςandφε984012βομαιevolved from the

Indo-European root $bheg w meaning to run in disorder to e driven in rout to e

frightened to e terrified1 hantraine ampJ(ampamp(K+ The Greek dictionaries emphasiLe this

doule meaning attested in Homeric Greek φο984012βος (φε984012βομαι)ὁ anic i$ht the usual

sense in Homer MNOP once in dyssey FJ)P freuently in Iliad MNOP φο984012βονδε = φυ984012γαδεrsquo

1 Qimmer ampRKK)+ Seical reconstruction yields only disparate and incoherent items which cannot e

situated in space and time MNO o uneuivocal interpretation of the reconstructed word and its reconstructed

meaning in regard to physical reality is possile12 Sangslow FRRKamp+ I consider the potential gain for Indo-European and for the daughter languages

of a synthesis of eisting work comined with new research along various lines in leicalsemantic fields1 $y

point of view very much agrees with his



S9U+ φο984012βος ου ()ὁ I act action de faire fuir en effarouchant amp( particuli)rement

action de mettre en fuite I +- II pass le fait d 0tre mis en fuite par la crainte I

+++ Vailly+

9ome relevant contets may clarify the issue The first contet elongs to the last uarter of

the siteenth Vook of Iliad vv WJ)-WWamp when the Dchaeans led y 0atrokles gain more and

more ground against Hektor the Troans and their allies who are forced to withdraw

towards the Troan walls

lsquoς δι984012φρον δ ναβαὰςἐ ἀ φυ984012γαδ τραπε κε984012κλετο δ λλουςἔ ἄ

Τραςῶ φευγε984012μεναιmiddot γν γαὰρ ∆ιοὰς ραὰ τα984012λανταῶ ἱ

νθ οδ φθιμοι Λυ984012κιοι με984012νον λλαὰἔ ὐ ἴ ἀ φο984012βηθεν

πα984012ντες πειὰ βασιλα δον βεβλαμμε984012νον τορἐ ῆ ἴ ἦ

κει984012μενον ν νεκυ984012ων γυ984012ρειmiddotrsquoἐ ἀ

He MHectorO leapt upon his car and turned to flight and called on the rest

of the Troans to fleeP for he knew the turning of the sacred scales of Qeus

Then the valiant Sycians likewise aode not ut were driven in rout

one and all when they saw their king smitten to the heart

lying in the gathering of the deadP1K

This passage as many others which may etend from a few to several hundred verses setsthe Troans in retreat or flight In the contet aove there are two maor reasons for the

Troan1s retreat the death of 9arpedon the king of Sycians and the indirect intervention of

Qeus The latter one motivates Hector1s sudden and unepected reaction ς δι984012φρον δἐ

ναβαὰςἀ φυ984012γαδ τραπεἔ + since he feels that the tide of attle has turned and he recogniLes

Qeus1s unfavourale agency

Voth φο984012βοςand φυγη984012appear in this contet with their veral forms φευγε984012μεναι

respectivelyφο984012βηθεν+ earing the same meaning of withdrawal and framing together the

fleeing scene

3 Homer The Iliad trans DT $urray amridge Harvard niversity 0ress ampF+ 0erseus igital Sirary

httpwwwperseustuftseduhoppertetdocX0erseusYKDtetYKDampRampRampKYKDookYKamp)YKDcard

YKJW) accessed ovemer F FRampK+4 There are different categories of motivations for flight reaction a+ the death or the wounding of a usually

prominent warrior + the advance of an enemy c+ the direct or indirect intervention of a deity and d+ the

aility of one side to force the other ack Zelly FRR)ampamp(+



In dyssey the single occurrence ofφο984012βοςfrom the epilogue FWR reveals the identical

use ofφο984012βοςandφυγη984012 Dt the eginning of the twenty fourth ook where the world of

shadows is depicted Dgamemnon while talking with Dchilles1s shadow rememers the

following events after the rave Dchilles had fell on the attlefield the recovery of the odyits carrying at the ships the washing and the emalmment the grief and the tears on the

Dchaeans1 faces and the unepected appearance of Thetis accompanied y the ereids who

arrives to mourn her son

σχεσθrsquo ργεοιἴ Ἀ ῖ μηὴ φευ984012γετε κοροι χαινῦ Ἀ ῶ

μη984012τηρ ξ λοὰς δε συὰν θανα984012τσ λι984012σινἐ ἁ ἥ ἀ ῃ ἁ ῃ

ρχεται ο παιδοὰς τεθνηο984012τος ντιο984012ωσαἔ ὗ ἀ

ς φαθ ο δ σχοντοὣ ἔ ἱ ἔ φο984012βου μεγα984012θυμοι χαιοι984012Ἀ 1

Hold ye DrgivesP flee not Dchaean youths

Tis his mother who comes here forth from the sea

with the immortal sea-nymphs to look upon the face of her dead son

9o he spoke and the great-hearted Dchaeans ceased from their flight1J

[hen Thetis appears from the tremendous roaring sea all Dchaeans get frightened and make

a run for it to the ships They are stopped from their way y the wise old estor who ehorts

the Dchaeans not to fear ecause the goddess is coming ust to mourn her son together with

them The euivalence etween the semantic field of the concepts φο984012βοςandφυγη984012is to e

remarked estor stops the Dchaeans y telling them μηὰ φευ984012γετε To show that the Greeks

stopped running the poet uses the words ο δ σχοντο φο984012βουἱ ἔ hence the clear overlap

etween the semantic field of the two concepts

Dn eplanation for this situation has to e sought ack in the Greek history going to its

emryonic1 phase efore the detachment from the common Indo-European D comparative

analysis of the roots that generated the words fear1 and flight1 reveals sustantial data

Dccording to Indo-European etymological dictionaries φο984012βοςandφε984012βομαιderived from

the root $bheg w 0okorny ampJampampW+ which meant to flee in rout to e frightened1 The root

5 Homer The dyssey trans DT $urray amridge Harvard niversity 0ress ampamp+ 0erseus igital

SiraryhttpwwwperseustuftseduhoppertetdocX0erseusYKDtetYKDampRampRampKWYKDook

YKFYKDcardYKKJ accessed ovemer F FRampK+



has the regular monosyllaic structure consonant-vowel-consonant Its phonetic evolution

follows the phonetic laws regarding the transformation of the Indo-European speech sounds

towards Greek including the laio-velar $g w which turns into a voiced laial plosive The

root bheg w is to e put in connection with bhewg to run away from something to avoid

to save oneself1 0okorny ampJampJF+ D comparative analysis reveals the following

similarities etween the roots a+ the semantic resemlanceP + the iconsonantal structureP

c+ the same phonetic composition the laial voiced aspired plosive the normal grade of the

vowel the semivowel and the plain-velar plosive the laiovelar+ D deconstruction of the

laiovelar in its constituents reveals the voiced plain-velar plosive g and the sonant $w The

diachronic and diatopic evolution of the sonant w provides some peculiar eamples that

show the possiility of the sonant $w to occur beore and ater the same consonant in

different idioms eg wl1os ecomes wolf in English and λύκος in Greek+ which

confirms the fact that the sonants formed unstale syllales in Indo-European Dnne 0ippin

Vurnett ampWWJKP arlos ]uises asas FRRW+ Taking into account the semantic proimity

of the two roots the formal similarities and the instaility of the sonant w the hypothesis of

relatedness etween bheg w and bhewg appears more plausile

urthermore the Indo-European linguistic geography contriutes to the demonstration with

significant additional information Thus in the $editerranean space the root bheg w meant

fear1 and bhewg run1 whereas in the Valto-9lavic the senses are inverted D comparativeapproach of Greek Satin and Sithuanian highlights the leical selection made y each idiom

and the semantic specialiLation of the two Indo-European roots as following

a+ in Greek and Sithuanian oth roots had een kept whereas in Satin only $bhewg run1 y

alaut it ecame $bhowg hence lat fugi I ran1+P

+ in Greek the family of the root $bheg w generated the semantic sphere of fear1 while

$bhewg that of run1 or flight1

Greek Latin Lithuanian

ampbhegw- = ear ^^ runbhewg- = 2un 2un fear

The phonetic analysis and the spread of the root in the Indo-European languages mentioned

aove sustain that a+ in 0roto-Indo-European eisted a single root with an unstale



laiovelar appendiP + this uniue root had a doule signification flight1 and fear1+P W c+

this semantic pair found in the cause-effect relationship tends to separate and each meaning

assumes one of the two phonetic versions of the same rootP d+ the languages or the families )

of languages that detached form Indo-European differentiate as the signifier-signified

relationship is concerned

The last argument that can sustain the hypothesis of a single root containing two meanings is

rought y the synthetism of 0roto-Indo-European D very simple and general survey of

Indo-European idioms can prove that during the period when we can watch their growth step

y step languages have ecome less synthetic1 [illiam wight [hitney amp()WF)+ which

means that in a preceding phase 0roto-Indo-European+ the speakers intercommunicated in a

much more synthetic manner This linguistic fact is proved y the analytical tendency of any

phonetic and morphological evolution from an ancient phase of a language towards its

modern state eg from classical Greek to modern Greek as well as from Satin to omanic

languages+ Including semantics in the generally accepted synthetic character of 0roto-Indo-

European the possiility of a isemantic root can e easily admitted

The study tried to prove that the partial euivalency etween two different Homeric Greek

words φο984012βοςand φυγη984012 is motivated y a common 0roto-Indo-European root The

etymological eamination ased on the analysis of the Homeric contets and also the

phonetic morphological and semantic accounts sustained the eistence of a single 0roto-

Indo-European root that generated two different words ecause of its inherent phonetic

instaility and its isemantic character

ibio$rahy

A (ictionaries

Vailly Dnatole ampF( 3ictionnaire grecfran4ais 0aris HachetteP

hantraine 0ierre ampW( 3ictionnaire 5tymologi1ue de la angue Gre1ue Histoire des

mots 0aris ZlincksieckP

W The comple root bheg w6bhewg fearflight1 motivated y the cause-effect relationship of its meanings

reveals that for the Indo-European hait of mind flight was the reaction egun in the very moment when fear

was perceived) Greek is essentially a single language throughout its long history yet constitutes a separate and distinct

ranch of Indo-European though it too has considerale dialect diversity at all points in its history1 Vryan

Uoseph The IndoEuropean 7amily 8 The linguistic e9idence p K http wwwlingohio-

stateedu_osephpulicationsFRRRindopdf



Siddell Hendry George ` 9cott oert amp( GreekEnglish exicon ford larendon

0ressP

0okorny Uulius ` [alde Dlois ampJ Indogermanisches etymologisches rterboch Vern

$nchen rancke berlag

ooks and st)dies

Uanko ichard amp The Iliadlt = ommentary general editor G 9 Zirk bolume Ib ooks

ampK-ampW amridge amridge niversity 0ressP

Zelly Ddrian FRR) = 2efferential ommentary and exicon to Homer Iliad gtIII ew ork

ford niversity 0ressP

Sanglsow FRR Etymology and History or a 9tudy of $edical Sanguage1 in Indo-

European1 IndoEuropean erspecti9es edited y U H [ 0enney ford ford

niversity 0ressP

Souw U 0 amp(F emantics of ew Testament Greek Dtlanta Georgia 9cholars 0ressP

$allory U 0 Ddams ] FRRW The xford Introduction to rotoIndoEuropean and

rotoIndoEuropean world ew ork ford niversity 0ressP

$orpurgo avies Dnna amp( History of inguistics edited y Giulio Sepschy volume Ib

inetheenthentury inguistics Sondon and ew ork SongmanP



reconstructing Indo-European culture on the asis of reconstructed leical items Dpart from

this attitude Indo-Europeanists elaorated etymological dictionaries and handooks that

opened new avenues1 in the field In spite of some maintained sceptical opinions regarding

the feasiility of the Indo-European leical studyamp in last two decades there has een noticed

a general change of attitude that encourages Indo-European semantic approachF

This paper attempts to step forward into Indo-European linguistics dwelling upon a semantic

partial euivalency etween two different Greek words respectively two different Indo-

European roots The paper aims to an etymological eamination of this partial synonymy

which may in the same time contriute to a more etended knowledge of the Indo-European

mentality

The two leical items chosen for the comparative approach fear1 and flight1 in the

Homeric writings φο984012βοςand φυγη984012+ differ from one another oth from a formal and a

semantic point of view evertheless fear1 and flight1 in Iliad and dyssey are often used

in a synonymic alternation Thus a uestion is to e answered why those two words acted as

interchangeale leical items in Homeric Greek The hypothesis of this paper postulates the

eistence of a single Indo-European root that generated two different words ecause of its

inherent phonetic instaility

The inuiry into the works dealing with Indo-European semantics reveals plenty of studies

covering various semantic fields such as physical world fauna flora anatomy and medicine

family and kinship hearth and home clothing and tetiles ut not a single study regarding

feelings and emotions D discussion aout the roots that indicate feelings can e found only

in etymological dictionaries where it is argued that φο984012βοςandφε984012βομαιevolved from the

Indo-European root $bheg w meaning to run in disorder to e driven in rout to e

frightened to e terrified1 hantraine ampJ(ampamp(K+ The Greek dictionaries emphasiLe this

doule meaning attested in Homeric Greek φο984012βος (φε984012βομαι)ὁ anic i$ht the usual

sense in Homer MNOP once in dyssey FJ)P freuently in Iliad MNOP φο984012βονδε = φυ984012γαδεrsquo

1 Qimmer ampRKK)+ Seical reconstruction yields only disparate and incoherent items which cannot e

situated in space and time MNO o uneuivocal interpretation of the reconstructed word and its reconstructed

meaning in regard to physical reality is possile12 Sangslow FRRKamp+ I consider the potential gain for Indo-European and for the daughter languages

of a synthesis of eisting work comined with new research along various lines in leicalsemantic fields1 $y

point of view very much agrees with his





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A (ictionaries













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ooks and st)dies







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ooks and st)dies







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why did phobos mean phyge

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