should now be dedicated to the Holy Trinity, a thing unknown in any other district in Greece. The Fates also, which were formerly described as sitting near the throne of Zeus, are now constantly associated with Olympus in the minds of the people, especially in the exercise of one of their ancient functions in presiding over marriage and childbirth; so that in many parts of the country it is customary for women to invoke them to come from the summits of that mountain.60 So, too, while Pliny tells us that no wolves were to be found in any part of Olympus, at the present day there is a similar legend about the complete absence of bears.61 Copaic lake. The following curious myth of the Copaic lake is told by the Boeotian peasants at the present day :— "An old king formerly ruled over the whole plain, Story of the which was completely dry, as the waters ran off through the catavothras. He possessed innumerable herds, and two hundred flourishing villages, where now reeds grow in the marshes, and in winter a broad lake extends. When he felt his end approaching, he divided his possessions between his two sons. To the one he gave his lands, to the other his herds. After a time it came to pass that a severe frost and snowfall suddenly destroyed all the cattle. The brother who was thus reduced to poverty came to 60 Schmidt, p. 211; and my Highlands of Turkey, ii. 24, 25. 61 Schmidt, p. 44; and my Highlands, ii. 12. his rich brother, and begged for a share in his superfluous wealth; but the other turned him scornfully from his door. The shepherd then devised a fearful vengeance. He secretly stopped up the catavothras, and when the winter rains came, the water could no longer escape. So the lake rose, and the fair villages were all submerged by the waves." 62 62 Ulrichs, Reisen in Griechenland, i. 212. LECTURE X. ON THE ETYMOLOGY OF GREEK NAMES OF PLACES.1 Principles of Nomenclature-Names derived from the Vegetation— nomencla IN endeavouring to investigate the meaning of the Principles of names of places in Greece, the principle we have to ture. start from is this-that no place, under ordinary circumstances, receives a name arbitrarily or without 1 The principal works that have helped me in finding the etymologies of individual names are G. Curtius' Grundzüge der griechischen Etymologie (2d ed.), a work distinguished by its philological caution as well as its masterly treatment of the subject; E. Curtius' Peloponnesos, from the notes to which a large amount of valuable material may be gleaned; and that model of compendious learning, Benseler's 3d ed. of Pape's Wörterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen, in which some assignable reason. In modern times, when, from want of exercise, the onomatopoeic faculty is less quick than it used to be, the name attached to a locality is in some cases a mere symbol, possessing no connotation whatsoever; and this is especially the case when the place to be designated is devoid of salient features. Thus it is with some of our modern streets, which, after the ordinary sources of nomenclature have been already exhausted, are called after some large town for the sake of distinction. Thus it has been attempted with great ingenuity to render the Greek names, both of persons and places, by corresponding proper names in German-a heroic task, but one which, to the English reader at all events, hardly conduces to intelligibility. To these writers I am deeply indebted. Some help I have also obtained from Bursian's Geographie von Griechenland. But the only considerable attempt that has been made, as far as I am aware, to classify the Greek names of places according to their etymology, is in E. Curtius' admirable essay already referred to (p. 71), Beiträge zur geographischen Onomatologie der griechischen Sprache, in which the names of promontories are treated of. The subject had not wholly escaped the ancient lexicographers, as may be seen from the Etymologicum Magnum, where (s. v. 'Exeeîs) the names of the Attic demes are classified under the heads of locality, local features, vegetation, employments, and male or female inhabitants; and it is somewhat surprising that it has not attracted more attention in modern times. I have not felt myself bound in all instances to mention the authority, where there is one, for any particular derivation, but have done so mainly in the case of important names, and those whose etymology is open to question. it is especially in the United States of America, where we meet with such barbarisms as towns bearing the names of Troy, Athens, Memphis, and Cairo. But at the early period in the history of a country at which such titles are usually assigned this cannot happen; and names are for the most part given on account of some attribute of the place, or some feature sufficiently characteristic to distinguish it from others. It will readily be seen how large an opening is thus left, to those who impose these names, for the exercise of observation, ingenuity, acuteness, and imagination. Where an unobservant people will leave unnoticed all but the most ordinary objects, those that are quick in observation will select in each spot those that are the most distinctive. Where a dull people will fix on names of a commonplace character, the ingenuity of a clever people will be shown by the varied and almost recondite sources from which they draw their titles. Where a heavy people will represent their impressions by inexpressive terms, the clear-sightedness of an acute people will be reflected by the well-marked stamp and clear ring of the words they employ. Where an unimaginative people will see only a rock or a cavern, those that are gifted with fancy will trace a resemblance to an animal, a part of the human body, or some other object, or will otherwise veil the baldness of the reality by means of association. All these contrasts may be illustrated by comparing the Ꮓ |