Re: [tied] Pramantha/Prometheus: a false etymology?

<prome:tHeus> and <epime:tHeus> are telling names in Greek: 'Forethought' and 'Afterthought', respectively. The etymology is obvious, cf. Gk. prome:tHe:s 'provident, thinking in advance'. Skt. pramantHa- (derived from a verb meaning 'stir violently') does mean 'fire-drill', but it doesn't quite match "Prometheus" formally; nor does it account for "Epimetheus". The similarity, so cherished by theosophists, is accidental, except for the <pro->/<pra-> part, which is the same inherited prefix in both cases (PIE *pro- 'forth').

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Jean Kelly
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 5:24 PM
Subject: [tied] Pramantha/Prometheus: a false etymology?


It's often been claimed that the Greek name, Prometheus, was derived from
Pramantha, a fire-stick [Kuhn, Adalbert (1886), Die Herabkunft des Feuers
und des Gottertranks, 2nd ed., Gutersloh: 15 ff. Mayrhofer, Manfred. 1962.
Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Worterbuch des Altindischen. Heidelberg: vol.
2, 567 f; 578 ff.] But the theory has also been attacked [Pauly-Wissowa
Real Encyclopaedie Vol. XXXIII (i) (1957) p. 690. Roscher, W.H.:
Ausführliches Lexikon der Griechischen und Romischen Mythologie, B.G.
Teubner, Leipzig 1884-1937: 3033-3034].

As I'm not a linguist myself, I wondered what Cybalist's opinion was.

Jean Kelly


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