Re: [tied] Greek mithology

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>
wrote:

> At 6:53:32 AM on Sunday, September 5, 2004, alex wrote:
>
> > Now some questions. I will take first the godes Nix which
> > seems to fit with her name that what she was. The godess
> > of the night. (Latin "nox"/noctis, Greek "nux", "nuktis"
> > etc). -the "i" there in Nix should be from what Greek
> > dialect?
>
> What <i>? Her name is generally given as <Nux>, with
> upsilon, identical to the word for 'night' (<nux>, <nukt->).
>
> > Dorian, Ionian? The husband of Nix. That is the good
> > Erebus. Here I have no idea about its etimology.
>
> Greek <Érebos>. Watkins derives it from a PIE *h1regW-
> 'darkness', Pokorny's *regWos-. Leiden's down, as usual, so
> I can't tell you what Pokorny says.
>
> Brian

**********
As with Hades, there seems to have been some uncertainty whether
Erebos was a person or a place.
I've seen a derivation from the Semitic 'ereb' "evening", but
this sort of appeal to Phoenician sailors' stories is a century or
more out of date, I believe. Still "night" and "evening" do go
together nicely.
Dan Milton