Re: Oedipus

From: Arnaud Fournet
Message: 60286
Date: 2008-09-24

----- Original Message -----
From: Joao S. Lopes
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 1:15 PM
Subject: Res: [tied] Oedipus


I think Oidipous originally has no relation to -pous "foot". It's just a
folk-etymology. Probably the same suffix as in Melampous, a Greek hero. I've
tested many possibilities...

1) Pre-Greek names.
2) a corrupted form of -hippos? Oid-ippos?
3) Oidipous < *Widipo-? <*WigWikWo-?
4) An inverted form of Poseidon? cp. Posoida:n and Oidipous... Pods-oida-hon
x Oidi-pod-s
5) -pous < *gWoHu-, "cow" ?

J.S. Lopes
Brazil

==============

I'm not sure we have any reason to postulate a digamma at the beginning of
Oidipo:s.

What about the poetic form : Nom oidipos, Gen oidipous ?

How do you take this into account ?

Arnaud