First of all let me say that I have no idea about the
etymology of this name. Perhaps someone can take a
crack at it. But here is why I think Abaev was wrong
in trying to understand it via Iranic . There are two
similar names found in, respectively, Pontic
Indo-Aryan (=TIRGATAO) and Mitannian Indo-Aryan
(=TIRGUTAWYIA) {for details see Cyril Babaev�s article
on Indo-Aryan}. In In/Ar the names are female. So
TARGITAUS would be the metathesised and hellenized
male version. If you focus your search engines on
�TIRGATA� you will discover a few sites with
information that is at least grosso modo reliable on
this issue. TIRGATA was a Syrian Fish-Goddess, with
important temples in the Middle East (including
Philistia). She was the Goddess of Love and Fertility.
Her Philistine name was DERKETO (she was DAGON�s
consort=he of Biblical fame), and the Greeks knew her
as ATARGATIS or APHRODITE URANIA. TIRGATA was serviced
by a eunuch priesthood in Syria. She was later
imported into Rome and entered the Pantheon there as
�DEA SYRIA�.== Now the Royal Scythians, near the end
of their military adventures in the Middle East as
associates of the Assyrians, are reputed to have
plundered the Temple of Aphrodite Urania (Derketo) at
Ashkelon. The �punishment� for this was the presence
among them of a class of soothsayers called �Enarees�
by Herodotus, afflicted with �the female disease�
(most interpreters see this as simple impotence, and
point to Hippocrates� view that many Scythians
suffered from this later in life because of their
horsemanship). Aphrodite Urania is listed by Herodotus
among the Scythians deities, but not much more is said
about her position in the assembly of Gods and
Goddesses. Now back to DERKETO. This Fish-Goddess is
described as being a mermaid (top human, bottom fish:
see Marc Chagall�s portrait on one of the TIRGATA
websites as you surf). At this point we discover a
clear link to the Scythian Foundation Legends, even if
it�s not quite what we expect. The Scythian version
has TARGITAUS born of the union of Zeus with �a
daughter of the river Borysthenes�. The daughter is
not named, and is not described. We get information
about Targitaos, her son, and then about the three
Kings who issued from him, the youngest being the
ancestor of the Royal Scythians. The Greek Pontic
version of the Legend though, has an additional point.
Here the father of the father of all Scythians is not
Zeus but Herakles. But the mother of SKUTHES (who is
the TARGITAOS of this version) is described as a
�viper-maiden�: half human (top) half snake (bottom).
And we know from archaeological discoveries that the
Scythians actually honoured this entity (we have a
vase from a Royal tomb where she is depicted and other
indicators). Putting it all together we have what
looks like a very viable hypothesis: the nameless
�daughter of the river� or �viper-maiden� is the
Scythian equivalent of Ahrodite Urania or Derketo
(whom they brought back, changed a bit, and
incorporated into their Foundation legend as the
mother of TARGITAOS. Which suggests that her old name
was retained). If the Scythians are �descendants of
Venus� in their self-image then her role in their
society would have been much more important than
Herodotus� story allows. This is one of those areas
where I find him in need of some correction. But
perhaps his version is due to the nature of the report
that he received. Here we can only guess at who might
have been his informant. Perhaps it was someone not
very positively inclined towards the Scythian
priesthood of Aphrodite. Herodotus mentions one
�Timnes steward of Ariarantes�. Now if Timnes was his
informant then either he was an �assistant� steward or
else he was a fugitive, since stewards of dead Kings
were expected to follow their masters into the
afterlife. Of course Herodotus� source could have been
someone else. In any case there is sufficient material
here to make us pause in the attempt to etymologize
�TARGITAUS� from the Iranic. BTW the Goddess DERKETO
also had a Hittite name: she was called TARKHU.
Perhaps she was originally Hurrian?==And one more
thing. Herodotus notes that the Royal Scythians (and
only they) worship Poseidon. They called him
THAGIMASADAS. Any etymologies? (Cf. the apparently
related Scythian royal name OCTAMASADES). Is there any
possibility that this THAGIMASADAS could have been
DAGON? Doesn�t affect the earlier reconstruction but
would be intriguing.
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