Re: On Greek anthro:pos 'man'

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" wrote:
>
> > Likewise, between the dung-beetle (kantharos) and the ass
> > (kantho:n) some sort of link runs, most probably mediated by the
> > beetle's connection with dung (cf. also kanthis 'ass-dung').
> > In Aristophanes, Trygaeus, who rises to heaven on the back of a
> > huge dung-beetle, addresses his mount as kantho:n ('ass'),
> > and not as kantharos. According to an ancient Greek
> > belief, beetles were produced from the bodies of asses.
> > The error presumably arose from the beetle's alleged habit of
> > laying eggs in asses' dung.
>
> ***R More likely because, like jackasses, they are pack animals,
> in that they roll balls of dung all over the place. An association
> with jackass dung would be a nice secondary association, however.

Probably both associations are embedded in this semantic cluster. Indeed, kanthe:lia means '(panniers at the side of a) pack-saddle'.

Regards,
Francesco