δαίω2

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Wed, 08/09/2023 - 10:30

Word-form

δαίμων

Transliteration (Word)

daimōn

English translation (word)

divine being

Transliteration (Etymon)

daiō

English translation (etymon)

to divide

Author

Posidonius

Century

2-1 BC

Reference

fr. 387

Edition

Theiler, Posidonios. Die Fragmente, vol. 1, Berlin, De Gruyter, 1982

Source

Macrobius

Ref.

Sat. 1.23.7

Ed.

Robert A. Kaster, Macrobius: Saturnalia, Harvard University Press, 2011

Quotation

Nomen autem daemonum cum deorum appellatione coniungit (Plato, Phaedr. 246e) aut quia di sunt δαήμονες, id est scientes futuri, aut ut Posidonius scribit in libris quibus titulus est Περὶ ἡρώων καὶ δαιμόνων, quia ex aetheria substantia partita atque divisa qualitas illis est, sive ἀπὸ τοῦ δαιομένου, id est καιομένου, seu ἀπὸ τοῦ δαιομένου, hoc est μεριζομένου

Translation (En)

He links the name of daemones with the name of gods, or because they are wise, that is, they know the future, or, as Posidonius writes in his book entitled About gods and heroes, because their nature is partly separated and divided from a fiery substance, either from daiomenos "kindled", that is, burning (kaiomenou), either from daiomenos "parted", that is, divided

Comment

The etymology deriving δαίμων from the verb "to divide" is correct. Gods are the ones who distribute to humans their share

Parallels

Apollonius, Lexicon homericum p. 56 (δαίμονες οἱ θεοὶ οἱονεὶ δαήμονες ὄντες· οἱ γὰρ θεοὶ πάντα ἴσασιν. ἢ ὅτι πάντα μερίζουσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ δάσασθαι); Pseudo-Herodian, Fragmentum grammaticum quod incipit a vocibus zētoumen… p. 238, 30 (παρὰ τὸ δαίω, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ μερίζω, ὅθεν καὶ δαιτρὸς ὁ διαμερίζων· καὶ δαίμων·); Hesychius, Lexicon, delta 73 (δαίμονες· οἱ θεοί, δαήμονές τινες ὄντες, r οἷον ἔμπειροι· ἢ ὅτι πάντα μερίζουσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ δάσασθαι); Ps.-Choeroboscus, Peri posotetos p. 316 (Τὰ παρὰ τὸ δαίω, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ μερίζω, διὰ τοῦ αι γράφεται· οἷον, δαίμων· δαίδαλος· δαιτρὸς ὁ μάγειρος ὁ μερίζων τὰ ὄψα· δαιτυμὼν ὁ ἀριστητής); Epimerismi homerici ad Iliadem 1.222 (δαίμονες: θεοί, ἅτε δαήμονες πάντων ὄντες· ἢ <οἱ> μερίζοντες ἡμῖν πάντα, παρὰ τὸ δάσασθαι); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, delta, p. 328 (Δαίμονες· παρὰ τὸ δαῆναι τὰ πάντα, ἢ μερίζειν τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ τὰ κακὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις); Schol. rec. Aristophanis Nubes 1261b; Schol. vet. Hesiodi Op. 122a (δαίμονας καλεῖ παρὰ τὸ δαῆναι ἤτοι γνῶναι τὰ πάντα ἢ μερίζειν τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις).

There is probably a hint at this etymology in Vettius Valens, Anthologiarum liber 2.30 (Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς διαιρέσεως τῶν χρόνων τῶν πρακτικῶν κατὰ Ἄβραμον τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος μεριζομένων (μερίζει γὰρ οὗτος)), Ibid. liber 4.4 (ὁ κλῆρος τοῦ δαίμονος καὶ τὰ σωματικὰ καὶ τὰ πρακτικὰ μερίζει)

Modern etymology

Chantraine (1970, 247): "Δαίμων" derives from “δαίομαι”, meaning ‘to attribute, to divide’

Persistence in Modern Greek

"Δαίμονας" instead of "δαίμων" (MG plural: "δαίμονες" ) is used in Modern Greek to denote 'the spirit(s) of evil'

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