Panaghia Aphroditessa?
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Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Hi!
According to following site [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the main Virgin Mary of Cyprus still bears the title "Panaghia Aphroditessa". Does anyone know more about this? I think I've already read about it somewhere in a book, but can't find it back. I didn't find any informations on the internet and since "Panaghia" is spelled incorrectly the source doesn't seem so trustfull to me... well I think that "Panaghia" meaning "All-Holy" is incorrect since it would rather be "Pan - Hagia" thus "Panagia".
It would be interesting since Cyprus is Aphrodite's birthplace and when the Holy Virgin there bears a title with Aphrodite's name in it, well that would be a clear indication that the Cyprian Virgin is no one else but Aphrodite (yes I know, also without that name the Cyprian Mary can be interpreted as Aphrodite... ).
Greetings
Pemphredo
According to following site [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the main Virgin Mary of Cyprus still bears the title "Panaghia Aphroditessa". Does anyone know more about this? I think I've already read about it somewhere in a book, but can't find it back. I didn't find any informations on the internet and since "Panaghia" is spelled incorrectly the source doesn't seem so trustfull to me... well I think that "Panaghia" meaning "All-Holy" is incorrect since it would rather be "Pan - Hagia" thus "Panagia".
It would be interesting since Cyprus is Aphrodite's birthplace and when the Holy Virgin there bears a title with Aphrodite's name in it, well that would be a clear indication that the Cyprian Virgin is no one else but Aphrodite (yes I know, also without that name the Cyprian Mary can be interpreted as Aphrodite... ).
Greetings
Pemphredo
Pemphredo- Junior Member
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
gh can be used to transliterate the γ, to distinguish it from the phoneme /g/ like in English and French. In modern pronunciation is sounds differently, and in fact the International Phonetic Alphabet uses the /γ/ to symbolise the phoneme. Though I think the pronunciation of Panaghia would be more like Panaya in modern Hellenic pronunciation. Just like Georgos is Yorghos now.
J_Agathokles- Moderator
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
the source doesn't seem so trustfull to me...
It's no independently trustworthy source. The article seems to have come from an occultist publication over a decade ago, and includes a smattering of references to some of the fringe-y Gimbutiene-style pseudo-scientific theories, since debunked, that have become mass-produced, tiresome platitudes among neopagans.
It also has no references or citations — so nothing is source-able anyhow.
It is entirely possible that there may be a Cypriot form of the Virgin Mary who bears the title 'Aphroditessa'; according to a professor I had, near Eleusina, there is a chapel dedicated to a local 'Saint Demetra', whom the locals venerate for the health of their farms.
The dividing line between Christianity and its neighboring cults, especially from Late Antiquity onward, is much less clear than many, from both sides, would like to pretend. Stereotypically 'Christian' ideas like the Trinity, eucharistic transsubstantiation, and sainthood all have precedent analogues in the Orphic religion, while Orphic/late Platonic theologians often use titles for God derived from the Judaic, and even Zoroastrian tradition — resulting in titles for our monistic Supreme like 'Iuppiter-Sarapis-Dionysos-Iaōa (Yahweh/Jehovah)-Oromasdes (Ahura Mazda)'.
Emperor Alexander Severus, according to the Augustan Histories, worshipped Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Orpheus and Apollonius Tyaneus at his home, and during his reign, desired to build a Roman-style Temple of Jesus.
How's that for a mind-twister?
Last edited by Erodius on Tue Jul 02, 2013 3:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Not to mention that there has always been people in the mediterranean area being given the names of the gods. Saint Dionysios comes to mind [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and the pope John II, who was the first pope to claim himself an 'artist name', because his original name was Mercury
So if I might take a guess, 'Aphroditessa' might've been some kind of local 'saint' who later became connected to Mary of Nasareth.
So if I might take a guess, 'Aphroditessa' might've been some kind of local 'saint' who later became connected to Mary of Nasareth.
Linda- Full Member
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Linda wrote:Not to mention that there has always been people in the mediterranean area being given the names of the gods. Saint Dionysios comes to mind
Problem with that is that we don't have a God called Dionysios. We have a God called Dionysos. So Saint Dionysios was *not* given the name of a God, he is named *after* a God, which is something else entirely. It may seem like a small issue of semantics, but as far as I am concerned this small semantic difference constitutes the line between piety and respect for the Gods and hybris. Not counting that Saint Dionysios, as his title says, was obviously a Christian.
J_Agathokles- Moderator
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Problem with that is that we don't have a God called Dionysios. We have a God called Dionysos. So Saint Dionysios was *not* given the name of a God, he is named *after* a God, which is something else entirely. It may seem like a small issue of semantics, but as far as I am concerned this small semantic difference constitutes the line between piety and respect for the Gods and hybris. Not counting that Saint Dionysios, as his title says, was obviously a Christian.
You wouldn't believe how often I have seen, at least in 20th century works and onward 'Dionysios' written instead of 'Dionysos.' People just can't spell/read. Horrifyingly, I once read a scholarly article for an RS class about relationships between early Christianity and various Graeco-Roman cults that consistently wrote 'Dionysios' when they clearly meant 'Dionysos'. But J_Agathokles is right. Truthfully, Dionysios is a derivative name, meaning something like 'Dionysos-like' or 'of Dionysos' or 'Dionysian'. There is, however, a Saint Bacchus — very revered in Eastern churches. However, 'Bacchus/Baccha' often referred to votaries of various Bacchic cults, as well as to the deity — hence Euripides' Bacchae, referring to its central character group, the bacchant women of Thebes, and the Orphic aphorism: 'Many the rod-bearers, but few are the Bacchi.'
Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Thanks to the replies!
I found other sites too but to know for sure, I'll just should visit Aphrodite's isle!
Oh, interesting about the Saint Demetra... I think, Frazer (The Golden Bough) mentions her too. And I think there is, next to that particular pope, also a christian saint with the name "Mercurius". Or they might be the same, it's making some things easier.
I found other sites too but to know for sure, I'll just should visit Aphrodite's isle!
Oh, interesting about the Saint Demetra... I think, Frazer (The Golden Bough) mentions her too. And I think there is, next to that particular pope, also a christian saint with the name "Mercurius". Or they might be the same, it's making some things easier.
Pemphredo- Junior Member
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Well I am aware of the differences between Dionysos and Dionysios (As well as the differences between Athena and Anthea, Demeter and Dimitrij, Ares and Aries and similar points of confusion) what I was trying to say was exactly that. That a name of a woman sounding similar to Aphrodite might have created the confusion to Virgin Mary. (Who's name was really Miryam, but that's another story)
Linda- Full Member
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Actually, the name form derivative of 'Arēs' is 'Areios'. 'Aries' is an unrelated Latin word that means 'ram.'
But confusion is common. Like I said, people don't read well. Even plenty of adults.
But confusion is common. Like I said, people don't read well. Even plenty of adults.
Last edited by Erodius on Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
Yes, according to my sources Ares can mean either 'warrior' (makes sense after all) or gentleman. But with all those early indo-european names sounding the same, one will have to accept that missunderstandings happen. And genlty trying to clear the confusion.
Linda- Full Member
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Re: Panaghia Aphroditessa?
I can't seem to find any reference to 'gentleman' semantically with regard to 'ΑΡΗΣ' — but there may be some sort of later connotative derivation paralleling the English 'chivalrous' as meaning 'gentlemanly', from connotative associations between gentlemanly behavior and knights.
Greek can be troublesome in this way, and a translator's nightmare (vouching from personal experience). Greek is full of homophones that are spelled slightly differently, or even identically but with different stress, that can have dramatically different definitions.
Greek can be troublesome in this way, and a translator's nightmare (vouching from personal experience). Greek is full of homophones that are spelled slightly differently, or even identically but with different stress, that can have dramatically different definitions.
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