[407a]
in the hands is called shaking (πάλλειν) and being shaken, or dancing and being danced.Hermogenes
Yes, certainly.Socrates
So that is the reason she is called Pallas.Hermogenes
And rightly called so. But what can you say of her other name?Socrates
You mean Athena?Hermogenes
Yes.Socrates
That is a weightier matter, my friend. The ancients seem to have had the same belief about Athena as the interpreters of Homer have now; [407b] for most of these, in commenting on the poet, say that he represents Athena as mind (νοῦς) and intellect (διάνοια); and the maker of her name seems to have had a similar conception of her, but he gives her the still grander title of “mind of God” ἡ θεοῦ νόησις, seeming to say that she is a ἁ θεονόα; here he used the alpha in foreign fashion instead of eta, and dropped out the iota and sigma. But perhaps that was not his reason; he may have called her Theonoe because she has unequalled knowledge of divine things (τὰ θεῖα νοοῦσα). Perhaps, too, he may have wished to identify the goddess with wisdom of character (ἐν ἤθει νόησις） [407c] by calling her Ethonoe; and then he himself or others afterwards improved the name, as they thought, and called her Athenaa.Hermogenes
And how do you explain Hephaestus?Socrates
You ask about “the noble master of light”?Hermogenes
To be sure.Socrates
Hephaestus is Phaestus, with the eta added by attraction; anyone could see that, I should think.Hermogenes
Very likely, unless some other explanation occurs to you, as it probably will.Socrates
To prevent that, ask about Ares.Hermogenes
I do ask. [407d] Socrates
Ares, then, if you like, would be named for his virility and courage, or for his hard and unbending nature, which is called ἄρρατον; so Ares would be in every way a fitting name for the god of war.Hermogenes
Certainly.Socrates
For God's sake, let us leave the gods, as I am afraid to talk about them; but ask me about any others you please, “that you may see what” Euthyphro's “horses are.”1 [407e] Hermogenes
I will do so, but first one more god. I want to ask you about Hermes, since Cratylus says I am not Hermogenes (son of Hermes). Let us investigate the name of Hermes, to find out whether there is anything in what he says.Socrates
Well then, this name “Hermes” seems to me to have to do with speech; he is an interpreter (ἡρμηνεύς) and a messenger,
Yes, certainly.Socrates
So that is the reason she is called Pallas.Hermogenes
And rightly called so. But what can you say of her other name?Socrates
You mean Athena?Hermogenes
Yes.Socrates
That is a weightier matter, my friend. The ancients seem to have had the same belief about Athena as the interpreters of Homer have now; [407b] for most of these, in commenting on the poet, say that he represents Athena as mind (νοῦς) and intellect (διάνοια); and the maker of her name seems to have had a similar conception of her, but he gives her the still grander title of “mind of God” ἡ θεοῦ νόησις, seeming to say that she is a ἁ θεονόα; here he used the alpha in foreign fashion instead of eta, and dropped out the iota and sigma. But perhaps that was not his reason; he may have called her Theonoe because she has unequalled knowledge of divine things (τὰ θεῖα νοοῦσα). Perhaps, too, he may have wished to identify the goddess with wisdom of character (ἐν ἤθει νόησις） [407c] by calling her Ethonoe; and then he himself or others afterwards improved the name, as they thought, and called her Athenaa.Hermogenes
And how do you explain Hephaestus?Socrates
You ask about “the noble master of light”?Hermogenes
To be sure.Socrates
Hephaestus is Phaestus, with the eta added by attraction; anyone could see that, I should think.Hermogenes
Very likely, unless some other explanation occurs to you, as it probably will.Socrates
To prevent that, ask about Ares.Hermogenes
I do ask. [407d] Socrates
Ares, then, if you like, would be named for his virility and courage, or for his hard and unbending nature, which is called ἄρρατον; so Ares would be in every way a fitting name for the god of war.Hermogenes
Certainly.Socrates
For God's sake, let us leave the gods, as I am afraid to talk about them; but ask me about any others you please, “that you may see what” Euthyphro's “horses are.”1 [407e] Hermogenes
I will do so, but first one more god. I want to ask you about Hermes, since Cratylus says I am not Hermogenes (son of Hermes). Let us investigate the name of Hermes, to find out whether there is anything in what he says.Socrates
Well then, this name “Hermes” seems to me to have to do with speech; he is an interpreter (ἡρμηνεύς) and a messenger,
