407
Socrates
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; 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) by calling her Ethonoe; and then he himself or others afterwards improved the name, as they thought, and called her Athenaa.
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. And how do you explain Hephaestus?
Socrates
Socrates. You ask about the noble master of light?
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. To be sure.
Socrates
Socrates. Hephaestus is Phaestus, with the eta added by attraction; anyone could see that, I should think.
10
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. Very likely, unless some other explanation occurs to you, as it probably will.
Socrates
Socrates. To prevent that, ask about Ares.
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. I do ask.
Socrates
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.
