Complete Works

by Plato, Cooper, John M. , Hutchinson, D. S.

  HERMOGENES: Yes.

  SOCRATES: Is any desire greater than the desire to associate with someone whose company one believes will make one a better man?

  HERMOGENES: No, there certainly isn’t, Socrates.

  SOCRATES: So let’s say that it is for these reasons, Hermogenes, that hitherto no one has wished to come back here from there. The words [e] Hades knows how to speak are so beautiful, it seems, that everyone—even the Sirens—has been overcome by his enchantments. On this account, therefore, this god is a perfect sophist, and a great benefactor to those who are with him. So great is the wealth that surrounds him there below, indeed, that he even sends many good things to us from it. This is how he got the name ‘Pluto’. On the other hand, because he is unwilling to associate with human beings while they have their bodies, but converses with them only when their souls are purified of all the desires and evils [404] of the body, doesn’t he seem to you to be a philosopher? For hasn’t he well understood that when people are free of their bodies he can bind them with the desire for virtue, but that while they feel the agitation and madness of the body not even the famous shackles of his father Cronus could keep them with him?27

  HERMOGENES: Probably so, Socrates.

  [b] SOCRATES: It’s much more likely then, Hermogenes, that Hades derives his name not from what cannot be seen (aeides), but from the fact that he knows (eidenai) everything fine and beautiful, and that that is why the rule-setter called him ‘Hades’.

  HERMOGENES: All right. But what about Demeter, Hera, Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus, and all the other gods? What are we to say about them?

  SOCRATES: Demeter seems to have been so called because she gives (didousa) nourishment just like a mother (mētēr); Hera is a loveable one (eratē), [c] and, indeed, Zeus is said to have married her for love. But perhaps the rule-setter, being a lofty thinker, called her ‘Hera’ as a disguised name for air (aēr), putting the end of her name at the beginning—you’ll get the idea if you repeat the name ‘Hera’ over and over. As for ‘pherrephatta’: it seems that many people dread the names ‘Pherrephatta’ and ‘Apollo’ because they are ignorant about the correctness of names, for they change the first name to ‘Phersephone’, and then it seems terrifying to them.28 But really the name ‘Pherrephatta’ indicates that the goddess is wise—for since things [d] are being swept along, wisdom is the power to grasp (ephaptomenon), comprehend (epaphōn), and follow (epakolouthein) them. Thus it would be correct to call this goddess ‘Pherepapha’, or something like that, because of her wisdom, that is to say, her power to comprehend what is being swept along (epaphē tou pheromenou)—this is also the reason that Hades, since he is himself wise, associates with her. But people nowadays attach more importance to euphony than to truth, so they distort her name and call her ‘Pherrephatta’. And, as I said, the same thing has happened to Apollo. Many people are afraid of his name because they think it indicates [e] something terrifying.29 Haven’t you noticed this?

  HERMOGENES: I certainly have, and what you say is true.

  SOCRATES: In my view, however, the name is most beautifully suited to the power of the god.

  HERMOGENES: How so?

  SOCRATES: I’ll try to say how it seems to me, at least. I think no single name could be more in keeping with the four powers of the god. It comprehends [405] each of them, expressing his power in music, prophecy, medicine, and archery.

  HERMOGENES: It’s a pretty remarkable name you’re talking about; so go ahead and explain it.

  SOCRATES: It’s certainly a harmonious one. After all, it’s the name of the god of music. To begin with, the purgations and purifications that doctors and prophets use, the fumigations with medicinal and magical drugs, and [b] the various washings and sprinklings that are involved in these processes, all have the same effect, don’t they, namely, to make a person pure in body and soul?

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: But isn’t Apollo the purifying god who washes away (apolouōn) such evil impurities and releases (apoluōn) us from them?

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: Since he washes and releases and is a doctor for our evil impurities, he might correctly be called ‘Apolouōn’ (‘The Washer’). On the [c] other hand, it may well be most correct to call him by the name the Thessalians use, since it accords with his prophecy, that is to say, with his single-mindedness (haploun) or truthfulness (these being the same thing), for all the Thessalians call this god ‘Aploun’. And since he always (aei) makes his shots (bolōn), because of his skill in archery, he is also ‘Aeiballōn’ (‘Always-shooting’). To understand how his name accords with his musical powers, we have to understand that the letter ‘a’ often signifies togetherness (to homou), as it does in ‘akolouthos’ (‘follower’ or ‘attendant’) and ‘akoitis’ (‘bed-fellow’, ‘spouse’, ‘husband’).30 In this case, it signifies moving together (homou polēsis), whether the moving together of the heavens around what we call the ‘poles’ (‘poloi’), or the harmonious moving together in music, which we call ‘being in concert’ (‘sumphonia’); for, as those who are clever in astronomy and music say, all these things move together simultaneously [d] by a kind of harmony. Apollo is the god who directs the harmony, and makes all things move together (homopolōn), whether for gods or human beings. So, just as the names ‘akolouthos’ and ‘akoitis’ are derived from ‘homokolouthos’ and ‘homokoitis’ by replacing ‘homo’ with ‘a’, we called him ‘Apollo’, though he was really ‘Homopolon’ (‘the one who makes things [e] move together’). We inserted the second ‘l’ lest his name become an oppressive one.31 Even as it is, indeed, some people, who haven’t correctly investigated the force or power of his name, are afraid of it, because they suspect that it does signify some kind of destructiveness. But, as we said earlier, [406] it really comprehends each of the powers of the god, who is a single-minded, always shooting washer, who makes things move together. As for the Muses and music and poetry in general, they seem to have derived their name from their eager desire (mōsthai) to investigate and do philosophy. Leto is so-called because of being very gentle (pra(i)otētos) and willing (ethelēmos) to do whatever is asked of her. Or perhaps her name derives from the one used by those who speak dialects other than Attic, many of whom call her ‘Letho’—apparently on account of the fact that her character [b] isn’t rough but gentle and smooth (leion). Artemis appears to have been so-called because of her soundness (artemes) and orderliness, and because of her desire for virginity (parthenia). Or perhaps the one who gave her that name was calling her ‘an investigator of virtue’ (‘aretēs histōr’) or ‘a hater of sexual intercourse between men and women’ (‘aroton misēsasēs’). It is for some one of these reasons or for all of them that the one who gave this name to the goddess gave it to her.

  HERMOGENES: What about ‘Dionysos’ and ‘Aphrodite’?

  SOCRATES: You’re asking great things of me, son of Hipponicus, because there is not only a serious way of explaining the names of these divinities [c] but a playful one as well. You’ll have to ask others for the serious one, but there’s nothing to prevent us from going through the playful one—even the gods love play. Dionysos, the giver of wine (ho didous ton oinon), might playfully be called ‘Didoinusos’; while wine (oinos) would most justly be called ‘oionous’, since it makes most drinkers think they understood (oiesthai noun echein) when they don’t. As far as Aphrodite is concerned, there’s no point in contradicting Hesiod—we should agree with him that [d] she is called ‘Aphrodite’ because she was born from foam (aphros).32

  HERMOGENES: Being an Athenian, Socrates, you surely aren’t going to forget Athena, or Hephaestus and Ares either, for that matter.

  SOCRATES: Not likely.

  HERMOGENES: No, indeed.

  SOCRATES: It isn’t hard to explain how Athena got her other name.

  HERMOGENES: Which one?

  SOCRATES: ‘Pallas’—you know we call her that.

  HERMOGENES: Of course.

  SOCRATES: I
n my view, we would be correct to think that this name [e] derives from her dancing in arms and armor, for lifting oneself or anything else up, whether from the ground or in one’s hands, is called ‘shaking’ (‘pallein’) and ‘dancing’ or ‘being shaken’ (‘pallesthai’) and ‘being danced’. [407]

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: She’s called ‘Pallas’ because of this.

  HERMOGENES: And correctly so. But how do you explain her other name?

  SOCRATES: You mean ‘Athena’?

  HERMOGENES: Yes.

  SOCRATES: That’s a much weightier issue, my friend. The ancients seem to have had the same opinion about Athena as do contemporary experts on Homer. Many of them say in their interpretations of the poet that he [b] represents Athena as Understanding or Thought. The maker of names seems to think the same sort of thing about the goddess. Indeed, he speaks of her in still grander terms, saying she is the very mind of god (theou noēsis), as if she is ‘ha theonoa’—using ‘a’ in the non-Attic style in place of ‘ē’ and deleting ‘i’ and ‘s’.33 But perhaps this isn’t the explanation. Perhaps what he called her was ‘Theonoē’, because of her unparalleled knowledge of divine things (ta theia noousa). Nor would we be far off the mark if we supposed that what he called her was ‘Ēthonoē’, because he wanted to identify the goddess with her understanding character (hē en tōi ēthei noēsis). Then he himself or others after him made the name more beautiful, as [c] they thought, and called her ‘Athēnaa’.

  HERMOGENES: What about Hephaestus? How do you explain him?

  SOCRATES: Are you asking me about the noble judge of light (phaeos histōr)?

  HERMOGENES: It seems so.

  SOCRATES: Isn’t it clear to everyone then that he is ‘Phaestus’ with an ‘ē’ added on?

  HERMOGENES: It probably is—unless you happen to have yet another opinion on the matter. And you probably do.

  SOCRATES: Then to prevent me from giving it, ask me about Ares.

  HERMOGENES: Consider yourself asked!

  SOCRATES: All right, if that’s what you want. It is proper for a god who is in every way warlike to be called ‘Ares’, for ‘Ares’ accords with virility (arren) and courage (andreia), or with a hard and unbending nature, the [d] one that is called ‘arratos’.

  HERMOGENES: It certainly is.

  SOCRATES: Then for god’s sake let’s leave the subject of the gods, because it frightens me to talk about them. But ask me about anything else you like, “until we see what the horses” of Euthyphro “can do.”34

  HERMOGENES: I’ll do that, but there is still one god I want to ask you about, and that’s Hermes, since Cratylus says that I am no Hermogenes [e] (Son-of-Hermes). So let’s examine the name ‘Hermes’ and its meaning, to see whether there’s anything in what he says.

  SOCRATES: Well, the name ‘Hermes’ seems to have something to do with speech: he is an interpreter (hermēneus), a messenger, a thief and a deceiver [408] in words, a wheeler-dealer—and all these activities involve the power of speech. Now, as we mentioned before,35 ‘eirein’ means ‘to use words’, and the other part of the name says—as Homer often does—‘emēsato’ (‘he contrived’), which means ‘to devise’. And it was out of these two words that the rule-setter established the name of the god who devised speech (legein) and words, since ‘eirein’ means the same as ‘legein’ (‘to speak’). It’s just as if he had told us: “Humans, it would be right for you to call [b] the god who has contrived speech (to eirein emēsato) ‘Eiremēs’.” But we, beautifying the name, as we suppose, call him ‘Hermes’ nowadays.

  HERMOGENES: I’m certain that Cratylus was right when he said that I’m no Hermogenes then, since I’m no good at devising speeches.

  SOCRATES: But it is reasonable for Pan to be Hermes’ double-natured son.

  [c] HERMOGENES: How so?

  SOCRATES: You know speech signifies all things (to pan) and keeps them circulating and always going about, and that it has two forms—true and false?

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: Well, the true part is smooth and divine and dwells among the gods above, while the false part dwells below among the human masses, and is rough and goatish (tragikon); for it is here, in the tragic (tragikon) life, that one finds the vast majority of myths and falsehoods.

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: Therefore the one who expresses all things (pan) and keeps them always in circulation (aei polōn) is correctly called ‘Pan-the-goat-herd’ [d] (‘Pan aipolos’). The double-natured son of Hermes, he is smooth in his upper parts, and rough and goatish in the ones below. He is either speech itself or the brother of speech, since he is the son of Hermes. And it’s not a bit surprising that a brother resembles his brother. But, as I said, let’s leave the gods.

  HERMOGENES: That sort of gods, Socrates, if that’s what you want. But what keeps you from discussing these gods: the sun and moon, and stars, [e] earth, aether, air, fire, water, and the seasons and the year?

  SOCRATES: That’s a lot you’re asking of me! All the same, if it will please you, I am willing.

  HERMOGENES: Of course, it will.

  SOCRATES: Which one do you want me to take up first? Or, since you mentioned the sun (hēlios) first, shall we begin with it?

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: If we use the Doric form of the name, I think matters will [409] become clearer, for the Dorians call the sun ‘halios’. So ‘halios’ might accord with the fact that the sun collects (halizein) people together when it rises, or with the fact that it is always rolling (aei heilein iōn) in its course around the earth, or with the fact that it seems to color (poikillei) the products of the earth, for ‘poikillein’ means the same as ‘aiolein’ (‘to shift rapidly to and fro’).

  HERMOGENES: What about the moon (selēnē)?

  SOCRATES: The name certainly seems to put Anaxagoras in an awkward position.

  HERMOGENES: Why is that?

  SOCRATES: It seems to reveal that his recent theory about the moon deriving its light from the sun is in fact quite old. [b]

  HERMOGENES: In what way?

  SOCRATES: Selas (bright light) and phōs (light) are the same thing.

  HERMOGENES: Yes.

  SOCRATES: Now, if what the Anaxagoreans say is true, the light of the moon (selēnē) is always both new (neon) and old (henon), for they say that as the sun circles around the moon it always casts new light on it, but that the light from the previous month also remains there.

  HERMOGENES: Certainly.

  SOCRATES: But many people call the moon ‘Selanaia’.

  HERMOGENES: Yes, they do.

  SOCRATES: And, since its light is always both new and old (selas neon kai enon echei aei), the right name to call it is ‘Selaenoneoaeia’, and this is the [c] one that has been compressed into ‘Selanaia’.

  HERMOGENES: And a dithyrambic36 name it is too, Socrates! But what have you to say about the month and the stars?

  SOCRATES: The correct name to call a month (meis) is ‘meiēs’ from ‘meiousthai’ (‘to grow smaller’). And the stars (astra) seem to get their name given to them from ‘astrapē’ (‘lightning’), for lightning is what causes the eyes to turn upward (anastrephei ta ōpa). Hence, it should really be called ‘anastrōpē’, but nowadays the name is beautified and it is called ‘astrapē’.

  HERMOGENES: What about fire and water?

  SOCRATES: I’m really puzzled about fire (pur). So either Euthyphro’s muse [d] has abandoned me or this really is very hard. But notice the device I use in all such puzzling cases.

  HERMOGENES: What is that?

  SOCRATES: I’ll tell you. But first answer me this. Could you say in what way pur (fire) comes to be so called?

  HERMOGENES: I certainly can’t.

  SOCRATES: Here’s what I suspect. I think that the Greeks, especially those who live abroad, have adopted many names from foreign tongues. [e]

  HERMOGENES: What of it?

  SOCRATES: Well, if someone wer
e trying to discover whether these names had been reasonably given, and he treated them as belonging to the Greek language rather than the one they really come from, you know that he would be in a quandary.

  HERMOGENES: He very probably would.

  [410] SOCRATES: Now, look at ‘fire’ (‘pur’) and see whether it isn’t a foreign name—for it certainly isn’t easy to connect it with the Greek language. Besides, it’s obvious that the Phrygrians use the same name slightly altered. And the same holds for ‘water’ (‘hudōr) and ‘dog’ (‘kuōn’), and lots of others.

  HERMOGENES: So it does.

  SOCRATES: Consequently, though one might say something about these names, one mustn’t push them too far. That, then, is how I get rid of ‘fire’ (‘pur’) and ‘water’ (‘hudōr’). But what about air, Hermogenes? Is it called [b] ‘aēr’ because it raises (airei) things from the earth? Or because it is always flowing (aei rhei)? Or because wind (pneuma) arises from its flow? For the poets call the winds (pneumata) ‘gales’ (aētai’), don’t they? So, perhaps a poet says ‘aētorrous’ (‘gale flow’) in place of ‘pneumatorrous’ (‘wind flow’), thereby indicating that what he is talking about is air.37 As for aether, I’d explain it as follows: it is right to call it ‘aeitheēr’, because it is always running and flowing (aei thei rheōn) about the air. The earth (gē) is better [c] signified by the name ‘gaia’; for gaia is correctly called a ‘mother’, as Homer tells us by using ‘gegaasi’ for ‘to be born’. All right, what was to come next?

  HERMOGENES: ‘Seasons’ (‘Hōrai’), Socrates, and the two names for the year, ‘eniautos’ and ‘etos’.

  SOCRATES: If you want to know the probable truth about the name ‘hōrai’ (‘seasons’), you must look to the fact that it is spelled ‘horai’ in old Attic. The seasons are rightly called ‘horai’ (‘things that distinguish or mark off one thing from another’), because they distinguish (horizein) the weathers of winter and summer, the winds, and the fruits of the earth. As for [d] ‘eniautos’ and ‘etos’, they are actually one name. We saw earlier that Zeus’ name was divided in two—some called him ‘Zēna’, some ‘Dia’ in the accusative.38 Well, exactly the same is true of the name of the year. It is the year by itself that brings the plants and animals of the earth to light, each in its proper season, and passes them in review within itself (en heautōi exetazei). Hence, some people call it ‘etos’, because it passes things in review (etazei), while others call it ‘eniautos’, because it does this within itself (en heautōi). The whole phrase is ‘passing things in review within itself’ (‘en heautōi etazon’), but this single phrase results in the year being called these two different names. Thus, the two names, ‘eniautos’ and ‘etos’, derive from [e] a single phrase.