On the discussion board for the course HeroesX, someone asked about the etymology of the word Erinys (Fury). I had never really thought about this before, so I started to look into it. The inquirer started by citing some decent etymological texts:
“For Ἐρινύες, Chantraine says there isn’t etymology (DEG p. 371 s. v. ἐρινύς); but A. Carnoy (Dictionnaire étymologique de la mythologie gréco-romaine, Louvain 1957) links the word to ἐρινύειν, arcadic form of ὀρίνω, to stir, raise; so Ἐρινύες should mean “the Furious”.”
I looked more deeply and found nothing really that satisfying. But, since I enjoy a false etymology as much as anyone, I decided to share some findings here. The Etymologicum Magnum, a text created in the 12th century in Byzantium, has some interesting things to say about the etymology of Erinys.
“Furies, vengeful goddesses of paternal transgressions. They pursue the children of those who have committed wrong. The name comes from the fact that they live in the earth [era, reconstructed from the form ἔραζε], which means they live in the earth.
Or, something that comes from the earth is called eranus, which becomes erinus. For the Fury is a khthonic goddess.
The name is also said to come from “completing curses” as if aranus (curse-bringer?) also becomes erinus, since she brings curses or fateful things to pass. Another explanation is that the particle eri [inseparable elsewhere as an intensifier] is added to “completing” [to anuein], since she “accomplishes greatly”.
Another explanation is that the name comes from “resting” [to elinuein], which means to be at peace, and that erinus forms from elinus, for the “one who is at peace”. This is a construction based on an opposite idea, since she is not one who is actually at peace.”
᾿Ερινύες: Θεαὶ τιμωροὶ τῶν πατρικῶν ἀσεβημάτων, ἤγουν τῶν εἰς τοὺς γονεῖς ἁμαρτημάτων· παρὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ ἔρᾳ ναίειν, ὅ ἐστιν οἰκεῖν ἐν τῇ γῇ.
῍Η ἡ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνερχομένη, ἐρανὺς, καὶ ἐρινύς· καταχθονία γὰρ ἡ δαίμων. ῍Η παρὰ τὸ τὰς ἀρὰς ἀνύειν, οἱονεὶ ἀρανύς τις οὖσα καὶ ἐρινὺς, ἡ τὰς ἀρὰς ἢ τὰ αἴσια ἀνύουσα καὶ ἐκτελοῦσα. ῍Η παρὰ τὸ ἐρι καὶ τὸ ἀνύειν, ἡ μεγάλως ἀνύουσα. ῍Η παρὰ τὸ ἐλινύειν, τὸ ἡσυχάζειν, γέγονεν ἐλινὺς καὶ ἐρινὺς, ἡ ἡσυχάζουσα, κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν, τουτέστιν ἡ μὴ ἡσυχάζουσα.
- I love the fact that there is an entire category for etymologies that come from the opposite of what something really is.
- I also love the fact that this text just throws everything out there.
- I had always tacitly assumed some connection with Eris, especially since in Hesiod (Works and Days and Theogony), Eris is associated with the earth. The Etymologicum Gudianum (and others) associated Eris with the act of speech: “Eris comes from “speaking” [eirô], which is the same as legô; this is a type of conflict that comes from words…
῎Ερις· παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ λέγω· ἡ διὰ λόγων φιλονεικία.
On Eris, Chantraine is similarly unhelpful, writing “Pas d’etymologie”…, although he points to ἐρέθω as a possible origin.
Any other ideas?
PS: Chantraine is available online! I cannot tell you how many car-trips, subway journeys, and other odysseys I have made in the past to consult this text. Do the young know what charmed lives they are living?
On that P. S. did we appreciate not having to use typewriters or do everything longhand? Or having phones in our dorm rooms rather than pay phones in the hall?
Too true, my friend.
or having clothes dryers in the dorms? In Italy, last summer, they had only washers. We had to air dry! The Horror.
Hey man, I use a clothesline all the time in the summer. Though that would have been…difficult…to say the least in most dorm rooms. Or in winter. 😉
Here the pollen is too bad and the sun bleaches clothes in like ten minutes.
Imagine the fear, horror and distraction of drying underwear in dorms…
Creeps in the laundry room were bad enough!
Of course, according to Cato the Elder (am I remembering this right?) we’re all degenerates for not appreciating the pleasures of the frigidarium.
Seems to me there’s actually a certain amount of logic to having a derivation of the word Erinys that’s based on the opposite meaning: one of their epithets (or whatever) was “the Kindly Ones,” wasn’t it? That may have been the logic behind that particular pseudo-etymology.
That 12th century definition of what the Furies are (were?) is somewhat surprising: according to that definition, they’d have been pursuing Orestes not because of his murder of his mother, but because of the sins of Agamemnon! Admittedly, Agamemnon committed some doozies (depending on whose version of Agamemnon you’re looking at, of course, but the death of Iphigenia would certainly count), but it seems odd to posit a version where Orestes was the one being punished for them. I guess if we extrapolated from that, then Tisamenus would be chased by the Furies over the death of Clytemnestra…