Talk:Anonymus

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I just added two images from the Anonymus statue near to Heroes Square in Pest, Hungary. I do not know much more of the statue -- I assume they're of the Hungarian Anonymus, but the names on the statue's base do not seem to match with anything I saw during my rather quick skim through the articles. [1] [2] --Thisisbossi 16:00, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Anonymus, eh? Is that Mus as in the mouse genus? Is this the same writer as A. Nonny Mouse? How interesting to discover this prolific author is in fact Hungarian after all! --Wetman 14:22, 25 Oct 2004 (UTC)

If you had bothered to read the article (and check the List of Hungarian writers article linked to it), you might have guessed that it was about the anonymous 13th century Hungarian notary and author of Gesta Hungarorum, who is generally known as Anonymus. In historical texts he is not referred to as "the (anonymous) author of GH" but as Anonymus (sic). There were, of course, numerous anonymous authors in Hungarian history but only one is known Anonymus, hence redirecting the link to Anonymity doesn't help. Why didn't you just move the article to "Author of Gesta Hungarorum" instead of deleting it? Scott Moore 15:47, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Scott, I don't like controversy, but on this one you're dead wrong. Wetman made his point a bit casually, but is quite right. Anonymus (spelled that way, no argument there) is Latin for any anonymous author, and is a standard scholarly designation. Hundreds of such Anonymi exist. I have the writings of two of them on my site, both of them called "Anonymus Valesianus" (Valesiani having to do with the much later man who found the manuscripts). The Anonymus of Einsiedeln is the author of the Einsiedeln Itinerary. On my own site alone, at least 6 of them are mentioned or quoted. Here's the link if you want to investigate. — Bill 18:26, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

You do have a point, though. The redirect was not quite what it should be. I'll do a better one in a minute. Best, Bill 18:29, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

We might have to ask Stan Shebs, or find someone else with an Oxford Classical Dictionary, but according to List of ancient Greeks there actually was a Greek writer named Anonymus. I'm not sure what the OCD says about him though, maybe it's just a note for anonymous authors in general. In any case, anything that can be said about the author of the Gesta Hungarorum should go on the Gesta page, if he is anonymous. Adam Bishop 18:46, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Never leaves my desk, Adam, literally: 6 inches from my mouse. Was in such a rush to get the new page up I didn't even think of it. It would have surprised me enormously had there been such a person, since the word means "without a name", but fortunately the OCD lists none. I'll add the two they do list, though, an Antatticistes and a Seguerianus. There are many, many, many more. — Bill 18:52, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Hmm, I don't know where the guy on the List of ancient Greeks came from then. Adam Bishop 19:01, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

This entry is improving rapidly and no longer warrants my original smart-ass commentary! I had in fact read the original article and was merely amused at the exclusive Hungarian connection. Many Anonymous are identifiable literary personalities, for whom we simply don't have a specific name, but there is no one actually named "anonymus," which is Greek (not in origin Latin) for "un-named." --Wetman 04:09, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

OK, I was wrong to devote an article on Anonymus exclusively to the author of GH (I just wanted to create a basic entry in Wikipedia about this author). But, at least I solicited an article on the various Anonymi (to use the Latin conjugation, sorry don't know Ancient Greek) Scott Moore 10:51, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Not to worry, Scott: properly it would be *Anonymoi but no one uses that, except in Greek of course; the word had already been taken into Latin in Antiquity, and Anonymi is correct if it must be used. As for the many Anons and the Anonymus GH: most of these Anons are in fact always referred to, except in the narrowest discussions, as "Anonymus X (i.e., "Anonymus Valesii); some few, among them the Anonymus GH, are in fact often referred to, as you stated, merely as "(the) Anonymus" because within their field there is no other anonymous authority of stature. (After disgorging all these Anonymi here, I had to chuckle at myself by the way: I really don't like Lists on Wikipedia, far preferring categories; so what have I now done? created a List of Nameless People....) Best, Bill 11:53, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)