Talk:Chthonic
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[edit] Corinthian or Chthonic?
As for the title of the first section, I think it's rather puzzling to have a "Corinthian" alongside the "Olympian". Could it be "Chthonic" instead? --193.252.199.51 11:09, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Olympian Demeter =
Wiki:Even more confusingly, Demeter was worshipped alongside of Persephone with identical rites, and yet was occasionally classified as an "Olympian" in poetry and myth.
Occasionaly? Demeter is one of the 12 olympian gods.
[edit] Aphrodite?
I was just reading a hymn from the greek magical papyri to Kytheria (Cyprus-born = Aphrodite) and she is address thus:
"O foam-born Kythereia, mother of Both gods and men, etherial and chthonic"
is this unusual? or should she be included in this article as well?--Feralnostalgia 11:19, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Major revision needed, IMO
The word "chthonic" isn't used just in reference to Greek gods. It is used to describe a classification of myths, figures, deities and motifs across multiple cultures and times. Osiris and Demeter are both chthonic deities. Osiris is Egyptian. I'm not sure if Aphrodite is considered to be a chthonic deity. She's got the love thing going for her. But Chthonic aren't just known for their associations with life/fertility, they are also recognized for a concommittant association with death, the two together represent the process of rebirth. Demeter, when searching for her daughter Persephone (another chthonic figure), is known as Demeter Erinys. Erinys is associated with the Furies. Demeter was willing to allow the world to die of winter/starvation. This narrative is an explanation of the seasons: fertility and famine/death and the world's rebirth mirroring that of the spiritual rebirth of the individual, central chthonic motifs. I removed the part of the line under "Chthonic and Olympian" that stated, "Chthonic deities tended to prefer black victims over white ones..." This strikes me as biased (be it religious, cultural, or otherwise), specious and inflammatory. Since it had no ref., I felt it was best to remove it. Any suggestions for further improvement? Phyesalis 12:39, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Pronunciation
The information in Greek Alphabet, Ancient Greek phonology and Modern Greek phonology don't seem to indicate that the initial letter would be pronounced with an 'h' sound as the article states. The Storm Surfer 09:15, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
- A 'h' sound (/h/) is the closest approximation in English phonology to the /x/ - /ç/ sound of modern Greek and later Ancient Greek. I'll edit it to add the IPA transcription. Xander 00:20, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
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- Where does the k come from in the pronunciation? You have çθonikos where you should have çθonios, no? Also, my IPA is rusty, but that should be a long i (ee), whereas with the k after it it would be short. Also, you say "modern Greek and later Ancient Greek", but in classical (say, Attic) Greek wouldn't the chi be pronounced kh? I suspect the Attic pronunciation might be closer to /kʰətʰoniɔs/, but I'm no expert. --DavidConrad 00:09, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
