ἥρως

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 2 December 2015

Etymology

Uncertain. An original root *ἡρωϝ- (*hērōw-) was traditionally hypothesised by comparison with πάτρως (pátrōs), μήτρως (mḗtrōs), but had to be discarded considering the lack of /w/ in Mycenaean Greek 𐀴𐀪𐀮𐀫𐀁 (ti-ri-se-ro-e). Has been often compared with the theonym Ἥρα (Hḗra) and the proper name Ἥρυλλα (Hḗrulla). Assuming an original meaning “protector, defender”, traditionally also linked to Latin servō (“to protect, rescue”), Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (ha^uruuaⁱti, “to protect, defend”). According to Beekes, probably from Pre-Greek.^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hɛ̌ː.rɔːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)e̝.ros/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ros/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ros/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ros/

Noun

ἥρως • (hḗrōs) m (genitive ἥρωος); third declension

(Epic) a hero of the Trojan War: any of the major combatants of the Greek or Trojan forces
a hero or heroine of the ancient Greek religion: a human or demigod whose shrine was celebrated with chthonic rituals organized by local governments

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ἥρως; τοῦ ἥρωος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἥρως ho hḗrōs	τὼ ἥρωε / ἥρω tṑ hḗrōe / hḗrō	οἱ ἥρωες / ἥρως hoi hḗrōes / hḗrōs
Genitive	τοῦ ἥρωος / ἥρως / ἥρω toû hḗrōos / hḗrōs / hḗrō	τοῖν ἡρώοιν / ἡρῷν toîn hērṓoin / hērōîn	τῶν ἡρώων / ἡρῶν tôn hērṓōn / hērôn
Dative	τῷ ἥρωῐ̈ / ἥρῳ tōî hḗrōĭ̈ / hḗrōi	τοῖν ἡρώοιν / ἡρῷν toîn hērṓoin / hērōîn	τοῖς ἥρωσῐ / ἥρωσῐν toîs hḗrōsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ἥρωᾰ / ἥρω tòn hḗrōă / hḗrō	τὼ ἥρωε / ἥρω tṑ hḗrōe / hḗrō	τοὺς ἥρωᾰς / ἥρως toùs hḗrōăs / hḗrōs
Vocative	ἥρως hḗrōs	ἥρωε / ἥρω hḗrōe / hḗrō	ἥρωες / ἥρως hḗrōes / hḗrōs
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἥρως; ἥρωος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἥρως hḗrōs	ἥρωε hḗrōe	ἥρωες hḗrōes
Genitive	ἥρωος hḗrōos	ἡρώοιν / ἡρώοιῐν hērṓoi(ĭ)n	ἡρώων hērṓōn
Dative	ἥρῳ / ἥρωῐ̈ hḗrōi / hḗrōĭ̈	ἡρώοιν / ἡρώοιῐν hērṓoi(ĭ)n	ἥρωσῐ / ἥρωσῐν / ἡρώεσῐ / ἡρώεσῐν / ἡρώεσσῐ / ἡρώεσσῐν hḗrōsĭ(n) / hērṓesĭ(n) / hērṓessĭ(n)
Accusative	ἥρω / ἥρωᾰ hḗrō / hḗrōă	ἥρωε hḗrōe	ἥρωᾰς hḗrōăs
Vocative	ἥρως hḗrōs	ἥρωε hḗrōe	ἥρωες hḗrōes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

ἡρωίζω (hērōízō)
ἡρωϊκός (hērōïkós)
ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē)
ἡρώϊος (hērṓïos)
ἡρωΐς (hērōḯs)
ἡρωϊσμός (hērōïsmós)
ἡρωϊστής (hērōïstḗs)
ἡρῷον (hērōîon)

Descendants

Greek: ήρωας (íroas)
→ Armenian: հերոս (heros)
→ Latin: hērōs
- Italian: eroe
- → Old French: heroes
  - French: héros
  - → English: hero
    - Esperanto: heroo
    - Japanese: ヒーロー (hīrō)
    - → Thai: ฮีโร่ (hii-rôo)
- → Portuguese: herói
- → Sicilian: iroi
- → Spanish: héroe
- → Russian: геро́й (gerój)
  - → Kildin Sami: геройй (gjerojj)
- → Serbo-Croatian: heroj

References

^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960), “ἥρως”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 644f.
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἥρως”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 526

“ἥρως”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἥρως”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἥρως”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἥρως in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἥρως in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“ἥρως”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- demigod idem, page 209.
- hero idem, page 397.
- patron idem, page 599.
- saint idem, page 731.
ἥρως, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

[1] Frisk, Hjalmar (1960), “ἥρως”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 644f.

[2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἥρως”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 526

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