Abstract
It is specifi ed in the article that the practice of nicknaming people in Ancient Greece has a very old tradition; it dates back, as is possible to judge, to the 2nd millennium BC, when the Hellenic mythology was being formed. We fi nd nicknames to a number of Ancient Greek mythological heroes (among them – Heracles-Alcides, Priamus-Podarces, Astyanax-Scamandrius, Cassandra-Alexandra). Beside constant nicknames we can see also situational ones (as Odysseus-Nobody in the cyclops’ cave). Hero’s patronymic could also serve as a nickname. Further, nicknames of cultural fi gures in Ancient Greece are analyzed. It is known that even the name Homer was considered a nickname by many ancient writers. Some modern scholars (for example, G. Nagy) believe that the name Hesiod is a nickname. Such names as Stesichorus and Plato are manifestly nicknames. Besides, among philosophers the practice of nicknaming colleagues was, as a matter of fact, especially popular.
Keywords
Greece, Archaic and Classical periods, nicknames, names, onomastic studies, mythology, heroes, culture actors, philosophers