Fantasy ( Greek: Φαντασία ; possibly the 12th century BC , that is, the 20th dynasty of the New Kingdom ) is an Egyptian from Memphis , a legendary poetess from the time of the Trojan War , who, according to some ancient authors, wrote poems about the Trojan War and the return of Odysseus on Ithaca , which served as a source of inspiration for Homer (VIII century BC. E.). This legend, like many other allegations regarding the Greek epic, does not have reliable evidence.
References
Patriarch Photius (9th century) quotes the mythographer Ptolemy Hephaestion (2nd century A.D.), who writes that “Fantasy, a woman from Memphis, daughter of Nicarh, before Homer wrote a story about the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus. Books were laid, as they say, in Memphis; Homer went there and received a list from Fanit, the temple scribe, and composed, inspired by them ” [1] .
According to a similar story retold by Bishop Eustathius of Solunsky (XII century A.D.), who recounted the story of “a certain Navkrat, ” Fantasy was the daughter of Nicarkh of Memphis, the wife of Reason, and the servant of Wisdom. She was distinguished by poetic talent and wrote poems about the Trojan War and the journey of Odysseus, putting books in the temple of Hephaestus in Memphis. Then Homer visited the sanctuary, convinced the priests to make a list of manuscripts for him, which he used in his work on the Iliad and Odyssey. Eustathius writes: “some say that this poet was an Egyptian or who visited Egypt and studied everything there” [2] . This story is one of the later biographical legends about Homer.
It is curious that neither Samuel Butler nor modern linguist , who both prove that the author of Odyssey, judging by the detailed description of household life, was a woman, is not mentioning Fantasy.
Name and term
Alexander Pope writes that it is strange to meet an Egyptian with a Greek name and that, most likely, at first the word “ fantasy ” relative to Homer's source of inspiration was used figuratively, and then as a result of an error it was taken for a real name [3] .
According to another version, on the contrary, the word "fantasy" arose on behalf of Fantasy. However, the standard etymology of the word indicates that φαντασία comes from φαντάζω (“show in the mind or imagination”), which, in turn, comes from φα отνω (“show in the light”, cf. “ hierophant ” - holy + show ) and is the same root with ϕῶς (“light”, as in the word “ phosphorus ”).
Proponents of the version of the existence of an Egyptian poetess in the 19th century wrote that this etymology may not be true or is the result of a coincidence, and the Egyptian Fantasy was most likely a priestess, possibly Isis , because they saw in her name the root Phant / Phont which in that an era in that region was a designation of priestly dignity; moreover, the Copts survived to this day in the form of Hant / Hont [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Photius biblioteca 190
- ↑ Eustathius of Thessalonica. Commentary on the Odyssey 1.2. (Monuments of Byzantine literature of the IX — XIV centuries. M., 1969. P.238)
- ↑ The Iliad of Homer
- ↑ Jacob Bryant. Some observations upon the Vindication of Homer, and of the ancient poets