Can Soteira be named?:the problem of the Bare Trans-divine Epithet

Abstract

Can Soteira be named?The problem of the bare trans-divine epithet Despite being such a characteristic feature of Greek religious language, Greek cult epithets remain a relatively new area in the study of Greek religion. 1So far discussions have tended to focus on different epithets qualifying gods' names, but the use of epithets without a divine name has received only passing remarks. 2 There are three common ways of referring to a god: by divine name alone, by epithet alone, and by the combination of god's name and epithet.While some epithets are specific to a single deity and hence easily recognizable when standing alone (such as Phoibos, Pythios and Lykeios for Apollo; Phytalmios for Poseidon), it is less straightforward with what Brul calls 'piclses trans-divines'. 3 Trans-divine epithets (such as Epekoos, Epiphanes, Hegemon and Soter) were epithets that could apply to more than one god in the Greek pantheon.These might often be gods with shared genealogies and/or cults (such as altars or shrines), 4 but the same epithet could also be borne independently by different gods who all lay claim, in one way or another, to the function referred to in the cult epithet.Given that a principal feature of Greek cult epithets is to identify a particular function or aspect of a god, it is not at all surprising that different gods performing similar functions, if in different ways or modes of operation, can carry the same epithet. 5Unlike some * I am most grateful to Professor Robert Parker for commenting on an earlier version of this article.I thank also Daniele Miano and Greg Votruba for discussing specific issues with me. 1 The main theoretical analyses of the Greek cult epithets are H.Usener (