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Re: Samantha
by Kirke
1/3/2025, 7:58 PM
in reply to a message by Retrospectre
In doing some research on the Greek mythological name Psamathe I am seeing it as Psamanthe(perhaps by error of translation from the Greek) in old books. The similarity to Semanthe or Samanthe becomes more striking.In Bell's New Pantheon written in 1790 she is called Psamanthe. I am looking for earlier sources but have just started.An earlier source is this book from 1653. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Photiou_Myriobiblon_e_bibliotheke_Photii/ZW0dhUNjuQoC?hl=en&gbpv=0

This message was edited 1/3/2025, 8:12 PM

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- Retrospectre
1/4/2025, 4:30 AM
Psamathe's story is also told in Ovid's Metamorphoses, so Suckling would have been familiar with her story.
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- Retrospectre   +1
1/4/2025, 12:18 AM
That's a form I didn't check, looks promising. Could some of the other names from Suckling's play have a similar source? They are Aglaura, Thersames, Orbella, Ariaspes, Ziriff and Zorannes. And Semanthe and Iolas, but I recognize Iolas. They are supposed to be Persian I think.
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- Eleuteria
1/4/2025, 12:47 AM
Ariaspes is an ancient Persian name (presumably Hellenized):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariaspes
https://www.behindthename.com/name/ariaspes/submittedThersames might have got its ending from the name Arsames:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsames_(disambiguation)
https://www.behindthename.com/name/arsames/submittedBy the way, I've found this website, according to which the name Thersames is actually spelled Thersamnes:
https://cord.ung.edu/suck1agl.html
The name Ariaramnes has the same ending:
https://www.behindthename.com/name/ariaramnes/submitted
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariaramnes
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