God name

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A god's name is a sacred name in namology that names a deity by name. Names of gods are divided into forms of names that name a god of the Abrahamic religions ( god's name ) or a deity among the pagan gods and goddesses (see Germanic or Celtic god names ). Often a god's name appears as a component in place names and personal names of a language. Such names are interpreted as theophore names in name science.

The anthroponymy one by the people for mythical beings invented names to personal names, including taking names for demons, deities or personalized animals.

Religious history

In the history of religion, the naming of a deity is an expression of people's ideas of their individuality and personality. Naming by name is an elementary form of the representation of a deity, which enables the individual invocation of a deity in prayer and is sometimes intended to ensure its magical availability.

It is widely assumed that name and personality correspond to identity. The desired properties are expressed directly as “speaking names”. The many names of a god therefore often reflect the fullness of his power, sometimes it also results from the interpretation of two originally different deities in the naming or in the pictorial representation.

The complete unavailability of a deity, on the other hand, is expressed both in theological views on the Jewish god and in magical practices on pagan deities in the fact that a deity is viewed as nameless or bears a secret name hidden from humans.

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b cf. Burkhard Gladigow: God names and name of God . In: Heinrich von Stietencron (ed.): The name of God. Patmos, Düsseldorf 1975, pp. 13-32.
  2. ↑ See Thorsten Andersson :  Theophore names. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 30, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-018385-4 , pp. 442-452.
  3. ↑ a b c d Cf. Bernhard Maier:  God names. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 12, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-016227-X , pp. 295-296.
  4. ↑ See Andrea Brendler, Silvio Brendler: Europäische Personalennamensysteme. A handbook from Abasic to Centraladin . Baar, Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-935536-65-3
  5. ↑ See Bernhard Maier :  Interpretatio. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 15, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2000, ISBN 3-11-016649-6 , pp. 460-465.

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