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ArchivesRe: Ascanio
in reply to a message by CruelPumps
The Italian name seems to derive from Latin Ascanius and that in turn from an even older Greek name Ascanios:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ascanius
Given that, I don't think that there is a connection to Spanish Ascension or any words at the origin of that name.
After an extended Google search I got the impression that the etymology of Ascanios is unknown.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ascanius
Given that, I don't think that there is a connection to Spanish Ascension or any words at the origin of that name.
After an extended Google search I got the impression that the etymology of Ascanios is unknown.
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Replies
My first thought for an etymology would be a relation to Old Germanic *askiz "ash tree". But this does not fit well to the name of a hero from greco-roman mythology. So I agree with René: We just don't know.
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One possibility: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=skein
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Ascanius is Latin for the Greek Askanios, deriving from a-skanios, the Dweller. As usual in Greek / Roman mythology, Ascanius has different backgrounds, depending on the author, he is either the son of Priamos, king of Troy,or the son of Aeneas, founder of Rome (and son of Priamos), or also the son of a certain Hippotion. The mother is usually a goddess or half-goddess.
P.S. It is hard to find this kind of thing just by using general etymological lexica, I went to the Etymologisch-symbolisch-mythologisches Real-Wörterbuch zum Handgebrauch für Bilderforscher, Archäologen und bildende Künstler by F. Nork, published Stuttgart 1843 which you will find online. It is in German, of course, but even if you don't read German, check out the title which is just fantastically long and complicated - and enjoy!
P.S. It is hard to find this kind of thing just by using general etymological lexica, I went to the Etymologisch-symbolisch-mythologisches Real-Wörterbuch zum Handgebrauch für Bilderforscher, Archäologen und bildende Künstler by F. Nork, published Stuttgart 1843 which you will find online. It is in German, of course, but even if you don't read German, check out the title which is just fantastically long and complicated - and enjoy!
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I checked the book - it's an interesting one, indeed.
Just a word of caution: In 1843, the year this book was published, linguistics and the study of etymologies were still rather young sciences. Maybe the similarity with a Greek word for "dweller" is pure coincidence.
Funny anyway that the name should mean simply "dweller", not "dweller of place (x)" or "citizen of city (y)" or similar.
Just a word of caution: In 1843, the year this book was published, linguistics and the study of etymologies were still rather young sciences. Maybe the similarity with a Greek word for "dweller" is pure coincidence.
Funny anyway that the name should mean simply "dweller", not "dweller of place (x)" or "citizen of city (y)" or similar.
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