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June 8

ΗΑΓΙΑ ΕΥΔΟΚΗΑ

The attached Byzantine stonecraft represents Aelia Eudocia, saint and empress. What peeves me is the Greek spelling of her name in the mosaic. I don't really know Greek, but I read it as ΗΑΓΙΑ ΕΥΔΟΚΗΑ. However it seems very irregular to me as Η is representing both /h/ and /i/ in the same phrase. Is that normal and I am missing basic notions of Greek alphabet? Is it a transitional spelling? Is it because Eudocia was both a Christian saint and a Homeric erudite? --Error (talk) 00:18, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The first Η, could be the article, the latin H in the file name would represent the Rough breathing, which isn't marked in the mosaic. I'm not that familiar with Greek from that period or the use of articles to be sure. This mosaic seems to confirm my suspects, not sure of its dating, but icons weres probably quite conservative. Personuser (talk) 01:01, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Saint Panteleimon, Nicosia was started in 1993, if I understand the Google translation of bg:Свети Пантелеймон (Никозия). (It makes me wonder whether the mosaic is allowed to be in Commmons.)

I didn't know of it as an article (wikt:Η). It makes sense, though.

--Error (talk) 08:22, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I guess the self proclaimed copyright owner is the one who took the picture, not sure how this works for mosaics. Your dating is some centuries more accurate than my supposition (at least the infobox is pretty clear to me) and it seems I managed to choose probably the worst possible image for comparision; the explanation is otherwise more solid the more I look at it ("the Saint Eudocia", in English you wouldn't use the article, but seems used even in modern Greek). Personuser (talk) 09:08, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A couple of letters are paired. Does that indicate a diphthong? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:58, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think so. ΓΙ becomes /j/, ΕΥ becomes (in this context) /ev/, and ΗΑ is /ia/.

Another example is this icon of Saint Philothei of Athens. This use of the definite article is perfectly common in Greek. For a male saint the article is (in Ancient Greek) ὁ, as a capital letter without spiritus Ο, as seen (with spiritus) on icons for the saints Eutychius and Leonidas. The file on Wikimedia Commons should be renamed to "Agia Eudokia.jpg". --Lambiam 10:16, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

So it is an article. Thanks everybody. --Error (talk) 10:53, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Addition re diphtongs: Certainly not dipthongs here. Since the Ι is stressed, ΓΙ here actually becomes /ji/ (ajía). Also the Η in HA is stressed, creating two clearly separate sounds (evdokía). --T*U (talk) 14:01, 15 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

What's missing phrase after "I am"?

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Harry speaks to his son:

Harry: Albus Severus Potter...you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was Slytherin... and he was the bravest man I've ever known.

Albus: But just say that I am.

Harry: Then Slytherin House will have gained a wonderful young wizard. But, listen, if it really means that much to you, you can choose Gryffindor.

What's missing phrase after "I am"? Rizosome (talk) 11:36, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't read the book, but from context it appears that Albus is saying "But just say that I am the bravest man you've ever known". This follows logically from Harry's line. I could be wrong though. JIP | Talk 12:06, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Albus was actually wondering what will happen if he's selected to go to Slytherin House, because it still has a bad reputation, so he's really asking "but what if I am put in Slytherin" despite what Harry said about Slytherins. (Personally I think if a magic hat sorts out all of the evil people for you, it seems like it would be easy to immediately solve all their problems, but oh well.) Adam Bishop (talk) 12:21, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Adam Bishop, I think the concept of good vs. evil and Slytherin vs. Gryffindor is far more nuanced than you give it credit for. Perhaps Slytherin has a "bad reputation" among some... but the sorting hat certainly isn't "sorting out all of the evil people". That's not the point of the four Houses. Elizium23 (talk) 14:25, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

They should execute everyone sorted into Slytherin, just to be safe. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:40, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Agree with Adam Bishop. This is made clear by what Harry says next: "Slytherin House will have gained a wonderful young wizard" if Albus is sorted into it. --Khajidha (talk) 14:16, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, this snippet of dialogue is immediately preceded by young Albus, about to take the Hogwarts Express for the first time, anxiously questioning: "Dad, what if I am put in Slytherin?". Decades earlier, the Sorting Hat had been inclined to sort Harry into Slytherin, but was swayed by his ardent wish to be put in Gryffindor. --Lambiam 18:49, 8 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It appears I was completely wrong. As I said, I hadn't read the book, so the only context I had was what was written in this question. JIP | Talk 09:37, 9 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]