Can anyone tell me how to pronounce the name “Arion”? He’s the horse sired by Poseidon and foaled of Gaia, or Demeter, depending on the source.
Thanks!
The name is a contraction of the classical Greek Αρειων - “braver” (smooth breathing, acute on iota). This word is pronounced “AH-rey-ahn”. However, I believe in coming into English it is more commonly pronounced “AIR-ee-on”.
Classical Greek? This horse?. All the vowels are short. A-ri-on. Modern western pronunciation is more like A-ree-on. If you go by the alternative spelling on that site, Areion, you’d pronounce it A-ray-own or A-re-i-own depending on whether the ei is a dipthong. It probably is, but I’m not sure. If there is an acute on the iota (not shown on that site) then it isn’t a dipthong.
I’m looking for the most accurate, classical pronunciation I can manage. I think I’m going to use it as a name for a hawk and figure if I’m going to use a mythological name, I want to be accurate about it.
It’s ah-RAY-awn, with the accent on the middle syllable (the long dipthong draws the accent to the penult). Basically, the whole thing rhymes with “a crayon,” but, strictly speaking, you should also roll the r.
The last vowel should be an omicron, not an omega.
Oops. I just checked L&S. I was wrong. It’s an omega after all.
That would make the last syllable long and the pronunciation would be more like ah-RAY-ohn, with the last syllable rhyming with “tone.”
DtC’s accent is correct; the modern pronunciation is so pervasive that I erroneously followed it even after noting the accent on the iota. To summarize, I think we agree this is “ah-RAY-ohn”.
Hey, thanks guys!
“Ah-RAY-ohn” it is.
