Psychai

Psychai are the diminutive, winged shades of the dead in Greek mythology and some fifth century BC funerary lekythoi.[1] Although commonly translated as "soul" today, in the epics of Homer it meant "life"[2] and didn't have any connection to consciousness or psychological functions in the living. It is only later, at the end of the fifth century BC in the works of other poets such as Pindar, that the word acquires its meaning relating to being the principal seat of intellect, emotion, and will.[3] From there, it became possible to translate psyche as "heart" or "soul".[4]

References
  1. Martin, Bridget. "COLD COMFORT: WINGED PSYCHAI ON FIFTH‐CENTURY BC GREEK FUNERARY LEKYTHOI." Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 59.1 (2016): 1.
  2. Dietrich, Bernard C. "Death and afterlife in Minoan religion." Kernos. Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 10 (1997): 25.
  3. Darcus Sullivan, Shirley. "Psyché in Pindar, Nemean 9.32 and 69." Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 81.1 (2003): 5.
  4. Darcus Sullivan, Shirley. "Psyché in Pindar, Nemean 9.32 and 69." Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 81.1 (2003): 9.

See also
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