Ἥλιος
sun
Translated by Catharine Roth26 Jul 2006Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
[sc. The sun is called h(/lios ] from being gathered together [a)olli/zesqai ] in the daytime. And at Athens there was a lawcourt [called] Heliaia, from the gathering of men.1 But the sun [is called h(/lios ] from warming [a)leai/nein ] which means heating and dispersing. But some say [it is so called] from the breath coming from the mouth to the fingers, which is called blowing [au)/ein ] and sighing [a)/zein ]2 by imitation of the sound of the heating of the mouth. Empedocles [writes]: "it travels around to leap [over] the great heaven."3