On the semantics of psychic organs in Homer: a comparative analysis of the compounds of thumós and phrén

• Grant number: 24/16339-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Classical Languages
• Principal Investigator: José Marcos Mariani de Macedo
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique da Silva Sousa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In modern times, the concept that human beings are made up of a physical part, the body, and an abstract part, the mind, soul, spirit etc. seems obvious and unequivocal. However, this idea is not always true when we come into contact with a culture other than our own. This is the case when we look at the works of Homer. There, cognitive activity is represented through a series of organs, the so-called psychic organs. Despite their quantity, the bibliography generally points out that in most cases they can be considered synonymous. However, more recent studies show that in some contexts there may be a difference in their meaning. This project, in line with the more recent studies, proposes to analyze the compounds of two psychic organs, thumós and phrén, with the aim of determining the extent to which they, the compounds, maintain the synonymic relationship of the terms from which they derive.