ciwνal(i)-
‘the divine one (vel sim.)’
- Language
- Lydian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 2674
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Lydian
ciwνal(i)-
‘the divine one (vel sim.)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in an inscription on a marble stele found reused in the acropolis of Sardis that has not been dated accurately.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. pl. | ciwνališ | LW 10.8 (Sardis) |
The grammatical interpretation of ciwνališ as nom. sg. c. given in Gusmani 1964a:93 can be considered outdated because of the verbal form in -rs, i.e. šers, now correctly recognized as 3pl. pret. act. Therefore, the subject ciwνališ must be nom. pl. (Sasseville 2021a:385).
[D.S.]
1.1.3Meaning
Heubeck 1959a:65 translates ciwνališ with ‘divine’ on obvious etymological grounds with Lyd. ciw- ‘god’. Further, Werner 1961a:83 connects Lyd. ciwνališ with Hitt. šiunaleš ‘the divine ones (in heaven)’ (CHD Š:505), which has been generally accepted (Gusmani 1964a:93, Melchert 1994a:339). In a wider contextual analysis, Sasseville 2021a:385 shows that the Lydian ciwνališ are the ones releasing seals to certain people, like in this case the seal of Katowa. Therefore, it would imply that the divine ones (in heaven) or in other words the gods (probably of the nearby temenos) would be the ones to have produced and given him his seal, granting him certain benefits.
[D.S.]
1.1.4Stem
The formation in -al(i)- is derived from an n-stem ciwν- (corresponding to Hitt. siun-), which is, however, missing in the base ciw- ‘god’; cf. Melchert 1994a:339.
[D.S.]
For the lemma head, see Lyd. ciw-.