Aidos
Aidos or Aedos (; Greek: Αἰδώς, pronounced [ai̯dɔ̌ːs]) was the Greek personification of either shame or modesty. Aidos, as a quality, was that feeling of reverence or shame which restrains men from wrong. It also encompassed the emotion that a rich person might feel in the presence of the impoverished, that their disparity of wealth, whether a matter of luck or merit, was ultimately undeserved. Ancient and Christian humility share common themes: they both reject egotism, self-centeredness, arrogance, and excessive pride; they also recognize human limitations. Aristotle defined it as a middle ground between vanity and cowardice.
In Greek, aidos (αἰδώς) is a noun that means shame, modesty, and reverence, and it is also personified as the goddess of these virtues. As a goddess, she was the last to leave Earth and was the companion of Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance. The concept of aidos was central to ancient Greek ethics, representing a moral force that prevented wrongdoing and was deeply ingrained in society.
The word aidos
- Meaning: A noun denoting the virtues of respect, shame, modesty, and humility.
- Usage: It appears in ancient Greek texts and has a parallel usage in the New Testament to describe modest attire that comes from inward reverence.
- Example: The phrase “Aidos Argeioi!” which translates to “Shame on you, Argeians!” was famously shouted by the hero Ajax to his comrades.
The goddess Aidos
- Personification: A deity who personified the abstract qualities of modesty, shame, and reverence.
- Mythological role: She was considered a moral force that kept people from behaving disgracefully.
- Lineage: She was sometimes described as the daughter of Prometheus.
- Companion: She was a close companion of the goddess Nemesis.
- Legacy: She was the last deity to abandon Earth after the Golden Age.
The ethical concept
- Moral restraint: Aidos was an inner sense of shame that prevented a person from acting wrongly.
- Respect for others: It also included a sense of reverence for others, such as a rich person’s shame in the presence of the poor.
- Influence: The concept was considered important by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle and was a guiding principle for ethical behavior.
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://religion.fandom.com/wiki/Aidos
[2] https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/aidos
[3] https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/aidos
[4] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aidos
[5] https://biblehub.com/greek/127.htm
[6] https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-Greek-word-aidos-mean
[7] https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Aidos.html
Eidos and aidos are two distinct terms from Ancient Greek, with completely different meanings and contexts.
Eidos (εἶδος) • Meaning: The term literally means “that which is seen,” “shape,” “form,” “appearance,” “type,” or “essence”.
- Philosophical Context (Plato): In Platonic philosophy, eidos (often translated as “Form” or “Idea”) is a central concept referring to the perfect, eternal, and unchanging essence or blueprint of any given thing. Physical objects in the sensory world are imperfect, temporary reflections of these true, non-physical Forms.
- General Context: The term is also used in a general sense to mean a form, kind, or species (e.g., in Aristotle’s biology or hylomorphism).
Aidos (αἰδώς) • Meaning: This term signifies shame, modesty, respect, reverence, and humility.
- Ethical/Mythological Context: Aidos was personified as a Greek goddess or spirit (daimon) who was a companion of Nemesis (the goddess of divine retribution). As a moral quality, aidos was the feeling of shame or reverence that restrained people from doing wrong or behaving disgracefully.
- Social Context: In Homeric society, aidos was a crucial social and ethical force, often compelling a hero to stand his ground in battle for fear of the shame he would feel in front of his peers if he fled.
Summary of Differences
| Term | Pronunciation (approx.) | Primary Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eidos | EYE-doss or AY-doss | Form, essence, idea, shape | Philosophy (Plato’s theory of Forms), general classification |
| Aidos | EYE-dōs | Shame, modesty, respect, reverence | Greek mythology, ethics, and social conduct |
In short, eidos relates to the nature of reality and being (metaphysics), while aidos relates to moral and social behavior (ethics).
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Falcom/comments/189wzpx/why_did_xseed_change_the_name_of_aidoseidos_to/
[2] https://www.planksip.org/the-idea-of-form-eidos-in-metaphysics-and-form-1761314913173/
[3] https://www.planksip.org/the-idea-of-form-eidos-in-metaphysics-and-form-1760186408484/
[5] https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/08/plato-theory-ideas-eva-brann-90.html
[6] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/form-matter/
[8] https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Aidos.html
[10] https://thebookbindersdaughter.com/2017/01/10/hero-shaming-aidos-and-nemesis-in-logues-war-music/
[11] https://biblehub.com/greek/1491.htm
[12] https://benhaller.com/eidos.html
[13] https://www.reddit.com/r/yugioh/comments/1karmqv/etymology_duelist_advance/
[14] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eidos
[15] https://www.planksip.org/the-idea-of-form-eidos-in-metaphysics-and-form-1759410255323/
[16] https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/aedos
[17] https://www.planksip.org/the-idea-of-form-eidos-in-metaphysics-and-form-1761314913173/