ἐφιάλτης ὁ ἐπιπηδῶν

Grammatical information: m. (Phryn. Kom., Dsk.),

Meaning: `nightmare' (Phryn. Kom., Dsk.) - Έφιάλτης ( Έπι-) 1. mythical PN, son of Aloeus (or of Poseidon) and Iphimedeia, famous because of his unusual greatness and strength (Ε 385, λ 308, Pi. P. 4, 89); 2. PN (Hdt. etc.).,

Other forms: also ἐπιάλτης (Alc. in Eust. 1687, 52); in the same meaning also ἠπιάλης, acc. - ητα (Sophr.), ἠπιόλης (Hdn. Gr.).

Dialectal forms: Myc. E-pi-ja-ta?

Derivatives: ἐφιαλτικός `suffering from nightmare' (Medic.), and the plant-name ἐφιάλτιον, - τία (Ps.-Dsc., Aët., because of its prophylactic use, Strömberg Pflanzennamen 90).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: No etymology. In antiquity the name of `nightmare', which is clearly as original name of a demon identical with the mythical name (cf. Nilsson Gr. Rel. 1, 226), was connected with ἐφάλλομαι `jump (up)on somebody'; cf. ἐφιάλτης ὁ ἐπιπηδῶν H. and Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 33 n.1. The explanation, which is phonetically not without problems (Leumann Hom. Wörter 80 n. 45; s. also Schwyzer-Debrunner 465 n. 9 with different interpretation), must be considered as folk-etymology. The suggestion of Leumann l. c. (with Meister Dial. 1, 117), that ἐφιάλτης came from ἠπίαλος, name of a fever, through ἐπίαλος, ἐπιάλτης reshaped through folk-etymology after ἐφάλλομαι, is, acc. to Frisk, less probable because of the difference in meaning. Leumann separates the PN Έφιάλτης from that of the demon and connects it with ἐπ-ιάλλειν (but this does not explain the φ). - The forms ἠπιάλης, - όλης are based on mixing with ἠπίαλος, s. v. Other folk-etymological reshapings ( ἐφέλης, ἐπωφέλης etc.) in H. s. ἐπιάλης. If the name is identical with the noun ἠπίαλος, as Leumnn and Fur. 159, 258, 342 assume, it is Pre-Greek, which is what one might expect.

Page in Frisk: 1,598-599