Greetings,

this is my first post. I wanted to pose a question about the name Elpenor. But first an observation: It is so heartening to see the name of Elpenor, a (supposedly) minor character in the Odyssey applied as community (koinonia). There is so little written about this fascinating character!

On the meaning of Elpenor: I read some years ago that the name is derived from the ancient Greek word elpo, meaning hope. I also read that the ancient metaphor for hope was something like - the warmth of the midday sun on a cold winter's day.

I was wondering if anybody else had some thoughts about the character and the name.

John (Australia)