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Polyneices' Name
editSeeing as it was listed as erroneusly meaning 'many victories' in Greek, I felt inclined to change it. Indeed, 'many victories' would be correct if the second portion of the the name stemmed from νικεω 'I victor', but it does not. Rather, the root is νεικεω, which denotes strife, and as such his name implies 'manifold strife.' This is given credence in Aeschylus' play 'Seven Against Thebes' when the seer Amphiaraos is declaiming Polyneices, claiming him for the cause for all the ruin to the Argives and, it is said, dwells twice on the second part of his name. The commentator in my translation footnotes this by saying that this second part means 'strife.' Indeed, the exclamation of Amphiaraos would have no meaning otherwise, so it is certain that it is this that is meant by his name. Alexaion 04:36, 23 July 2007 (UTC)
Duplicate article
editThis article is a duplicate of Eteocles. This article should be written from scratch so as not to duplicate the other article's material, or the two should be merged into one article about both brothers. Robert K S 15:12, 5 September 2007 (UTC)
Name Spelling
editIsn't his name spelled Polyneices?
Older or younger brother
editIn Sophocles' "Oedipus at Colonus," Ismene, in speaking to her father Oedipus, describes Polynices as the older brother of Eteocles:
"Now the younger, like some hot-headed boy, strips his elder brother Polynices, seizes the throne and drives him from his homeland."
Source: Sophocles, "The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus," Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 1984.
You can find the quoted passage in Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Three_Theban_Plays/IeBg8fWUmY4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=seizes%20the%20throne — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ulupoi (talk • contribs) 20:31, 30 August 2020 (UTC)