Laudator Temporis Acti

The Greek suffix -ίδης (-idēs), when combined with a proper name, forms a patronymic, e.g.

• Πηλείδης (Peleidēs = son of Peleus, or Achilles)
  
• Τυδείδης (Tydeidēs = son of Tydeus, or Diomedes)
  
• Ἀτρείδης (Atreidēs = son of Atreus, usually Agamemnon) or the plural Ἀτρεῖδαι (Atreidai = sons of Atreus, or Agamemnon and Menelaus)
  
• Κρονίδης (Kronidēs = son of Kronos, or Zeus)

All of these forms appear in Homer, and later Greek poets follow him. Choices for translators are limited. When Ἀτρείδης, say, occurs in Greek, it can be rendered as "son of Atreus" or "Atreus' son," paraphrased as Agamemnon, or simply transliterated as Atreidēs.

Some English names are patronymics as well. Johnson, for example, is "John's son." My father's first name was Vernon, so I could possibly be called Vernonson.

Frederick M. Combellack translated the Greek poet Quintus Smyrnaeus in a book with the title The War at Troy: What Homer Didn't Tell, by Quintus of Smyrna (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1968; rpt. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1996). In his translation Combellack adopted a unique way of translating Greek patronymics:

• Peleusson (for Peliadēs)
  
• Tydeusson (for Tydeidēs)
  
• Atreussons (for Atreidai)
  
• Cronosson (for Kronidēs)
  
• Etc.

To my mind, this is an unhappy experiment which should not be repeated. I do a double take every time I read one of these weird forms in Combellack's translation. It is just as odd as writing Samuel Johnidēs instead of Samuel Johnson.