«Come sei lunatica!». Evoluzione del nome della Luna nella lingua greca

The name of the Moon in Greek has experienced over time several trans- formations, explained by some important scholars as the result of a Sprachtabu. The Moon is linked to the Night, which was perceived by Greeks as a threatening and dangerous world; moreover, the belief of a connection between Moon and epilepsy was deeply rooted in popular wisdom and still existed in the Roman era. This paper investigates the diachronic succession of the names of the Moon, in order to show the main transformations occurred (e.g., the gender change of the name). Though chronological boundaries are not clear-cut, the data are mostly consistent with the Sprachtabu thesis, even for the late replacement of σελήνη with φεγγάριον; however, we might consider the influence of other additional factors.