Home › Glossary › Letter A

Aretalogy

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A poem recounting the virtues or miraculous deeds of a deity or hero

Detailed Definition
An aretalogy is a poetic hymn or narrative that lists the virtues, miracles, or divine attributes of a deity or hero, common in Hellenistic and religious poetry; it functions as both praise and theological exposition.
Example
Example in poetry:
Aretalogy in Egyptian hymns to Isis; aretology in Christian apocryphal acts of apostles; aretology in Rumi’s praise poems of divine attributes; aretology lists virtues or miraculous deeds of a deity or hero
Additional Notes
Poetry praising virtue or excellence; catalogues of heroic qualities. Ancient Greek genre. Related to encomium and panegyric. Often used in didactic or commemorative contexts.
Also Known As
Virtue catalog Excellence narrative Heroic deeds praise Miraculous acts recitation
Skip to main content