How do YOU pronounce 'Thoth'?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Aug 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

lawguy51	16 Aug 2003
I just left a reply in another thread, talking about my Thoth deck and it caused me to recall a visit to a bookstore the other day. The woman behind the counter pronounced it Thoth, while lots of other pronounce it Toth. Oddly, the word is not in my Websters. Oh, and while we're on the subject of dictionaries, what in the heck is a 'medial experience'? That phrase comes up in Thoth meanings of cards like the Princess of Cups. I've looked up medial and it talks of the middle path, or middle voice, but I get the impression that the books are describing something of a more intuitive or psychic experience. Any linguists out there who can help me? Lawguy51

Marion	16 Aug 2003
I would guess it means an experience where you are able to integrate or reconcile two opposing issues, concepts or ideas. A former member used as his sig "I have thoth on my blouth".

Astraea	16 Aug 2003
My ancient Random House dictionary says that the correct pronunciation is "Thoth" (with the "th" sounded, as in "thing"), not "Toth," and that the "o" is soft (as in "cottage").

punkangelgcm437	16 Aug 2003
Even tho I dont have the deck, I said it like "Toth"...just cuz it's easier to say. But I'm probably saying it wrong. :-\

Logiatrix	16 Aug 2003
An Egyptian studies professor here at the college where I work pronounces "Thoth" like it rhymes with "both," with a hard "T." Suffice to say, he is not from Egypt. I have a reader/friend who is very loyal to the deck, and she also pronounces it that way, but she has a strong Argentinian accent, so I can't be sure if it's her accent or if it's on purpose. I committed a significant pocket of time searching for the correct pronunciation of "Thoth," myself. All that I discovered is that there are about a half-dozen different ways to say "tarot," and not many people know about the "Thoth" deck. So, I must admit, I gave up... I just call it the "Crowley-Harris" deck. ;) Peace, T.

lawguy51	16 Aug 2003
At the symposium I recently attended, I think everyone I talk to about the deck pronounced it Toth, like moth. Lawguy51

Astraea	16 Aug 2003
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"...it's a great deck, however we pronounce the word! :)

lawguy51	16 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Astraea "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"...it's a great deck, however we pronounce the word! :) ...and isn't it appropriate that a deck as enigmatic as the Thoth even has a name that we can't nail down! Lawguy51

Macavity	16 Aug 2003
I simply say Thoth - with both Th's as dipthongs like in the word "the" :) But I'm not sure it is THAT simple to say what is correct. This even seems to be debated by scholars. In ancient Egyptian you have the true name of the god (in hieroglyphs), which is usually transliterated as something like: "djhwty". However, noone really knows how ancient Egyptian was pronounced and hieroglyphs (as with Semitic languages) only show the consonant skeleton without vowels. We would probably say the above as something like "djer-hoo-ty" or perhaps teh-hoo-tee? The Ancient Greeks tried something similar when they represented "teh-hoo-tee" as: theta-omega-theta (I believe) But I also understand the Greek letter theta has changed in pronunciation between ancient and modern times. In ancient times the T and the H were probably pronounced more seperately, so we can see how the Egyptian Teh-hoo-tee might be rendered (in Greek) as T(e)H-w-T(e)H with almost the same sound! But, As time progressed, we have come to render the Theta sound as the modern dipthong "th", so we arrive at Thoth as in "froth" }) Which is just a VERY long winded way of saying one can't be sure? :D Macavity

Marion	16 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Macavity Which is just a VERY long winded way of saying one can't be sure? :D Macavity Macavity, I have no idea in the world if you are kidding or not, but I am crying from laughing so I hope you aren't offended because you could likely hear it. I am sticking with two "th" sounds just because.

Ruby7	16 Aug 2003
I have never heard anyone ever speak the word Thoth, but in my head I have always heard it pronounced as Toth. But it does seem to make more sense that it would be pronounced with both th's sounding like the th in thing. Ruby7

firemaiden	17 Aug 2003
I thay " thoth" to thound egthactly like the thauthe that you thpill on your blouth.

Sorceress_Jade	17 Aug 2003
I had one lady correct me, rather rudely, and tell me it was pronounced tay-hoh-tay or teh-hoh-tay hard to type it out she said the was the egyptian pronounciation. I personally say th-ah-th with both soft thhh sounds, frankly... i'm not egyptian

Diana	17 Aug 2003
The dictionary says it can be pronounced two ways: th-o-th (both "th"s being pronounced as in "thanks" and not as in "those") and it can also be pronounced, quite simply "tot".

Macavity	17 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Marion Macavity, I have no idea in the world if you are kidding or not, Hey Marion - As Thoth is my witness... :laugh: (the "theta bit" was from a linguistic list) Just don't ask me how INPW (yin-eh-poo?) became Anubis! }) Macav.

lunalafey	17 Aug 2003
this is a great thread!!!!! My b/f just got this deck (big green one)....before he got it, it he pronounced it different every time he said it.....after he got it he asked me how it is supposed to be said, when I told him I had NO idea, we resorted to calling it 'my/your new deck' I kinda like the TOT....it's sorta ironic

firemaiden	17 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Diana and it can also be pronounced, quite simply "tot". Oh, I get it!! The Book of the Dead - as in - tot, as in getötet, as in der Tod :)

lawguy51	17 Aug 2003
Well thanks everyone, this has completely cleared up my uncertainty. So, from this point forward, I'm going to refer to this deck as the Harris deck :) Lawguy51

Astraea	17 Aug 2003
Quote: originally posted by lawguy51: ...and isn't it appropriate that a deck as enigmatic as the Thoth even has a name that we can't nail down! Indeed! And the ambiguity extends to the pronunciation of Crowley's own last name. Most people pronounce the "ow" as in "howl," but years ago I met a woman who knew Crowley and she said that he pronounced it as in "oh."

firemaiden	17 Aug 2003
ooh, whoops, I t'ought it was "Craw" -ley -- like, the sound a crow makes - caw-caw-caw -- I mean, that's how I say it. :)

Crowley	17 Aug 2003
I'm confused about this one because whenever I hear the word thoth each person seems to have a different waht to pronounce it. I do tend to pronounce it like toe othe Whats the right way? This is a mystery for me hhhhhheeeelllllllpppppp

lawguy51	17 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Crowley I'm confused about this one because whenever I hear the word thoth each person seems to have a different waht to pronounce it. Hey, Crowley, if you don't know we're cooked :D.

Ross G Caldwell	18 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden ooh, whoops, I t'ought it was "Craw" -ley -- like, the sound a crow makes - caw-caw-caw -- I mean, that's how I say it. :) Crowley rhymed his name with "holy" in a poem with the stanza "holy, holy, Aleister Crowley", so he himself clearly said it with the long "oh" sound. I'll try to find the poem. There's also "Old King Crowley was a merry old soul, a merry old soul was he, he called for his pipe and he called for his bowl, an' he called for his fiddlers three." Crowl-ey - bowl (an') he - another long o. (From "Olla - sixty years of song" - both of these have got to be on the internet somewhere.) Ross

Marion	18 Aug 2003
Sounds pretty definitive to me! Thanks Ross.

The How do YOU pronounce 'Thoth'? thread was originally posted on 16 Aug 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.