Myths on Maps

As I edit the descriptions of characters, it occurs to me that it might be useful to establish and/or make explicit some conventions of descriptions (of characters, groups and events) so that they will be consistent:

• All descriptions should be in the present tense.
• Descriptions should not be overly detailed. They should provide just enough detail to disambiguate characters of the same name, or to jog someone's memory about who a character is. Do not try to summarize an entire myth, but do refer very briefly to the myth
• The descriptions should be written in natural sounding English, and should not borrow archaic, awkward or euphemistic words or phrases from the descriptions in the sources (eg "wroth" "begat" "lie with" "slay")
• References to particular sources or authors should not be included in the descriptions. That is, don't say "according to Homer" or "in the Iliad"

I am currently making all the demonyms for Apollodorus and came across "greeks" just after the bit with Deucalion's flood. All that happens is that they have their name changed to Hellenes. Lauren thinks that it's not good to mark them up as Greeks because that's not how it would show up in the Greek. I'm not sure what to do: Mark it up; leave it blank? Laurel? Simon

It's true that I think that a "Greeks" group might be too big to be useful, since it will include a huge number of people and groups, and criteria for membership will be difficult to define and apply consistently, especially since I don't think that "Greeks" is used consistently of any Greek word across texts and translations. I could be brought around to the idea of such a group, but only if we think carefully about it first and are explicit about what a "greeks" group is, who will be in it and when will we use it. --Lauren