OLYMPOS

The name of the legendary Greek mountain Olympus—actually two mountains, one in Greece and another in Anatolia—is a word familiar to many from childhood. Yet, have we been reading it correctly all along? In Greek, the name is written as Όλυμπος (Olympos), but a closer examination of its phonetics and etymology reveals a different story.

In ancient Greek, the letter upsilon (υ) was pronounced as [u], unlike its modern Greek pronunciation as [i]. Applying this historical pronunciation shifts the name from Olympos to Olumpos. Furthermore, the letter combination "μπ" (mp) in Greek often represents the sound [b] in borrowed words, and the Greeks themselves consider Olympus to be of non-Greek origin, suggesting it was indeed borrowed. With this adjustment, Olumpos becomes Olubos.

Next, we can replace the Greek nominative ending -os with a Kartvelian equivalent, resulting in Olubi. The root lub is a significant clue, as it appears in hundreds of toponyms across the ancient and modern world, pointing to a widespread linguistic presence. This leaves the prefix O- to be interpreted.

As Merab Lomia once explained, the prefix O- in Megrelian—a Kartvelian language closely related to Georgian—functions as a toponymic marker, akin to the Georgian sa- or Megrelian le-, meaning "place of [the root]." For example, the Megrelian toponym Otsindali translates to "place of kittens," or "where the kittens are." Applying this to Olubi, the name can be interpreted as "place of the Lubs," referring to the Kartvelian-speaking people who likely left their linguistic imprint across the Old World.

This reinterpretation is further supported by transliteration patterns. When Greek words beginning with "Όλυμπ-" (Olympos) are automatically transliterated into Latin, they become "Olub-." For instance, Archea Olympia becomes Archea Olubia, and the cinema Olympia in Aegina is rendered as Olubia. These examples confirm that the corrected reading of Όλυμπος as Olubi not only aligns with historical phonetics but also reveals its Kartvelian etymology, tying the name to a "place of the Lubs."

This analysis challenges the conventional understanding of Olympus and underscores the deep Kartvelian influence on ancient toponyms, offering a fresh perspective on a name long thought to be quintessentially Greek.