Abstract
Continuing the investigation into the " Greek gods, gods of the Greeks ", the aim this time is to understand the scope of this generic grouping in relation to the possible identity of the singular gods that make it up. Considering the parallel case of the Twelve gods, we can see that this may bea cultic entity that is the recipient of human homage. But the group is also likely, in specific contexts, to unfold as distinct gods. The notion of " Greek gods " is not just an abstraction mobilized for rhetorical purposes. The Hellenion, documented by Herodotus and by dedications, attests to its potential concrete anchorage and the representations it conveys. Moreover, theInquiry itself shows that the naming of theoi, a process that Herodotus traces back to the Pelasges instructed by the Egyptians, potentially applies to all Greeks.
What then of the relationship between the name of a god present in this imaginary shared by the Greeks and the nicknames - what we call epiclesis - attributed to him locally ? In other words, does a god retain, or not, a unity behind the multiplicity of cults he receives ? An analysis of the various factors that led to the multiplication of entities in the superhuman world of the Greeks suggests a positive answer. Whether it's the group of " Greek gods ", the group of " Twelve gods ", feminine collectives such as the Charites or the Muses, or each divinity whose name is in the singular and receives epiclesis in the cults, the Greeks conceived them as powers that could be condensed or deployed according to the contexts and expectations of those who honored them.
