The Name of a King: Priam, Leadership, and Linguistic Primacy in Luwian and Albanian Contexts

The name Priam (Πρίαμος) has an uncertain etymology that Ancient Greek alone does not fully explain. Most scholars derive it from the Luwian form Pa‑ri‑a‑mu‑a‑ (𒉺𒊑𒀀𒈬𒀀), interpreted as “exceptionally courageous” in an Anatolian context and attested in Kizzuwatna, with related Greek forms such as Paramoas near Kaisareia in Cappadocia. Some researchers have tentatively linked Priam with the warlord Piyama‑Radu mentioned in Hittite texts, though this identification remains disputed. A later Greek folk etymology connects the name with the verb príamai (“to buy”), reflected in the myth of Priam’s ransom by his sister Hesione; however, these accounts postdate the earliest attestations of the name and are generally regarded as secondary. Within the Homeric tradition, Priam’s role as king reinforces semantic associations with primacy, as the ruler occupies the foremost position in society.

From a comparative and symbolic perspective, the name may be tentatively segmented as PRI + IAM or PRÌ-AM. The element PRI resonates conceptually with Albanian prij and related forms (prijës, “leader”), which derive from Proto-Albanian prei and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root prō, meaning “forward” or “in front of,” evoking notions of leading, guiding, or being at the head. The Albanian verb prij in the present tense—prij, prin, prin, prijmë, prini, prijnë—shows that the first-person singular is PRIJ, which can be analyzed as a doubling of the element “i.” The ancient root of prij can be interpreted as the union of the adjectival form bh(ë)l (from the primordial root bh(ë), corresponding to modern Albanian bëj, “to make/do”) with the primordial form for the number one, i. Phonetic evolution over time—bh(ë)l → bh(ë)r → phr → pr—combined with i yields the semantic concept of “made first” or “being first,” aligning with the leadership and primacy inherent in both the Albanian verb and the symbolic reading of PRI.

The second element, IAM or AM (modern Albanian jam), represents the first-person singular of “to be,” analogous to English “I am.” Together, these elements suggest a symbolic interpretation of the name Priam as “I am the first” or “one who affirms primacy through being,” offered as a heuristic model that complements—rather than replaces—established philological accounts.

Notably, only in the Albanian language does this symbolic meaning of “first” persist today. The semantic range of first in Albanian includes:

1. The person in charge of a task, activity, or group; the one who leads or directs, e.g., “the first of the house,” “the first of the dance.”

2. The one with the best achievements in a task or competition; the most skilled or capable, e.g., “the first of the class.”

3. Ancestors or the oldest generations, e.g., “our ancestors; the customs of the ancestors.”

4. Leaders of the country or holders of primacy, e.g., “the leaders of the country.”

This persistent semantic field underscores a uniquely Albanian conceptual continuity linking leadership, precedence, and being first, further supporting the interpretive relevance of PRI in the symbolic reading of Priam.

Interestingly, in my view, the Luwian form Pa‑ri‑a‑mu‑a- can also be interpreted through an Albanian-oriented lens as PAR‑IAM‑U or PARI-AM-U where PAR or PARI = first, IAM or AM= am, and U =I, producing the symbolic meaning “I am the first.” This interpretation aligns with the semantic field found in Albanian and illustrates a conceptual resonance between the ancient Luwian form and the linguistic-symbolic notions of primacy and leadership preserved in the Albanian language. While speculative, becaues the linguists say the Albanian language is written late, it highlights the continuity of symbolic associations of leadership and precedence across time and language.

References:

1. Apollodorus, The Library with an English translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4.

2. Homer, The Iliad with an English translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in 2 volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. ISBN 978-0674995796. 

3. The Homeric Operas in Five Volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. ISBN 978-0198145318. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.

4. Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Priamus"
5. Vladimir Orel, Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Brill, 1998.

6. Bardhyl Demiraj, Historical Dictionary of Albanian, Scarecrow Press, 2010.

7. Watkins, Calvert. The Language of the Trojans, in Troy and the Trojan War: A Symposium, Bryn Mawr, 1986.

8. Indo-European root prō context. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Proto-Indo-European-language

9. Albanian Language Dictionary
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"PARË m.
1. Ai që është në krye të një pune, të një veprimtarie a të një grupi njerëzish; ai që udhëheq a drejton një punë. I pari i shtëpisë (i fisit, i fshatit). I pari i valles. Kë keni të parë këtu! Ku ka shumë të parë, puna s'ecën mbarë. fj. u.
2. Ai që ka arritjet më të mira në një punë a që del në krye të një gare; ai që është më i zoti, më i aftë se të tjerët. I pari i klasës.
3. vet. ~Ë, ~ËT(të). Stërgjyshërit, brezat më të vjetër. Të parët tonë. Zakonet e të parëve. Na e kanë lënë të parët.
4. vet. ~Ë, ~ËT (të) vjet. Krerët e vendit, parësia. Të parët e vendit.:

Translation:
FIRST m.1. The one who is in charge of a job, an activity or a group of people; the one who leads or directs a job. The head of the house (of the tribe, of the village). The head of the dance. Who do you have in front of you here! Where there are many in front of you, the work does not go well. fj. u.
2. The one who has the best achievements in a job or who comes out on top in a competition; the one who is more skillful, more capable than others. The first in the class.
3. self. ~Ë, ~ËT(s). Grandparents, older generations. Our ancestors. The customs of our ancestors. Our ancestors have left us.
4. own. ~Ë, ~ËT (th) years. The leaders of the country, the primacy. The leaders of the country.