A lot has been said and written about the ancient Greeks. Myths and sagas whispered from generation to generation, the theories of big thinkers passed down in basically the same way for thousands of years – and all still at the root of today’s thinking.

The resemblance in which stories about Moses and Christ were passed on is striking, especially considering that a big chunk of today’s religion is still based on that. Alas, as is only human, there are many discrepancies in all these stories, and we sincerely thank Dan Brown for unravelling some well kept religious secrets in his bestselling book, The Da Vinci Code. It has given us the courage to do the same with the ancient Greeks.

Take, for example, Socrates, a great philosopher of long ago. In reality he was an annoying little man who would go around asking what, how and why to anyone he met. Then his creative mind would bend and twist the answers into many of the theories modern thinking is based upon. That's all common knowledge. Not so well known, however, is the fact that he limped. His actual name was Michailis o Koutsos, or Michael the Limper if you wish. Mike, affectionately called Limpy by his pupils, would run all these thoughts and theories by them and they would answer as one: “Limpy, you are so creative, so create this theory.” Murmurs in the background could be heard mimicking: "so create this, so-create-this’. Thereby, Mike's nickname was born: Socreatis. Through time, as often happens, letters were dropped and it became Socrates.

Same goes for his student, Plato. His real name was Giannis o Kreopolis, John the Butcher to us. An honest village butcher serving his fellowman with steaks, some lamb chops and cold-cuts. As a big thinker he also had the ability to mould any thought into a philosophy. Many times his co-thinkers would be in awe and state “The man is amazing, words are like clay to him, he plays with them like my little one does with Play-Doh”. There you go, another nickname stuck. Play-Doh became Plato over the years.

And, how about that hero of ours, the well-travelled and courageous Odysseus. Only a few know his real name: Adonis o Diprosopos, or Two Face Tony’ in English. Tony actually did have two faces/lives. Before his historic travels he worked at the local taverna doing the washing up, just trying to make ends meet, as we all do. It was a secret he tried to hide, since it didn't fit in with his hero-image, and he did well in keeping it a secret – until now. Many a night after busy times at the taverna you could hear him moan from a hot and sweaty kitchen: ‘Oh no, dishes, oh-dishes’. His past stuck to him like glue in his nickname, Odysseus – spiced up with fancy spelling maybe, but still . . .

We consider it proven fact that today’s tradition of nicknames (also known as paratsoukli) stems from long, long ago. Even the Romans adopted this tradition and passed it on to their children's’ children, the effects still noticeable in the darker Italian corners of Chicago, Detroit and New York, or in the dialogue of The Godfather. And, as stated in a scene in the blockbuster movie, My big fat Greek Wedding, everything does come from Greek and the Greeks. The truth is out there, you just need to know how to read the signs.