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{{Short description|Greek pseudonym, literally "no one"}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2025}}
'''Outis''' (a [[Romanization of Greek|transliteration]] of the [[Ancient Greek]] pronoun {{lang|grc|Οὔτις}}, meaning "[[wiktionary:nobody|nobody]]" or "no one")<ref>{{LSJ|ou)/tis1|οὔτις|ref}}.</ref> is an often used [[pseudonym]] that appeared famously in Classical Greek legends. Modern artists, writers, and others in public life have adopted the use of this pseudonym in order to hide their identity and it has been used for fictional characters as well.

== Ancient Greek origin of the pseudonym ==
[[Image:Odysseus Polyphemos Cdm Paris 190.jpg|thumb|right|Blinding of the Cyclops]]
The [[Homeric]] hero [[Odysseus]] used the pseudonym "Outis" when he was fighting the [[Cyclops]] [[Polyphemus]] and the monster demanded his name. Odysseus replied instead that the pronoun was his name in order to trick the monster. After Odysseus had put out the monster's eye, Polyphemus shouted in pain to the other Cyclopes of the island. When they shouted back, inquiring whether Polyphemus was in danger, he replied that "Nobody" was trying to kill him, so presuming that he was not in any danger, none of them came to his rescue. The story of the Cyclops can be found in the ''[[Odyssey]]'', book 9 (in the [[Cyclopeia]]).

Use of the name "Nobody" can be found in five different lines of Book 9. 

First of all in line 366:
{{quote|"Cyclops, you asked my noble name, and I will tell it; but do you give the stranger's gift, just as you promised. My name is Nobody. Nobody I am called by mother, father, and by all my comrades."}}

Then in line 369:
{{quote|So I spoke, and from a ruthless heart he straightway answered: "Nobody I eat up last, after his comrades; all the rest first; and that shall be the stranger's gift for you."}}

Then in line 408:
{{quote|Then in his turn from out the cave big Polyphemus answered: "Friends, Nobody is murdering me by craft. Force there is none." But answering him in winged words they said: "If nobody harms you when you are left alone, illness which comes from mighty Zeus you cannot fly. But make your prayer to your father, lord Poseidon".}}

In line 455:
{{quote|"Are you sorry because that wicked Nobody brought your master down with drink and blinded him?".}}

And in line 460:
{{quote|"I should thus have some revenge for the harm that no-good Nobody has done me".}}

== See also ==
*[[Alan Smithee]]
*[[Nemo (name)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.outis.it/ OUTIS-Centro di Drammaturgia Contemporanea-Milano]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927070126/http://www.gallery-diabolus.com/gallery/artist.php?id=utisz&page=131%2F Utisz in Gallery Diabolus]}}
*[http://mek.oszk.hu/01600/01686/html/ Poster book of István Orosz]

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[[Category:Alter egos]]
[[Category:Informal personal names]]
[[Category:Odysseus]]
[[Category:Polyphemus]]
[[Category:Anonymity pseudonyms]]
[[Category:Greek given names]]