Accent rules and examples for Greek names ending in -ης, -νης, -ρης, with gender distinctions and phonetic/metrical notes (citations: Aeschylus, Pausanias, Homer).
λῃστής ἀπὸ τοῦ ληϊστής τρισυλλάβου· διὸ ἔχει προσκείμενον τὸ 'ι'. τὸ δὲ πότης ἀρσενικόν, τὸ δὲ ποτής θηλυκόν. τὸ μέντοι ψιλής παρ´ Αἰσχύλῳ ἐπιθετικόν. τὸ δὲ Πυθῆς συναλήλιπται. Τὰ εἰς 'ης' δισύλλαβα μὴ ὄντα προσηγορικὰ ἢ ἐπιθετικὰ συναληλιμμένα βαρύνονται, ἔχοντα πρὸ τοῦ 'η' ἢ 'σ' ἢ 'ξ'. Ξέρξης, Χρύσης. Μάσης πόλις Ἀργείων. Παυσανίας δευτέρῳ (c. 36, 2) «ὁδός ἐστιν ἐπὶ Μάσητα». Ὅμηρος «οἵ τ´ ἔχον Αἴγιναν Μάσητά τε κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν» (Β 562). λέγεται δὲ ἡ πόλις καὶ ἡ Μάσητος. Πέρσης τὸ ἔθνος. λέγεται καὶ Πέρσης ὄνομα. Βούσης, Μάρσης, ἀφ´ οὗ Μαρσύα πόλις φοινίκης. τὸ δὲ κασῆς τὸ πιλωτὸν ἱμάτιον περισπᾶται. τὸ δὲ Κισσῄς ὀξύνεται ὡς ἐπίθετον. Τὰ εἰς 'νης' καὶ 'ρης' δισύλλαβα ἁπλᾶ μὴ ἔχοντα κατ´ ἐπιπλοκὴν σύμφωνον βαρύνεται· εἰ δέ τι περισπασθῇ, τοῦτο κατὰ συναλοιφὴν ἐγένετο ἢ ἰαμβικόν ἐστι καὶ ἰσοσύλλαβον. ὅσα δὲ ὀξύνεται εἰς 'ους' ἔχει τὴν γενικὴν ἢ εἰς 'τος'. τὰ βαρύτονα πένης, πλάνης, Μύνης, χλούνης, Φάνης. Τένης ὁ Κύκνου, Τύνης πόλις Λιβύης ἀντικρὺ Σικελίας, Κύνης ἔθνος Ἰβηρίας, Γένης ποταμὸς Καππαδοκίας παρὰ Σοφοκλεῖ, ὃς καὶ Γενήτης καλεῖται ἐκ τῆς γενικῆς ὡς τῆς Οἰδιπόδος Οἰδιπόδης καὶ τρίποδος τριπόδης. Σίνης ἔθνος. Ἄρης ὁ θεὸς παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ καὶ ἀρῶμαι, ἔστι καὶ Ἄρης χωρίον Εὐβοίας. Θεόπομπος εἰκοστῇ τετάρτῃ Φιλιππικῶν. Δάρης· γέγονε δὲ ἤτοι παρὰ τὸ δείρω καὶ ἐκδείρω (ἐοικὸς γὰρ ἱερεῖ) καὶ ἐχρῆν γε αὐτὸ εἶναι Δέρης ὡς Φέρης. ἐτράπη οὖν τὸ 'ε' εἰς 'α'. ἢ παρὰ τὸ δαίω τὸ καίω ἐν πλεονασμῷ τοῦ 'ρ'. Χάρης. Κάρης πατὴρ Κρυασσοῦ, Φάρης ἔθνος Βοιωτίας. Βέρης υἱὸς Μακεδόνος καὶ πόλις Θρᾴκης ὁμωνύμως. Κέρης ἔθνος τοῖς Ἴβηρσιν ὁμοροῦν. Κύρης πόλις. τὸ δὲ πρηνής εἰς 'ους' ἔχει τὴν γενικήν, τὸ δὲ Κουρής Κουρῆτος τὸ ἔθνος «Κουρῆτες τ´ ἐμάχοντο καὶ
λῃστής is from the trisyllable ληϊστής; therefore it has the ι written in. But πότης is masculine, whereas ποτής is feminine. ψιλής, however, in Aeschylus is adjectival. But Πυθῆς has been contracted.
Disyllables in -ης that are not appellatives or adjectives, and are contracted, are barytone when they have before the η either σ or ξ: Ξέρξης, Χρύσης. Μάσης, a city of the Argives. Pausanias in the second book (c. 36, 2): “there is a road to Μάσητα.” Homer: “who held Aegina and Μάσητα, youths of the Achaeans” (Β 562). The city is also called Μάσητος. Πέρσης, the people; Πέρσης is also said as a personal name. Βούσης, Μάρσης, from which comes Μαρσύα, a city of Phoenicia. But κασῆς, the felt cloak, is circumflexed. Κισσῄς, however, is accented on the acute as an adjective.
Disyllabic simple words in -νης and -ρης that do not have, by interweaving, a consonant are barytone; but if any is circumflexed, this has come about by contraction, or it is iambic and isosyllabic. Whatever is accented on the acute has the genitive in -ους or in -τος. The barytone ones: πένης, πλάνης, Μύνης, χλούνης, Φάνης. Τένης, son of Κύκνος; Τύνης, a city of Libya opposite Sicily; Κύνης, a people of Iberia; Γένης, a river of Cappadocia in Sophocles, who is also called Γενήτης from the genitive, as from Οἰδίποδος comes Οἰδιπόδης and from τρίποδος τριπόδης. Σίνης, a people. Ἄρης, the god, from ἀρῶ and ἀρῶμαι; there is also Ἄρης, a place in Euboea. Theopompus in the twenty-fourth book of the Philippics. Δάρης: it has come either from δείρω and ἐκδείρω (for it is fitting for a priest), and it ought in fact to be Δέρης like Φέρης; therefore the ε was changed to α; or from δαίω, “to burn,” with pleonasm of ρ. Χάρης. Κάρης, father of Κρυασσός; Φάρης, a people of Boeotia. Βέρης, son of Μακεδών, and likewise a city of Thrace of the same name. Κέρης, a people bordering on the Iberians. Κύρης, a city. But πρηνής has the genitive in -ους, whereas Κουρής, Κουρῆτος, the people: “and the Κουρῆτες fought and …”