Athanasia (Greek ἀθανασία) means immortality, literally “without death”. It joins the negative prefix a- with thanatos, death. In English it is commonly said ah-thuh-NAH-zee-uh; in Modern Greek the stress falls on the last syllable, a-tha-na-SEE-a. As a given name it is the feminine form of Athanasios.
Coverage: Language and name reference compiled from lexicon and name-database sources, checked October 18, 2026. The game’s own reason for its title has not been officially explained.
What athanasia means
Athanasia is an Ancient and Modern Greek noun meaning immortality or deathlessness. Strong’s Greek lexicon (entry 110) defines it as the state of not being subject to death. The word appears three times in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 15:53, 15:54 and 1 Timothy 6:16, where English Bibles translate it as immortality.
The word is built from two parts. The prefix a- is a negative particle meaning without or not, the same one found in English words like atypical. Thanatos means death, the root behind thanatology and the name of the Greek personification of death. Put together, athanasia is literally the condition of being without death.
How to pronounce Athanasia
There is no single correct English pronunciation, because the name came into English through several routes. A common English reading, given by FamilyEducation, is ah-thuh-NAH-zee-uh, with the stress on the third syllable. Strong’s lexicon gives the scholarly transliteration ath-an-as-EE-ah.
In Modern Greek, Αθανασία is pronounced with the stress on the final syllable: a-tha-na-SEE-a, with a soft th as in think. If you are naming a character, a pet or a child, either the English or the Greek stress is accepted. When people talk about the game, the English stress on the third syllable is the one most players use.
Athanasia is not euthanasia
The names sound alike, which causes confusion. Euthanasia combines eu-, good, with thanatos, death, so it means a good death. Athanasia uses the negative a-, so it means no death at all. The two words share a root but point in opposite directions.
Commenters on name databases often mention this mix-up. It is a good reason to say the first syllable clearly, ah or a, rather than you, when introducing the name. Once heard side by side, the difference is easy to remember.
Athanasia as a given name
Behind the Name lists Athanasia as a feminine name used in Greek and Ancient Greek, the feminine form of Athanasios, whose Latin form is Athanasius. Related forms include Atanaska in Bulgarian and Atanasija in Macedonian and Serbian. The masculine name became widespread through Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, the fourth-century church father associated with the Athanasian Creed.
The name is still given in Greece today. Because it literally means immortality, the name has long carried religious and hopeful overtones, which is also why fiction writers keep borrowing it for characters and places. It is also used for churches and religious art associated with the resurrection theme.
Why the name fits the dinosaur game
The official Steam page describes Athanasia as an immersive-sim survival horror FPS set among dinosaurs and other prehistoric threats, with time travel among its store tags. The developers have not published an official explanation of the title in the material collected for this wiki. That leaves the title open to interpretation for now.
Read literally, a game named immortality that is filled with long-extinct creatures invites an obvious question: who, or what, refused to stay dead? Any connection between the title and the story is interpretation until the game itself answers it. For what the game actually contains, start with the beginner guide.
Other characters named Athanasia
Many searches for the name are about fictional characters rather than the word. The most famous is Athanasia de Alger Obelia, the princess protagonist of the Korean series Who Made Me a Princess. DC’s Injustice 2 comic also features Athanasia al Ghul, the daughter of Batman and Talia al Ghul in that alternate continuity.
Our separate page compares those characters with the game, so you can tell which Athanasia a search result or a conversation is actually about. Each has a different creator, medium and audience. None of them is connected to the dinosaur game.
Sources and version context
- Bible Hub: Strong’s Greek 110, athanasiaLexicon definition, roots, transliteration and New Testament occurrences; checked October 18, 2026.
- Behind the Name: AthanasiaName usage, gender, Greek scripts and related forms; checked October 18, 2026.
- FamilyEducation: Athanasia name meaningBaby-name reference used for a common English pronunciation.
- Official Steam game overviewDeveloper-supplied overview and Early Access plans; checked October 16, 2026.
- Momentum Games: AthanasiaOfficial description of the game’s survival and immersive sim design.
- MyAnimeList: Athanasia de Alger ObeliaCharacter profile for Who Made Me a Princess; checked October 18, 2026.
- Wikipedia: Who Made Me a PrincessCreators, serialization history and adaptation overview.