Psar****** prefixes for singers / musicians?

Considering that Anoyia is a mountainous region adding the Psaras nickname to the name sounds a bit of mocking, as usually nicknames are.

The explanation that TQM ??? has given as it was related by Psarantonis for himself and his relatives sounds very plausible but one little detail is a bit strange.

A nickname once given to a family follows all members, unless a new offspring makes something remarkable, that his contemporaries adopt a new nickname.

The fact that the prefix is added to all other names of the descedants I suppose can only be as a form of respect for the original Psarantonis who was a very fast runner that he could catch the first in line of the escaping Turks that fled, like a fisherman catches fish.

One other explanation can be that as it usually happens in villages, there must have been other people with the same name and the Psaras prefix is adopted as a distinctive paratsoukli in relation to other families .

I'm not exactly sure, but my guess would be that ''psar'' is a contraction of ''psaras'' (which means ''fisher''), the same way one can say "kyr Antonis'' instead of ''kyrios Antonis'' (meaning ''Mr. Antonis'').

Fishing and other maritime-related activities play a big part in Cretan culture (and history), as Crete has 1,046 km (650 mi) of coastline* and an elongated shape allowing for easy access to the sea. You can also understand how Cretans are ''people of the sea'' simply through their music and often times through their persona.

So, I'd think that adding the prefix ''Psar'' to a fisherman's name would be a form of respect for his occupation... and for someone who isn't a fisherman, the prefix could simply be used to designate him as a person held in high regard.

EDIT:

Okay so I just came across a website** about an interview in which Psarantonis himself reveals the REAL answer (which is completely different from the one I had previously assumed!). Overall, he explains that at Anoyeia (a place in Rethymno, Crete) they all have nicknames. ''Psarantonis'' was the nickname of his grandfather who, with other 5-6 people, would go steal Turks. His grandfather was the fastest.. and if they came across Turks, he would catch them all at the speed of a fireball, from the first to the last, ''just like fish''. That's how he earned himself the nickname ''Psarotourkos'', and eventually ''Psarantonis''. Then, the prefix was passed on to other members of his family; Psaronikos, Psaroyioryis...