Many of the Greek deities are known from as early as Mycenaean (Late Bronze Age) civilization. This is an incomplete list of these deities[n 1] and of the way their names, epithets, or titles are spelled and attested in Mycenaean Greek, written in the Linear B[n 2] syllabary, along with some reconstructions and equivalent forms in later Greek.
Deities
Pantheon
| Name | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Linear B | Transliteration | Comments | Footnotes |
| Pantes Theoi | ๐๐ฏ๐ณ๐๐ | pa-si-te-o-i | "To All the Gods"; a special invocation, irrespective of sex, etc.; recurrently attested at Knossos[1][2][3][4] | [n 3][n 4][n 5] |
Gods
| Name | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Linear B | Transliteration | Comments | Footnotes |
| Anemoi | ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ / ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ | a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja / a-ne-mo,i-je-re-ja | attested through *Anemohiereia or *Anemon Hiereia, "Priestess of the Winds"[9][1][10][11] | [n 6][n 7][n 8][n 9] |
| Apollo(?) | ๐๐ | pe-rjo-, reconstructed a-pe-rjo-ne | perhaps attested through the lacunose perio[13][14] | [n 10] |
| Ares | ๐๐ฉ | a-re | [9][16][17][18][19] | |
| Despotas(?) | ๐๐ก๐ฒ | do-po-ta | unclear, perhaps house deity[19][20][21] | [n 11][n 12][n 13] |
| Dionysus | ๐๐บ๐๐ฐ | di-wo-nu-so | [19][26] | [n 14] |
| Dipsioi | ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ | di-pi-si-jo-i | meaning obscure: perhaps "The Thirsty and hence the Dead Ones"; perhaps related to Thessalian month Dipsos[19][32][33][34][35] | [n 15] |
| Drimios | ๐๐ช๐๐ | di-ri-mi-jo | unknown, in later times, son of Zeus, perhaps a predecessor of Apollo[19][34][37] | [n 11][n 16][n 17] |
| Enesidaon | ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ | e-ne-si-da-o-ne | possibly a theonym; possibly an epithet of Poseidon, assumed to mean "Earthshaker" or something similar[1][37][40] | [n 13][n 18][n 19] |
| Enyalius | ๐๐๐ท๐ช๐ | e-nu-wa-ri-jo | a later epithet of Ares[1][19][28][34] | |
| Hephaestus | ๐๐๐๐ด๐ | a-pa-i-ti-jo | regarded as indirectly attested by the name *Haphaistios or *Haphaistion, presumed to be a theophoric name[27][29][43] | |
| Hermes | ๐๐๐ | e-ma-*25 or e-ma-ha | [19][2][44][45][46] | [n 20] |
| Areias | ๐๐ฉ๐ | a-re-ja | epithet (Hermes)[2][48] | [n 11] |
| Hyperion(?) | ๐๐ | pe-rjo-, reconstructed u-pe-rjo-ne | perhaps attested through the lacunose perio[49] | [n 21] |
| Marineus(?) | ๐๐ช๐ / ๐๐ช๐๐ธ / ๐๐ช๐๐บ | ma-ri-ne(-u?) / ma-ri-ne-we / ma-ri-ne-wo | unknown deity, perhaps "God of the Woolens", meaning obscure[19][27][29][50][51] | |
| Pade(?) | ๐๐ / ๐๐๐ | pa-de / pa-de-i | possibly unknown god, thought to be Cretan, Minoan in origin[9][1][19][52] | |
| Paean | ๐๐๐บ๐ | pa-ja-wo-ne | a precursor of Apollo[1][19][53][54] | [n 22] |
| Poseidon | ๐ก๐ฎ๐ ๐ / ๐ก๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ | po-se-da-o / po-se-da-wo-ne | chief deity[19][56][57] | [n 13] |
| Trisheros | ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ซ๐ | ti-ri-se-ro-e | theonym, "Thrice-Hero"; thought to attest, and pertain to, the veneration of the dead[19][34][63][64][65] | [n 23][n 24][n 25] |
| Wanax | ๐ท๐๐๐ณ | wa-na-ka-te | "The King"; in this case, it is considered to be a theonym in the dative case, perhaps as an epithet of Poseidon[19][34][73] | [n 26][n 27] |
| Zeus | ๐๐ธ / ๐๐บ | di-we / di-wo | God of the sky[19][76][77] | |
| Diktaios | ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ธ | di-ka-ta-jo di-we | local epithet of Zeus on Crete[9][19][78][79] | [n 28][n 29] |
Goddesses
| Name | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Linear B | Transliteration | Comments | Footnotes |
| Artemis | ๐๐ณ๐๐ต / ๐๐ด๐๐ณ | a-te-mi-to / a-ti-mi-te | [19][81][82][83][84] | |
| Diwia | ๐๐๐ / ๐๐น๐ | di-u-ja / di-wi-ja | possibly the female counterpart of Zeus, possibly Dione in later Greek[1][19][21][34] | |
| Doqeia(?) | ๐๐ค๐ | do-qe-ja | possibly an unknown goddess but could be only a feminine adjective[85][86][87] | [n 30] |
| Eileithyia | ๐๐ฉ๐๐ด๐ | e-re-u-ti-ja | attested in the Cretan Eleuthia form; perhaps Minoan in origin[1][19][89][90][91] | |
| Eos | ๐๐บ๐๐ | a-wo-i-jo | perhaps attested through a personal name แผฯohฮนฮฟฯ related to the word for dawn, or dative form ฤwลiลi[92][93][94][95][96][97] | [n 31][n 32] |
| Erinyes | ๐๐ช๐ / ๐๐ช๐๐ธ | e-ri-nu / e-ri-nu-we | both forms of the theonym are considered to be in the singular, Erinys[9][19][56][99][100] | [n 33] |
| Hera | ๐๐จ | e-ra | [19][34][102] | |
| Iphemedeia | ๐๐๐๐๐ | i-pe-me-de-ja | theonym; probably variant form of Iphimedia, name of a mythological person found in Homer's Odyssey[19][21][34][103] | |
| Komawenteia(?) | ๐๐๐ธ๐ณ๐ | ko-ma-we-te-ja | possibly unknown deity, possibly meaning "long-haired goddess"[21][104] | [n 34] |
| Leto | ๐จ๐ด๐ / ๐จ๐ต | ra-ti-jo / ra-to | perhaps attested through the forms Latios[107][108] and Lato[109] | [n 35] |
| Manasa | ๐๐๐ญ | ma-na-sa | unknown goddess[19][34][85][111][112] | [n 11][n 36] |
| Mater Theia | ๐๐ณ๐ฉ๐๐ณ๐๐ | ma-te-re,te-i-ja | possibly "Mother of the Gods" or mother goddess[19][113][114] | [n 37] |
| Pipituna | ๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐ | pi-pi-tu-na | Reconstructed as *ฮ ฮฏฯฯฯ ฮฝฮฝฮฑ (Pรญptynna);[116] unknown deity, considered to be Pre-Greek or Minoan[9][1][19][35][37][117][118] | [n 38] |
| Posidaeia | ๐ก๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ | po-si-da-e-ja | probably the female counterpart to Poseidon[19][21] | [n 11] |
| Potnia | ๐ก๐ด๐๐ | po-ti-ni-ja | "Mistress" or "Lady"; may be used as an epithet for many deities, but also shows up as a single deity[19][120][121][122] | [n 13] |
| Potnia Athena | ๐๐ฒ๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja | or Potnia of At(h)ana (Athens(?)); reference of the latter is uncertain[1][19][114] | [n 39] |
| Potnia Hippeia | ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐๐๐ค๐ | po-ti-ni-ja,i-qe-ja | Mistress of the Horses; later epithet of Demeter and Athena[19][114] | [n 40][n 41] |
| Potnia of Sitos | ๐ฏ๐ต๐ก๐ด๐๐ | si-to-po-ti-ni-ja | Mistress of Grain; Bronze Age predecessor or epithet of Demeter[19][85][114][124] | [n 42] |
| Potnia of the Labyrinth | ๐ ๐๐ช๐ต๐๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | da-pu2-ri-to-jo,po-ti-ni-ja | [1][19][34][114] | |
| Potnia, at Thebes | ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ | po-ti-ni-ja,wo-ko-de | of no attested name or title, other than that offers are made to her house, her premises[19][27][34][126][127] | [n 43] |
| Potnia, of unidentified Pylos sanctuary | ๐ก๐ด๐๐ | po-ti-ni-ja | unknown local(?) goddess of pa-ki-ja-ne (*Sphagianes?) sanctuary at Pylos[114][129][130] | [n 11][n 44][n 45] |
| Potnia, of uncertain A place or epithet | ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐๐๐ฏ๐น๐ | po-ti-ni-ja,a-si-wi-ja | [19][135] | [n 46][n 47] |
| Potnia, of unknown E place or epithet | ๐๐ฉ๐น๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | e-re-wi-jo-po-ti-ni-ja | [85] | [n 48] |
| Potnia, of unknown N place or epithet | ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | ne-wo-pe-o,po-ti-ni-ja | [19][85] | |
| Potnia, of unknown U place or epithet | ๐๐ก๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | u-po-jo-po-ti-ni-ja | [19][85] | [n 49] |
| Potnia, of unknown ? place or epithet | ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ | (?)-a-ke-si,po-ti-ni-ja | [85] | [n 50] |
| Preswa(?) | ๐๐ฉ๐ | pe-re-*82 or pe-re-swa | generally interpreted as a dove goddess or an early form of Persephone[19][21][111][139] | |
| Qerasia(?) | ๐ค๐จ๐ฏ๐ | qe-ra-si-ja | unknown goddess, perhaps Minoan in origin or possibly connected with thฤr[9][1][19][34][85][140][141][142] | [n 51][n 52] |
| Qowia(?) | ๐ฆ๐น๐ | qo-wi-ja | unknown deity, possibly meaning "She of the Cow(s)"[21][75][85] | [n 11][n 53][n 54] |
| Wanasso(?) | ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐ | wa-na-so-i | "The Two Queens", possibly Demeter and Persephone; *wanassojin(?) regarded as a dative dual form[19][34][129][147] | [n 26][n 27][n 55] |
| Possible goddesses | ||||
| (?) | (?) | (?) | A possible sun goddess, predecessor to Helios, and possibly related to Helen.[150] No unambiguous attestations of words for "sun" have yet been found, though the Mycenaean word for "sun" is reconstructed as *hฤwรฉlios. | [n 56] |
Heroes, mortals and other entities or concepts
| Name | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Linear B | Transliteration | Comments | Footnotes |
| Proteus | ๐ก๐ซ๐ณ๐ | po-ro-te-u | could be the theonym of the sea-god Proteus, but probably just the anthroponym of a nobleman[151][152][153] | |
See also
For a list of words relating to Mycenaean Greek and Linear B, see the Mycenaean Greek language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Notes
Sources
Books
- Ventris, Michael; Chadwick, John (1973). Documents in Mycenaean Greek: Three Hundred Selected Tablets from Knossos, Pylos, and Mycenae. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBNย 9780521085588.
- Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean World. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBNย 0-521-29037-6.
- Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. ISBNย 0674362810.
- Castleden, Rodney (2003) [1990]. The Knossos Labyrinth. A New View of the 'Palace of Minos' at Knossos. Routledge. ISBNย 9780415033152.
- Anthology of Classical Myth: Primary Sources in translation. Edited and translated by Stephen M. Trzaskoma, R. Scott Smith, Stephen Brunet; with an Appendix on Linear B Sources by Thomas G. Palaima. Hackett Publishing. 2004. ISBNย 0-87220-721-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - Larson, Jennifer (2016). Understanding Greek Religion. Routledge. ISBNย 978-0-415-68845-1.
- Budin, Stephanie Lynn (2004). The Ancient Greeks. New Perspectives. Understanding Ancient Civilizations. ABC-CLIO. ISBNย 1576078140.
- Schofield, Louise (2007). The Mycenaeans. The British Museum Press. ISBNย 978-0-89236-867-9.
- Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Poulsen, Birte, eds. (2009). From Artemis to Diana. The Goddess of Man and Beast. 12 Acta Hyperborea. Collegium Hyperboreum and Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBNย 9788763507882.
- Duhoux, Yves; Morpurgo Davies, Anna, eds. (2011). A Companion to Linear B: Mycenaean Greek Texts and their World. Vol.ย 2. Peeters. ISBNย 9782758401162.
Articles in journals, periodicals and of conferences
- Supplรฉments au Bulletin de Correspondance Hellรฉnique. La Crรจte mycรฉnienne: Actes de la Table Ronde Internationale organisรฉe par l'รcole franรงaise d'Athรจnes. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellรฉnique. Vol.ย 30. Athens: Collections de l'Ecole franรงaise d'Athรจnes en ligne. 1997 [Date of Conference: 26โ28 March 1991].
- Hรคgg, Robin (1997). "Religious syncretism at Knossos and in post-palatial Crete?": 163โ168.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Hiller, Stefan (1997). "Cretan sanctuaries and mycenaean palatial administration at Knossos": 205โ212.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
- Hรคgg, Robin (1997). "Religious syncretism at Knossos and in post-palatial Crete?": 163โ168.
- Proceedings from the International Conference Antiquitas Viva. Antiquitas Viva. ลฝiva Antika. Vol.ย 50. 2000 [Date of Conference: 5โ7 December 2000].
- Gulizio, Joann (2000). Hermes and e-ma-a2: The continuity of his cult from the Bronze age to the historical period (PDF). pp.ย 105โ116.
- Deger-Jalkotzy, Sigrid; Lemos, Irene S., eds. (2006) [Date of Conference: 22โ25 January 2003]. Ancient Greece: From the Mycenaean Palaces to the Age of Homer. Edinburgh Leventis Studies 3. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBNย 0748618899.
- Palaima, Thomas G. (2006), Wanaks and related power terms in Mycenaean and later Greek (PDF), pp.ย 53โ72
- Sacconi, A., ed. (2008) [Date of Conference: 20โ25 February 2006]. "Colloquium romanum: The Shepherds in the Cn Series at Pylos; M. Lindgren, Use of the Cypriot Syllabary in a Multicultural Surrounding; S. Lupack, the Northeast Building of Pylos and an 1281; M. Marazzi, Il "sistema" Argolide: l'Organizzazione territoriale del golfo argolideo; M. Meier-Brรผgger, Une lecture en langue mycรฉnienne des textes de la sรฉrie Ta de Pylos; T. Meissner, Notes on Mycenaean Spelling; A. Michailidou, Late Bronze Age Economy: Copper". Colloquium Romanum: atti del XII colloquio internazionale di micenologia (in two volumes). XII colloquio internazionale di micenologia. Rome. Pasiphae. et al. Eds. Pisa and Rome. ISBNย 9788862270564.
- Gulizio, Joann (2008). "Mycenaean Religion at Knossos". Academia.edu.
Online databases and dictionaries
Mycenaean Greek and Linear B
- Palaeolexicon. Word study tool of ancient languages. c.โ2008 and forwards.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - Aurora, Federico; Haug, Dag Trygve Truslew. DฤMOS: Database of Mycenaean at Oslo. Et alii. C. 2010 and forwards. University of Oslo. Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas.
- Raymoure, K.A. "Linear B Transliterations". Dead Languages of the Mediterranean. C. 2012โ2019. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016.
Ancient Greek, Latin and of English etymology
- A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. Revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1879.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) At the Perseus Project, a digital library project of Tufts University. - Francisco, Aura Jorro; Francisco, Rodrรญguez Adrados (1999). Diccionario Griego-Espaรฑol, volumen II. Madrid. ISBNย 84-00-06129-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889). An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. At the Perseus Project.
- Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. At the Perseus Project.
- Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. C. 2000 and forwards.
Further reading
- Duev, Ratko. "di-wi-ja and e-ra in the Linear B texts". In: Pierre Carlier, Additional editors: Charles De Lamberterie, Markus Egetmeyer, Nicole Guilleux, Franรงoise Rougemont and Julien Zurbach (editors). รtudes mycรฉniennes 2010. Actes du XIIIe colloque international sur les textes รฉgรฉens, Sรจvres, Paris, Nanterre, 20-23 septembre 2010. Biblioteca di Pasiphae. 10. Pisa; Roma: Fabrizio Serra editore, 2012. pp.ย 195โ205. ISBNย 9788862274722
- Flouda, Georgia. "The Goddess Eileithyia in the Knossian Linear B Tablets". In: Honors to Eileithyia at Ancient Inatos: The Sacred Cave of Eileithyia at Tsoutsouros. Crete: Highlights of the Collection. Edited by Athanasia Kanta et al., INSTAP Academic Press, 2022. pp.ย 33โ36, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2f4v5x3.12. Accessed 10 Apr. 2022.
- Killen, John (2024). "Mycenaean Religion". In John Killen (ed.). The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781139029049.013.
- Killen, John (2024). "Religion, Cults And Ritual". In John Killen (ed.). The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.ย 838โ891. doi:10.1017/9781139046152.012.
- LEUVEN, JON C. (1979). "MYCENAEAN GODDESSES CALLED POTNIA". Kadmos. 18 (2): 112โ129. doi:10.1515/kadm.1979.18.2.112.
- Morris, S.P. (2001) [Date of Conference: 12โ15 April 2000]. Laffineur, R.; Hรคgg, R. (eds.). "Potnia Aswiya: Anatolian Contributions to Greek Religion". Aegaeum. 22: Potnia. Deities and Religion in the Aegean Bronze Age. Proceedings of the 8th International Aegean Conference, Gรถteborg, Gรถteborg University. Belgium: 423โ434.
- Parker, Robert (2024). "Mycenaean And Classical Greek Religion". In John Killen (ed.). The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.ย 315โ20. doi:10.1017/9781139029049.014.
- Sergent, Bernard (1990). "Hรฉortologie du mois Plowistos de Pylo". Dialogues d'histoire ancienne (in French). 16 (1): 175โ217. doi:10.3406/dha.1990.1464.
- Wachter, Rudolf. "Homeric โ Mycenaean Word Index (MYC)". In: Prolegomena. Edited by Joachim Latacz, Anton Bierl and Stuart Douglas Olson [English Edition]. Berlin, Mรผnchen, Boston: De Gruyter, 2015. pp.ย 236โ258. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501501746-015
References
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