Potnia Theron

Potnia Theron (Ἡ Πότνια Θηρῶν, "Mistress of the Animals") is a term first used (once) by Homer (Iliad 21. 470) and often used to describe female divinities associated with animals.[1] The word Potnia, meaning mistress or lady, was a Mycenaean word inherited by Classical Greek, with the same meaning, which has an exact parallel in Sanskrit patnī. [2]

Homer's mention of potnia theron is thought to refer to Artemis and Walter Burkert describes this mention as "a well established formula".[3] An Artemis type deity, a 'Mistress of the Animals', is often assumed to have existed in prehistorical religion and often referred to as Potnia Theron, with some scholars positing a relationship between Artemis and goddesses depicted in Minoan art and "Potnia Theron has become a generic term for any female associated with animals."[4] [5]

See also

Mother Goddess

References

  1. ^ Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Birte Poulsen (2009). From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-876350788. 
  2. ^ Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean world. Cambridge University Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0521290371. 
  3. ^ Burkert, Walter (1987). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0674362819. 
  4. ^ Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Birte Poulsen (2009). From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-876350788. 
  5. ^ Roller, Lynn E. (1999). In search of god the mother: the cult of Anatolian Cybele. University of California Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0520210240. "indefinite figures such as the Potnia Theron"