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 [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Birte Poulsen (2009). From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/978876350788|978876350788 [[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]] Check
|isbn=value (help). - ^ Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean world. Cambridge University Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-521-29037-1.
- ^ Burkert, Walter (1987). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-674-36281-9.
- ^ Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Birte Poulsen (2009). From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/978876350788|978876350788 [[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]] Check
|isbn=value (help). - ^ Roller, Lynn E. (1999). In search of god the mother: the cult of Anatolian Cybele. University of California Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-520-21024-0. "indefinite figures such as the Potnia Theron"
