List of Mycenaean deities

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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

Gods

• Anemoi - attested through *Anemohiereia or *Anemon Hiereia, "Priestess of the Winds" (Linear B: 𐀀𐀚𐀗𐀂𐀋𐀩𐀊, a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja, 𐀀𐀚𐀗𐄀𐀂𐀋𐀩𐀊, a-ne-mo,i-je-re-ja)^{[1][2][3][4][n 3][n 4][n 5][n 6]}
• Apollo(?) - perhaps attested through the lacunose perio (Linear B: 𐀟𐁊, pe-rjo-, reconstructed a-pe-rjo-ne)^{[8][9][n 7]}
• Ares (Linear B: 𐀀𐀩, a-re)^{[1][11][12][13][14]}
• Despotas(?) - unclear, perhaps house deity (Linear B: 𐀈𐀡𐀲, do-po-ta)^{[14][15][16][n 8][n 9][n 10]}
• Dionysus (Linear B: 𐀇𐀺𐀝𐀰, di-wo-nu-so)^{[14][21][n 11]}
• Dipsioi - perhaps "the Thirsty and hence the Dead Ones"; perhaps related to Thessalian month Dipsos, meaning obscure (Linear B: 𐀇𐀠𐀯𐀍𐀂, di-pi-si-jo-i)^{[14][27][28][29][30][n 12]}
• Drimios - unknown, in later times, son of Zeus, perhaps a predecessor of Apollo (Linear B: 𐀇𐀪𐀖𐀍, di-ri-mi-jo)^{[14][29][32][n 8][n 13][n 14]}
• Enesidaon - possibly a theonym; possibly an epithet of Poseidon, assumed to mean "Earthshaker" or something similar (Linear B: 𐀁𐀚𐀯𐀅𐀃𐀚, e-ne-si-da-o-ne)^{[2][32][36][n 10][n 15][n 16]}
• Enyalius - a later epithet of Ares (Linear B: 𐀁𐀝𐀷𐀪𐀍, e-nu-wa-ri-jo)^{[2][14][23][29]}
• Hephaestus - regarded as indirectly attested by the name *Haphaistios or *Haphaistion, presumed to be a theophoric name (Linear B: 𐀀𐀞𐀂𐀴𐀍, a-pa-i-ti-jo)^[22][24][39]
• Hermes (Linear B: 𐀁𐀔𐁀, e-ma-*25 or e-ma-ha)^{[14][33][40][41][42][n 17]}
  • Areias - epithet (Linear B: 𐀀𐀩𐀊, a-re-ja)^{[33][44][n 8]}
• Hyperion(?) - perhaps attested through the lacunose perio (Linear B: 𐀟𐁊, pe-rjo-, reconstructed u-pe-rjo-ne)^{[45][n 18]}
• Marineus(?) - unknown deity, perhaps "God of the Woolens", meaning obscure (Linear B: 𐀔𐀪𐀚, ma-ri-ne(-u?), 𐀔𐀪𐀚𐀸, ma-ri-ne-we, 𐀔𐀪𐀚𐀺, ma-ri-ne-wo)^{[14][22][24][46][47]}
• Pade(?) - possibly unknown god, thought to be Cretan, Minoan in origin (Linear B: 𐀞𐀆 pa-de, 𐀞𐀆𐀂 pa-de-i)^{[1][2][14][48]}
• Paean - a precursor of Apollo (Linear B: 𐀞𐀊𐀺𐀚, pa-ja-wo-ne)^{[2][14][49][50][n 19]}
• Poseidon - chief deity (Linear B: 𐀡𐀮𐀅𐀃, po-se-da-o, 𐀡𐀮𐀅𐀺𐀚, po-se-da-wo-ne)^{[14][52][53][n 10]}
• Trisheros - theonym, "Thrice-Hero"; thought to attest, and pertain to, the veneration of the dead (Linear B: 𐀴𐀪𐀮𐀫𐀁, ti-ri-se-ro-e)^{[14][29][59][60][61][n 20][n 21][n 22]}
• Wanax - "the King"; in this case, it is considered to be a theonym in the dative case, perhaps as an epithet of Poseidon (Linear B: 𐀷𐀙𐀏𐀳, wa-na-ka-te)^{[14][29][69][n 23][n 24]}
• Zeus - God of the sky (Linear B: 𐀇𐀸, di-we, 𐀇𐀺, di-wo)^[14][72][73]
  • Diktaios - local epithet of Zeus on Crete (Linear B: 𐀇𐀏𐀲𐀍 𐀇𐀸, di-ka-ta-jo di-we)^{[1][14][74][75][n 25][n 26]}

Goddesses

• Artemis (Linear B: 𐀀𐀳𐀖𐀵, a-te-mi-to, 𐀀𐀴𐀖𐀳, a-ti-mi-te)^{[14][77][78][79][80]}
• Diwia - possibly the female counterpart of Zeus, possibly Dione in later Greek (Linear B: 𐀇𐀄𐀊, di-u-ja, 𐀇𐀹𐀊, di-wi-ja)^{[2][14][16][29]}
• Doqeia(?) - possibly an unknown goddess but could be only a feminine adjective (Linear B: 𐀈𐀤𐀊, do-qe-ja)^{[81][82][83][n 27]}
• Eileithyia - attested in the Cretan Eleuthia form; perhaps Minoan in origin (Linear B: 𐀁𐀩𐀄𐀴𐀊, e-re-u-ti-ja)^{[2][14][85][86][87]}
• Eos - perhaps attested through a personal name Ἀϝohιος related to the word for dawn, or dative form Āwōiōi (Linear B: 𐀀𐀺𐀂𐀍, a-wo-i-jo).^{[n 28][n 29][89][90][91][92][93][94]}
• Erinyes - both forms of the theonym are considered to be in the singular, Erinys (Linear B: 𐀁𐀪𐀝, e-ri-nu, 𐀁𐀪𐀝𐀸, e-ri-nu-we)^{[1][14][52][95][96][n 30]}
• Hera (Linear B: 𐀁𐀨, e-ra)^[14][29][98]
• Iphemedeia - theonym; probably variant form of Iphimedia, name of a mythological person found in Homer's Odyssey (Linear B: 𐀂𐀟𐀕𐀆𐀊, i-pe-me-de-ja)^{[14][16][29][99]}
• Komawenteia(?) - possibly unknown deity, possibly meaning "long-haired goddess" (Linear B: 𐀒𐀔𐀸𐀳𐀊 ko-ma-we-te-ja)^{[16][100][n 31]}
• Leto - perhaps attested through the forms Latios (Linear B: 𐀨𐀴𐀍, ra-ti-jo)^[103][104] and Lato (Linear B: 𐀨𐀵, ra-to).^{[105][n 32]}
• Manasa - unknown goddess (Linear B: 𐀔𐀙𐀭, ma-na-sa)^{[14][29][81][107][108][n 8][n 33]}
• Mater Theia - possibly "Mother of the Gods" or mother goddess (Linear B: 𐀔𐀳𐀩𐄀𐀳𐀂𐀊, ma-te-re,te-i-ja)^{[14][109][110][n 34]}
• Pipituna - Reconstructed as *Πίπτυννα (Píptynna),^[113] unknown deity, considered to be Pre-Greek or Minoan (Linear B: 𐀠𐀠𐀶𐀙, pi-pi-tu-na)^{[1][2][14][30][32][114][115][n 35]}
• Posidaeia - probably the female counterpart to Poseidon (Linear B: 𐀡𐀯𐀅𐀁𐀊, po-si-da-e-ja)^{[14][16][n 8]}
• Potnia - “Mistress” or “Lady”; may be used as an epithet for many deities, but also shows up as a single deity (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja)^{[14][117][118][119][n 10]}
  • Potnia Athena - or Potnia of At(h)ana (Athens(?)); reference of the latter is uncertain (Linear B: 𐀀𐀲𐀙𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja)^{[2][14][110][n 36]}
  • Potnia Hippeia - Mistress of the Horses; later epithet of Demeter and Athena (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊𐄀𐀂𐀤𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja,i-qe-ja)^{[14][110][n 37][n 38]}
  • Potnia of Sitos - Mistress of Grain, Bronze Age predecessor or epithet of Demeter (Linear B: 𐀯𐀵𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, si-to-po-ti-ni-ja)^{[14][81][110][121][n 39]}
  • Potnia of the Labyrinth (Linear B: 𐀅𐁆𐀪𐀵𐀍𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, da-pu₂-ri-to-jo,po-ti-ni-ja)^{[2][14][29][110]}
  • Potnia, at Thebes, of no attested name or title, other than that offers are made to her house, her premises (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊𐄀𐀺𐀒𐀆, po-ti-ni-ja,wo-ko-de)^{[14][22][29][123][124][n 40]}
  • Potnia, of unidentified Pylos sanctuary - unknown local(?) goddess of pa-ki-ja-ne (*Sphagianes?) sanctuary at Pylos (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja)^{[110][126][127][n 8][n 41][n 42]}
  • Potnia, of uncertain A place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊𐄀𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja,a-si-wi-ja)^{[14][132][n 43][n 44]}
  • Potnia, of unknown E place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀁𐀩𐀹𐀍𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, e-re-wi-jo-po-ti-ni-ja)^{[81][n 45]}
  • Potnia, of unknown N place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀚𐀺𐀟𐀃𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, ne-wo-pe-o,po-ti-ni-ja)^[14][81]
  • Potnia, of unknown U place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀄𐀡𐀍𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, u-po-jo-po-ti-ni-ja)^{[14][81][n 46]}
  • Potnia, of unknown ? place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀀𐀐𐀯𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, (?)-a-ke-si,po-ti-ni-ja)^{[81][n 47]}
• Preswa(?) - generally interpreted as a dove goddess or an early form of Persephone (Linear B: 𐀟𐀩𐁚, pe-re-*82 or pe-re-swa)^{[14][16][107][136]}
• Qerasia(?) - unknown goddess, perhaps Minoan in origin or possibly connected with thēr (Linear B: 𐀤𐀨𐀯𐀊, qe-ra-si-ja)^{[1][2][14][29][81][137][138][139][n 48][n 49]}
• Qowia(?) - unknown deity, possibly meaning “She of the Cow(s)" (Linear B: 𐀦𐀹𐀊, qo-wi-ja)^{[16][71][81][n 8][n 50][n 51]}
• Wanasso(?) - "the Two Queens", possibly Demeter and Persephone, *wanassojin(?) regarded as a dative dual form (Linear B: 𐀷𐀙𐀰𐀂, wa-na-so-i)^{[14][29][126][144][n 23][n 24][n 52]}

Pantheon

• Pantes Theoi - a special invocation "to All the Gods", irrespectively of sex, etc.; recurrently attested at Knossos (Linear B : 𐀞𐀯𐀳𐀃𐀂, pa-si-te-o-i)^{[2][33][147][148][n 53][n 54][n 55]}

Heroes, mortals and other entities or concepts

• Proteus - could be the theonym of the sea-god Proteus, but probably just the anthroponym of a nobleman (Linear B: 𐀡𐀫𐀳𐀄, po-ro-te-u)^{[150][151][152]}

Possible deities

Deities speculated to have been worshipped but without hitherto attestation in the Linear B tablets

• A possible sun goddess, predecessor to Helios and possibly related to Helen.^{[153][page needed][n 56]} No unambiguous attestations of words for "sun" have been found yet, though the Mycenaean word for "sun" is reconstructed as *hāwélios.

See also

• Aegean civilizations
• Cycladic culture
• Epigraphy
• History of Greece
• History of religions
• History of writing
• Leiden Conventions
• Linear A
• Linear B
• Mycenaean religion
• Palaeography

Notes

References

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. ISBN 9780521085588. 
• Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean World. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29037-6. https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad. 
• Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674362810. https://books.google.com/books?id=sxurBtx6shoC. 
• Castleden, Rodney (2003). The Knossos Labyrinth. A New View of the 'Palace of Minos' at Knossos. Rootledge. ISBN 9780415033152. https://books.google.com/books?id=l6rRTWv8zY0C. 
• 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. ISBN 0-87220-721-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=K4pZr3JfYqcC&pg=PA443. 
• Larson, Jennifer (2016). Understanding Greek Religion. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-68845-1. 
• Budin, Stephanie Lynn (2004). The Ancient Greeks. New Perspectives. Understanding Ancient Civilizations. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576078140. https://books.google.com/books?id=u-Py1QbavoQC. 
• Schofield, Louise (2007). The Mycenaeans. The British Museum Press. ISBN 978-0-89236-867-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXwzT1048Z4C. 
• 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. ISBN 9788763507882. https://books.google.com/books?id=2garBSREfywC. 
• Duhoux, Yves; Morpurgo Davies, Anna, eds (2011). A Companion to Linear B: Mycenaean Greek Texts and their World. 2. Peeters. ISBN 9782758401162. 

Articles in journals, periodicals and of conferences

• "Suppléments au Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique". La Crète mycénienne: Actes de la Table Ronde Internationale organisée par l'École française d'Athènes.. 30. Athens: Collections de l'Ecole française d'Athènes en ligne. 1997. http://cefael.efa.gr/window.php?ce=dquul82e8qf8ga1oga2re4aighjt7rc3&site_id=1&actionID=summary&serie_id=BCHSuppl&volume_number=30&new_lang=fr_FR. 
  • Hägg, Robin (1997). Religious syncretism at Knossos and in post-palatial Crete?. pp. 163–168. http://cefael.efa.gr/detail.php?site_id=1&actionID=page&serie_id=BCHSuppl&volume_number=30&page_number=163&page_type=1. 
  • Hiller, Stefan (1997). Cretan sanctuaries and mycenaean palatial administration at Knossos. pp. 205–212. http://cefael.efa.gr/detail.php?site_id=1&actionID=page&serie_id=BCHSuppl&volume_number=30&max_image_size=850&x=11&y=15&ce=tou8cjto0scf1ncaie1tjeq8006dkk5e&sp=213. 
• "Proceedings from the International Conference Antiquitas Viva". Antiquitas Viva. 50. 2000. 
  • Gulizio, Joann (2000), Hermes and e-ma-a₂: The continuity of his cult from the Bronze age to the historical period, pp. 105–116, http://www.utexas.edu/research/pasp/publications/pdf/hermes.pdf 
• Deger-Jalkotzy, Sigrid; Lemos, Irene S., eds (2006). "Ancient Greece: From the Mycenaean Palaces to the Age of Homer". Edinburgh Leventis Studies 3. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0748618899. 
  • Palaima, Thomas G. (2006), Wanaks and related power terms in Mycenaean and later Greek, pp. 53–72, http://www.utexas.edu/research/pasp/publications/pdf/wanaks.pdf 
• Sacconi, A., ed (2008). "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-Brügger, Une lecture en langue mycénienne des textes de la série Ta de Pylos; T. Meissner, Notes on Mycenaean Spelling; A. Michailidou, Late Bronze Age Economy: Copper". XII colloquio internazionale di micenologia. Rome. et al. Eds. Pisa and Rome. ISBN 9788862270564. 
  • Gulizio, Joann (2008), "Mycenaean Religion at Knossos", Academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/4915183 

Online databases and dictionaries

Mycenaean Greek and Linear B

• Palaeolexicon. Word study tool of ancient languages, c. 2008 and forwards., http://www.palaeolexicon.com 
• Aurora, Federico; Haug, Dag Trygve Truslew, DĀMOS: Database of Mycenaean at Oslo, Et alii. C. 2010 and forwards, University of Oslo. Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, https://www2.hf.uio.no/damos/ 
• Raymoure, K.A., C. 2012–2019, "Linear B Transliterations", Dead Languages of the Mediterranean, http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/linear-b-transliterations/ 

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. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059.  At the Perseus Project, a digital library project of Tufts University.
• Francisco, Aura Jorro; Francisco, Rodríguez Adrados (1999). Diccionario Griego-Español, volumen II. Madrid. ISBN 84-00-06129-2. 
• Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889). An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0058.  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. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057.  At the Perseus Project.
• Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, C. 2000 and forwards, http://www.etymonline.com/ 

Further reading

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