List of Mycenaean deities

This is an incomplete list of Mycenaean Greek deities and of the way their names, epithets or titles are spelled and attested in Mycenaean Greek, written in Linear B, a syllabary, along with, at places, reconstructions and equivalent forms thereof in later Greek and in the Greek alphabet.

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)
• Ares (Linear B: 𐀀𐀩, a-re)
• Despotas(?) - unclear, perhaps house deity (Linear B: 𐀈𐀡𐀲, do-po-ta)
• Dionysus (Linear B: 𐀇𐀺𐀝𐀰, di-wo-nu-so)
• 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)
• Drimios - unknown, in later times, son of Zeus, perhaps a predecessor of Apollo (Linear B: 𐀇𐀪𐀖𐀍, di-ri-mi-jo)
• 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)
• Enyalius - a later epithet of Ares (Linear B: 𐀁𐀝𐀷𐀪𐀍, e-nu-wa-ri-jo)
• Hephaestus - regarded as indirectly attested by the name *Haphaistios or *Haphaistion, a name presumed to be theophoric (Linear B: 𐀀𐀞𐀂𐀴𐀍, a-pa-i-ti-jo)
• Hermes (Linear B: 𐀁𐀔𐁀, e-ma-*25 or e-ma-ha)
  • Areias - epithet (Linear B: 𐀀𐀩𐀊, a-re-ja)
• 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)
• Pade(?) - possibly unknown god, thought to be Cretan, Minoan in origin (Linear B: 𐀞𐀆 pa-de, 𐀞𐀆𐀂 pa-de-i)
• Paean - a precursor of Apollo (Linear B: 𐀞𐀊𐀍𐀚, pa-ja-wo-ne)
• Poseidon - chief deity (Linear B: 𐀡𐀮𐀆𐀃, po-se-da-o, 𐀡𐀮𐀆𐀺𐀚, po-se-da-wo-ne)
• Trisheros - theonym, "Thrice-Hero"; thought to attest, and pertain to, an ancestor cult (Linear B: 𐀴𐀪𐀮𐀫𐀁, ti-ri-se-ro-e)
• Wanax - "the King"; in this case it's considered to be a theonym in the dative case; perhaps an epithet of Zeus (Linear B: 𐀷𐀙𐀏𐀳, wa-na-ka-te)
• Zeus - God of the sky (Linear B: 𐀇𐀸, di-we, 𐀇𐀺, di-wo)
  • Diktaios - local epithet of Zeus on Crete (Linear B: 𐀇𐀏𐀲𐀍 𐀇𐀸, di-ka-ta-jo di-we)

Goddesses

• Artemis (Linear B: 𐀀𐀳𐀖𐀵, a-te-mi-to, 𐀀𐀴𐀖𐀳, a-ti-mi-te)
• Diwia - possibly the female counterpart of Zeus, possibly Dione in later Greek (Linear B: 𐀇𐀄𐀊, di-u-ja, 𐀇𐀹𐀊, di-wi-ja)
• Doqeia(?) - possibly an unknown goddess but could be only a feminine adjective (Linear B: 𐀈𐀤𐀊, do-qe-ja)
• Eileithyia - attested in the Cretan Eleuthia form; perhaps Minoan in origin (Linear B: 𐀁𐀩𐀄𐀴𐀊, e-re-u-ti-ja)
• Erinys - both forms of the theonym are considered to be in the singular number (Linear B: 𐀁𐀪𐀝, e-ri-nu, 𐀁𐀪𐀝𐀸, e-ri-nu-we)
• Hera (Linear B: 𐀁𐀨, e-ra)
• Iphemedeia - theonym; probably variant form of the name of the mythological person found in Homer's Odyssey (Linear B: 𐀂𐀟𐀕𐀆𐀊, i-pe-me-de-ja)
• Komawenteia(?) - possibly unknown deity, possibly meaning "long-haired goddess" (Linear B: 𐀒𐀔𐀸𐀳𐀊 ko-ma-we-te-ja)
• Manasa - unknown goddess (Linear B: 𐀔𐀙𐀭, ma-na-sa)
• Mater Theia - possibly Mother of the Gods or Mother Goddess (Linear B: 𐀔𐀳𐀩𐄀𐀳𐀂𐀊, ma-te-re,te-i-ja)
• Pipituna - unknown deity, considered to be Pre-Greek or Minoan (Linear B: 𐀠𐀠𐀶𐀙, pi-pi-tu-na)
• Posidaeia - probably the female counterpart to Poseidon (Linear B: 𐀡𐀯𐀅𐀁𐀊, po-si-da-e-ja)
• 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)
  • 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)
  • Potnia Hippeia - Mistress of the Horses; later epithet of Demeter and Athena (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊𐄀𐀂𐀤𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja,i-qe-ja)
  • Potnia of Sitos - Mistress of Grain, Bronze Age predecessor or epithet of Demeter (Linear B: 𐀯𐀵𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, si-to-po-ti-ni-ja)
  • Potnia of the Labyrinth (Linear B: 𐀅𐁆𐀪𐀵𐀍𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, da-pu₂-ri-to-jo,po-ti-ni-ja)
  • 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)
  • Potnia, of unidentified Pylos sanctuary - unknown local(?) goddess of pa-ki-ja-ne (*Sphagianes?) sanctuary at Pylos (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja)
  • Potnia, of uncertain A place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊𐄀𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊, po-ti-ni-ja,a-si-wi-ja)
  • Potnia, of unknown E place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀁𐀩𐀹𐀍𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, e-re-wi-jo-po-ti-ni-ja)
  • Potnia, of unknown N place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀚𐀺𐀟𐀃𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, ne-wo-pe-o,po-ti-ni-ja)
  • Potnia, of unknown U place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀄𐀡𐀍𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, u-po-jo-po-ti-ni-ja)
  • Potnia, of unknown ? place or epithet (Linear B: 𐀀𐀐𐀯𐄀𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊, (?)-a-ke-si,po-ti-ni-ja)
• Preswa(?) - generally interpreted as a dove goddess or an early form of Persephone (Linear B: 𐀟𐀩𐁚, pe-re-*82 or pe-re-swa)
• Qerasia(?) - unknown goddess, perhaps Minoan in origin or possibly connected with thēr (Linear B: 𐀤𐀨𐀯𐀊, qe-ra-si-ja)
• Qowia(?) - unknown deity, possibly meaning “She of the Cow(s)" (Linear B: 𐀦𐀹𐀊, qo-wi-ja)
• Wanasse(?) - "the Two Queens", possibly Demeter and Persephone, *wanassoin(?) regarded as a dative dual form (Linear B: 𐀷𐀙𐀰𐀂, wa-na-so-i)

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)

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)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Linear B or Mycenaean civilization

• Linear A
• Epigraphy
• Palaeography
• Leiden Conventions
• Aegean civilizations
• Cycladic civilization
• History of Greece
• History of religions
• History of writing

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

Online databases and dictionaries

Mycenaean Greek and Linear B

Ancient Greek, Latin and of English etymology

• At the Perseus Project, a digital library project of Tufts University.
• At the Perseus Project.
• At the Perseus Project.