Re: [tied] Poseidon

----- Original Message -----

From: João Simões Lopes Filho

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2000 3:44 PM

Subject: [tied] Poseidon

A suddenly idea occurred to me:

Bernal proposes Poseidaon < *P- Sidon, which doesn't convince me.

My idea:

POSEIDAON < *NEPOSEIDAON < *NEPOT-SEIDAON, changed by association with POTIS.

 

I mean: the "mix" of IE *Nepot with an obscure *Sidaon or Tsidaon.

 

Joao SLRio

 

Edgar Polome, in the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, 'Fire in Water', p. 203 briefly mentions the possibility. It would be a compound (I think) of  *potis (lord, master), and a reflex of the *da- word, the water word that gives all those Black Sea rivers their names. Something similar is sometimes claimed for water-mother, Da-mater > Demeter. But all of this is rather speculative.

 

The etymology of Roman Neptune is in here too.

 

A myth, "Child/Grandson/Nephew of the Water", or, "Fire-in-Water" is imputed PIE status. EIEC's transcription is *h2epom nepots. The water deity, be it male or female, is firey, living in the water. A qualified hero -- one in the nationalistic mold -- has to somehow approach the deity and obtain/recover certains powers or talismans of political legitimacy. Theseus tossing the ring in the sea, then visiting the court of Amphitrite would be the Greek reflex.

 

Mark.