Re: Poseidon

From: John Croft
Message: 3313
Date: 2000-08-20

Glen

Poseidon's association with the Sea has been suggested by many to be
Homeric. Prior to that he seems to have been very much a "land"
divinity. His epithet as "Earth Shaker", his association with Bulls
and Horses, are memories of a time before the was "demoted" to God of
the Sea. There is a memory of this in the strggle between Athena
and Poseidon over which god would be the titulary divinity of
Athens (a conflict which Athena won). Some students of mythology
suggest that he was demoted to second rank in the Olympian pantheon
by
the coming of Zeus, and before that he was the supreme divinity. It
would be important for you to check the literature on this before
pushing him too hard to be purely a maritime divinity.

Regards

John
> >I mean: the "mix" of IE *Nepot with an obscure *Sidaon or Tsidaon.
>
> Okay, here's a second attempt... How about:
>
> *Potis-Da:nuom "Master of the Waters" (?)
>
> The last word is *da:nu + the plural genitive. Everyone like?
>
> - gLeN
>
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