C. Darwin Goranson wrote:
> Could the "-don" ending be a relic of the Proto-Indo-European word for river?
The most archaic versions of the name look like Po-se-da-wo-ne (Myc.),
Poseida:o:n, Poteidawo:n, or Poti:dao:n. If the name is IE at all, the
first element could be identify as *poti- 'master, lord', though it's
position in the compound is strange (for 'lord of X' we would expect
*X-potis). It's possible, however, that the name is a frozen vocative
phrase like Lat. Iuppiter/Iu:piter (*djéu p&2ter). If so, the <potei- ~
posei-> part may be the archaic vocative of <posis>. What remains is
*da(:)wo:n, which seems to be the actual original name.
Now, an idea has just occurred to me. One of Persephone's epithets is
Daeira, which is supposed to mean 'the knowing one' and to be connected
with <didasko:>, based on *dn.s-, the nil grade of *dens- 'learn,
teach'. I wonder if the two names are not related as masculine
*dn.s-wo:n vs. feminine *dn.s-wer-ih2, both meaning something like 'full
of counsel'.
Any thoughts?
Piotr