Azesia or Azosia () was a cultic

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

of one or more

Greek goddesses In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as immortal, anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, and powerful. They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or notions, and were described as being similar to humans in appear ...

, or in some cases was possibly a distinct goddess. Different sources disagree on who it was an epithet of exactly:

Hesychius of Alexandria Hesychius of Alexandria () was a Greek grammarian who, probably in the 5th or 6th century AD, compiled the richest lexicon of unusual and obscure Greek words that has survived, probably by absorbing the works of earlier lexicographers. The ...

wrote that this was an epithet of

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

, while the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

encyclopedia known as the ''

Suda The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; ; ) is a large 10th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine encyclopedia of the History of the Mediterranean region, ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas () or Souidas (). It is an ...

'' describes it as an epithet of

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

. The playwright

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

apparently referred to Demeter as "Azesia" in one of his lost plays. At the same time, the name features in a number of ancient Greek proverbs clearly intending to mean Persephone. It was possibly simply a variant name of

Auxesia Auxesia (), may refer to: * Auxesia (mythology), a goddess * Another name for Auxo, one of the Horae * An epithet of Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), ...

. The name occurred in communities throughout the

Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of C ...

paired with the goddess or hero Mnia, which mirrored similar paired goddesses or heroes of the harvest, fertility, and growth, such as Demeter and Persephone, and

and (who may have been synonymous with Mnia). The etymology and meaning of the name is unclear and the subject of some debate, and is likely derived either from an expression meaning "to dry fruits" (ἀζαίνειν τοὺς καρπούς) or one meaning "to seek" (ζητεῖν). This goddess had a precinct in the Agora of Athens, as we know from the discovery of an ancient boundary marker. Her name was the subject of several ancient Greek

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

s. One was "Amaia looked for Azesia", with "Amaia" being an epithet for Demeter, and Azesia in this instance indicating Persephone, and referring to Demeter's long search for her daughter after she had been kidnapped by the god

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

. It was used to refer to someone who took a long time to do something. Similarly, "Amaia has found Azesia" was an expression used to indicate that something greatly missed and sought after has been found.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azesia Epithets of Demeter Epithets of Persephone Agricultural goddesses Fertility goddesses