Despoina or Despoena (; ) was the epithet of a goddess worshipped by the

Eleusinian Mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

as the daughter 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 ...

and

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

and the sister of

Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

. Surviving sources refer to her exclusively under the title ''Despoina'' ("the Mistress," cognate of " Despot") alongside her mother

, as her real name could not be revealed to anyone except those initiated into her mysteries and was consequently lost with the extinction of the Eleusinian religion. Writing during the second century A.D., Pausanias spoke of Demeter as having two daughters;

Kore KORE (1050 AM) is a commercial radio station dual licensed to Springfield and Eugene, Oregon. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by KORE Broadcasting, LLC. The studios and offices are on Willagillespie Road off Oregon Route 132 in ...

being born first, before Despoina was born, with

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

being the father of Kore and Poseidon as the father of Despoina. Pausanias made it clear that Kore is

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 ...

, although he did not reveal Despoina's proper name. In the myth, Poseidon saw Demeter and desired her. To avoid him, she took her archaic form of a

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

, but he took the form of a

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

and mated with her. From this union Demeter bore a daughter, Despoina, and a fabulous horse,

. Due to her anger at this turn of events, Demeter also was given the epithet ''

Erinys The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take ven ...

'' (''raging'').

Etymology

The first element of the name ''Des-poina'' is derived from the

PIE A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

root ''*dem-'' meaning "house, household", Sanskrit ''damah'' "house;" Avestan ''demana-'' "house;" Greek ''domos'' "house"; Latin ''domus'' "house". Related words ''despotēs'' "master, lord"; Latin ''dominus'' "master of a household"; Armenian ''tanu-ter'' "house-lord". The second element is derived from the hypothetical

form ''*'', "mistress", "lady", "wife", is the feminine counterpart to ''*pótis'', "husband";

cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

'' ho'', "host",

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

', "master", "husband", fem. ', "lady", "wife". The Greek female equivalent for ''despotēs'' was ''despoina'' "lady, queen, mistress," source of the fem. proper name Despina. (Etymologically the "mistress of the house".) Related attested forms, written in the

Linear B Linear B is a syllabary, syllabic script that was used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest Attested language, attested form of the Greek language. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries, the earliest known examp ...

syllabary In the Linguistics, linguistic study of Written language, written languages, a syllabary is a set of grapheme, written symbols that represent the syllables or (more frequently) mora (linguistics), morae which make up words. A symbol in a syllaba ...

, are the

Mycenaean Greek Mycenaean Greek is the earliest attested form of the Greek language. It was spoken on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC). The language is preserved in inscriptions in Linear B, a script first atteste ...

, ''po-ti-ni-ja'', (''

potnia Potnia is an Ancient Greek word for "Mistress, Lady" and a title of a goddess. The word was inherited by Classical Greek from Mycenean Greek with the same meaning and it was applied to several goddesses. A similar word is the title Despoin ...

'') and perhaps , ''po-se-da-o'', and , ''po-se-da-wo-ne'' (''

''), which were inherited into classical Greece with identical or related meanings. An alternative etymology of the goddess

is derived from the hypothetical

''*dems-méh₂tēr'', meaning "mother of the house". In

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...

the title "despoinis" () means "Miss", literally "little mistress", and can be used to address young ladies and waitresses, amongst others.

Cult of Despoina

The cult of Despoina was significant in the history of ancient Greek mystery religions in Lycosoura, which belonged to a stratum of an earlier religion in Arcadia. Evidently, the religious beliefs of the first Greek-speaking people who entered the region were mixed with the beliefs of the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

population. The figure of a goddess of nature, birth, and death was dominant in both

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...

and Mycenean cults during the Bronze Age.

Wanax (Greek: ; from earlier , ') is an ancient Greek word for "tribal chief, lord (military) leader".. It is one of the two Greek titles traditionally translated as "king", the other being basileus, and is inherited from Mycenaean Greece. It is not ...

was her male companion (''paredros'') in the Mycenean cult, and usually, this title was applied to the god

as king of the sea. In the myth of the isolated land of Arcadia, Poseidon appears as a beastly horse which represents the river spirit of the underworld. This conception was usual in northern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an folklore and not unusual in Greece. The horse (

numina Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will". The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (), a god "whose numen everything obeys", ...

) was related with the liquid element, and with the underworld. The river god Acheloos is represented as a bull. Poseidon mates with the mare,

, and from the union she bears the horse,

, and a daughter who originally had the shape of a mare too. It seems that the Greek deities started as powers of nature, and then they were given other attributes. These powers of nature developed into a belief in

nymphs A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

and in deities with human forms and the heads or tails of animals. Some of them, such as Pan and the Silenoi, survived into the classical age. The two great Arcadian goddesses,

and Despoina (later Persephone), were closely related to the springs and the animals, and especially, to the goddess

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

(

Potnia Theron The ''Potnia Theron'' (, ) or Mistress of Animals is a widespread motif in ancient art from the Mediterranean world and the ancient Near East, showing a central human, or human-like, female figure who grasps two animals, one to each side. Alth ...

: "The mistress of the animals"), who was the first nymph. On a marble relief at

Lycosura Lycosura () was a city in the ancient Parrhasia (Arcadia), Parrhasia region of south Arcadia (ancient region), Arcadia said by Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias to be the oldest city in the world, although there is no evidence for its existence b ...

is the veil of Despoina, on which human figures are represented with the heads of different animals, seemingly, in a ritual dance. Some of them hold flutes. These could be a procession of women with animal masks or of hybrid creatures. Similar processions of daemons or human figures with animal masks appear on Mycenean frescoes and gold rings. Most of the temples were built near springs, and in some of them there is evidence of an

eternal flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...

. At Lycosura, a fire burned in front of the temple of Pan, the goat god. The

megaron The ''megaron'' (; , , : ''megara'' ) was the great hall in very early Mycenae, Mycenean and Ancient Greece, ancient Greek palace complexes. Architecturally, it was a rectangular hall that was supported by four columns, fronted by an open, two- ...

of Eleusis is quite similar to the "megaron" of Despoina at Lycosura.

Sanctuary at Lycosura

Despoina was worshipped in a sanctuary at Lycosura, west of the town of

Megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enough ...

. Poseidon was the father of Despoina and he was worshipped as Poseidon ''Hippios'' (horse). Nilsson, ''Geschichte'', Vol I, p.448 Although this cult remained regional rather than becoming panhellenic, this is a very important site for the study of ancient

mystery religion Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries (), were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates ''(mystai)''. The main characteristic of these religious schools was th ...

s. In Arcadia Poseidon was closely related to the pair of Arcadian great goddesses identified as Demeter and Kore. Lady of Auxerre Louvre Ma3098 n2

She was known by the additional epithet of Despoine among the general population, just as they surnamed Demeter's daughter by

as Kore (the maiden). Women who worshiped at the site had to adhere to a dress code that prohibited participants from wearing black or purple, possibly because those colours were worn by priestesses.

Origins

In the mysteries Demeter was a second goddess below her daughter, the unnameable "Despoina". It seems that the myths in Arcadia were connected with the first Greek-speaking people who came from the north during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. The two goddesses had close connections with the rivers and the springs. They were related to

, the god of the rivers and the springs, and especially to

, who was the first nymph. Her epithet, "the mistress", has its analogue in

Mycenean Greek Mycenaean Greek is the earliest attested form of the Greek language. It was spoken on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC). The language is preserved in inscriptions in Linear B, a script first attested ...

inscriptions found at

Pylos Pylos (, ; ), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of ...

in southern Greece and at

Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. Later, Despoina was conflated with

(Persephone), the goddess of the

Eleusinian mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

, in a life-death-rebirth cycle.

Karl Kerenyi Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl of Austria, last Austrian Emperor * Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cac ...

asserted that the cult was a continuation of a

goddess, and that her name recalls the

- Mycenaean goddess , ''da-pu₂-ri-to-jo,po-ti-ni-ja'', i.e. the unnamable "Mistress of the

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

" at

Epithet

"Despoina" was an epithet for several goddesses, especially

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

, and

Hecate Hecate ( ; ) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associat ...

. Persephone and Demeter are two of the three goddesses of the

. They are perhaps the "Two

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

" referred to in various

inscriptions. At Olympia they were called ''Despoinai'' (). The epithet, Despoina, is possibly related to the Mycenean title, "potnia" (po-ti-ni-ja), that usually referred to goddesses. Some theories suggest that this could be the translation of a similar title of

Pre-Greek The pre-Greek substrate (or substratum) consists of the unknown pre-Greek language or languages (either Pre-Indo-European or other Indo-European languages) spoken in prehistoric Greece prior to the emergence of the Proto-Greek language in the r ...

origin, just as the title "Our lady" in Christianity is translated in several languages. It is also theorised that the original title may have accompanied a potential

Aegean Aegean may refer to: *Aegean Sea * Aegean Islands *Aegean Region (geographical), Turkey * Aegean Region (statistical), Turkey *Aegean civilizations * Aegean languages, a group of ancient languages and proposed language family *Aegean Sea (theme), ...

mother goddess A mother goddess is a major goddess characterized as a mother or progenitor, either as an embodiment of motherhood and fertility or fulfilling the cosmological role of a creator- and/or destroyer-figure, typically associated the Earth, sky, ...

Archaeology

At the time of a visit to the sanctuary at Lycosura by Pausanias in the second century A.D., the sculptures would have been 300 or more years old. In the second century A.D., a statue of the emperor

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

was dedicated in the temple. Coins from Megalopolis, from the

Severan The Severan dynasty, sometimes called the Septimian dynasty, ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. It was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus () and Julia Domna, his wife, when Septimius emerged victorious from civil war of 193 - 197, ...

period in the early third century, appear to depict a statue from the cult group.Jost (1985) ''Sanctuaires et cultes d'Arcadie''. Paris There is a museum at the archaeological site called the Archaeological museum of Lykosoura, housing small finds as well as part of the cult group, while the remains of the cult statues of Despoina and Demeter are displayed at the

National Archaeological Museum of Athens The National Archaeological Museum () in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and ...

. The most significant artifact among its collection is the veil of Despoina, displaying a complex decorative program, probably representative of the types of embroidered woven materials created by contemporary artists. Also displayed are the heads of Artemis, Demeter,

Anytos Anytos or Anytus () was one of the Titan (mythology), Titans of Greek mythology. He was supposed to have raised Despoina, and in Arcadia during Pausanias' time the two were represented by statues in a temple near Acacesium. The Lycosoura Anyto ...

, and a Tritoness, from the throne in the sanctuary.

Legacy

* Despina, a satellite of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

, was named after the goddess Despoina.

Notes

Explanatory notes

Citations

General and cited references

* Burkert, Walter, ''Greek Religion'',

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, 1985. . * Hard, Robin, ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology"'', Psychology Press, 2004.
Google Books
* Hathorn, Richmond Yancey, ''Crowell's handbook of classical drama'', Thomas Y. Crowell Company (1967). * Kerényi, Karl (1976), ''Dionysos: Archetypal image of indestructible life'', trans. Ralph Manheim, Princeton University Press, 1976. . * * Pausanias, ''Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Smith, William; ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'', London (1873)
"Despoena"

External links

{{Authority control Agricultural goddesses Arcadian mythology Children of Demeter Children of Poseidon Divine twins Epithets of Aphrodite Epithets of Demeter Epithets of Hecate Epithets of Persephone Greek goddesses