Many of the Greek deities are known from as early as Mycenaean (Late Bronze Age) civilization. This is an incomplete list of these deities and of the way their names,

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

s, or titles are spelled and attested in

Mycenaean Greek Mycenaean Greek is the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC), before the hypothesised Dorian invasion, often cited as the ''terminus ad quem'' for the ...

, written in the

Linear B Linear B was a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1400 BC. It is descended from ...

syllabary In the linguistic study of written languages, a syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent the syllables or (more frequently) moras which make up words. A symbol in a syllabary, called a syllabogram, typically represents an (optiona ...

, along with some reconstructions and equivalent forms in later

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Deities

Gods

Anemoi In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi (Greek: , 'Winds') were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various seasons an ...

- attested through *''Anemohiereia'' or *''Anemon Hiereia'', "Priestess of the Winds" (Linear B: , ''a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja'', , ''a-ne-mo,i-je-re-ja'') Gulizio (2008), pag
4
*

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

(?) - perhaps attested through the lacunose ''perio'' (Linear B: , ''pe-rjo-'', reconstructed ''a-pe-rjo-ne'') *

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...

(Linear B: , ''a-re'') * Despotas(?) - unclear, perhaps house deity (Linear B: , ''do-po-ta'') Chadwick (1976), pag
95
*

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

(Linear B: , ''di-wo-nu-so'') * Dipsioi - perhaps "the Thirsty ''and hence'' the Dead Ones"; perhaps related to

Thessalian Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessa ...

month ''Dipsos'', meaning obscure (Linear B: , ''di-pi-si-jo-i'') Budin (2004), page
235–236
García-Ramón, J.L., in Duhoux and Morpurgo Davies (2011), pag
236
* Drimios - unknown, in later times, son of Zeus, perhaps a predecessor of

(Linear B: , ''di-ri-mi-jo'') Ventris and Chadwick (1973). * Enesidaon - possibly a theonym; possibly an epithet of Poseidon, assumed to mean "Earthshaker" or something similar (Linear B: , ''e-ne-si-da-o-ne'') *

Enyalius Enyalius or Enyalios (Greek: ) in Greek mythology is generally a son of Ares by Enyo and also a byname of Ares the god of war. Though Enyalius as a by-name of Ares is the most accepted version, in Mycenaean times Ares and Enyalius were considered ...

- a later epithet of Ares (Linear B: , ''e-nu-wa-ri-jo'') Schofield (2007), pag
160
*

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter Burk ...

- regarded as indirectly attested by the name *''Haphaistios'' or *''Haphaistion'', presumed to be a

theophoric name A theophoric name (from Greek: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or God's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relation to that deit ...

(Linear B: , ''a-pa-i-ti-jo'') Chadwick (1976), pag
99
*

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

(Linear B: , ''e-ma-*25'' or ''e-ma-ha'')García-Ramón, J.L., in Duhoux and Morpurgo Davies (2011), pag
230
Gulizio (2000). Palaeolexicon
The Linear B word e-ma-ha
** Areias - epithet (Linear B: , ''a-re-ja'') * Hyperion(?) - perhaps attested through the lacunose ''perio'' (Linear B: , ''pe-rjo-'', reconstructed ''u-pe-rjo-ne'') * Marineus(?) - unknown deity, perhaps "God of the Woolens", meaning obscure (Linear B: , ''ma-ri-ne(-u?)'', , ma-ri-ne-we, , ma-ri-ne-wo) Trzaskoma et al (2004), pag
443–446
Castleden (2003), pag
122
* Pade(?) - possibly unknown god, thought to be Cretan,

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450B ...

in origin (Linear B: ''pa-de'', ''pa-de-i'') Hägg (1997), pag
165
*

Paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice (monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα� ...

- a precursor of Apollo (Linear B: , ''pa-ja-wo-ne'') Chadwick (1976), pag
89
*

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

- chief deity (Linear B: , ''po-se-da-o'', , ''po-se-da-wo-ne'') * Trisheros - theonym, "Thrice-Hero"; thought to attest, and pertain to, the

veneration of the dead The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

(Linear B: , ''ti-ri-se-ro-e'') Linear B Transliterations
ti-ri-se-ro-e
*

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 nota ...

- "the King"; in this case, it is considered to be a theonym in the dative case, perhaps as an epithet of Poseidon (Linear B: , ''wa-na-ka-te'') *

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

- God of the sky (Linear B: , ''di-we'', , ''di-wo'') ** Diktaios - local epithet of Zeus on

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

(Linear B: , ''di-ka-ta-jo di-we'')

Goddesses

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

(Linear B: , ''a-te-mi-to'', , ''a-ti-mi-te'') * Diwia - possibly the female counterpart of Zeus, possibly Dione in later Greek (Linear B: , ''di-u-ja'', , ''di-wi-ja'') * Doqeia(?) - possibly an unknown goddess but could be only a feminine

adjective In linguistics, an adjective (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that generally grammatical modifier, modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Tra ...

(Linear B: , ''do-qe-ja'') Nosch, Marie-Louise, in Fischer-Hansen and Poulsen (2009), pag
22
*

Eileithyia Eileithyia or Ilithyiae or Ilithyia (; grc-gre, Εἰλείθυια; (''Eleuthyia'') in Crete, also (''Eleuthia'') or (''Elysia'') in Laconia and Messene, and (''Eleuthō'') in literature)Nilsson Vol I, p. 313 was the Greek goddess of ch ...

- attested in the Cretan ''Eleuthia'' form; perhaps Minoan in origin (Linear B: , ''e-re-u-ti-ja'') *

Eos In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric ''Āṓs'') is the goddess and personification of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home at ...

- perhaps attested through a personal name ''Ἀϝohιος'' related to the word for dawn, or

dative In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...

form ''Āwōiōi'' (Linear B: , ''a-wo-i-jo''). *

Erinyes The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes ...

- both forms of the theonym are considered to be in the

singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular homology * SINGULAR, an open source Computer Algebra System (CAS) * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, ...

, ''Erinys'' (Linear B: , ''e-ri-nu'', , ''e-ri-nu-we'') *

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

(Linear B: , '' e-ra'') * Iphemedeia - theonym; probably variant form of Iphimedia, name of a

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

person found in

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'' (Linear B: , ''i-pe-me-de-ja'') * Komawenteia(?) - possibly unknown deity, possibly meaning "long-haired goddess" (Linear B: ''ko-ma-we-te-ja'') * Manasa - unknown goddess (Linear B: , ''ma-na-sa'') Castleden (2003), pag
112
* Mater Theia - possibly "Mother of the Gods" or

mother goddess A mother goddess is a goddess who represents a personified deification of motherhood, fertility goddess, fertility, creation, destruction, or the earth goddess who embodies the bounty of the earth or nature. When equated with the earth or th ...

(Linear B: , ''ma-te-re,te-i-ja'') * Pipituna - Reconstructed as ''*'' (Píptynna), unknown deity, considered to be Pre-Greek or Minoan (Linear B: , ''pi-pi-tu-na'') * Posidaeia - probably the female counterpart to Poseidon (Linear B: , ''po-si-da-e-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 Despoina, ...

- “Mistress” or “Lady”; may be used as an epithet for many deities, but also shows up as a single deity (Linear B: , ''po-ti-ni-ja''). ** Potnia

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

- or Potnia of ''At(h)ana'' (''Athens''(?)); reference of the latter is uncertain (Linear B: , ''a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja'') Burkert (1985), page
44
** Potnia

Hippeia Hippeia or Hippea (Ancient Greek: Ἱππεία) is the name of two characters in Greek mythology. * Hippea, daughter of Antippus. She married Elatus and bore Polyphemus, Caeneus, Ischys and Ampycus. * Athena Hippeia (or Hippeia Athena, "Athena ...

- Mistress of the Horses; later epithet of

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

and Athena (Linear B: , ''po-ti-ni-ja,i-qe-ja'') ** Potnia of Sitos - Mistress of Grain,

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

predecessor or epithet of Demeter (Linear B: , ''si-to-po-ti-ni-ja'') ** Potnia of the

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was 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 ...

(Linear B: , ''da-pu₂-ri-to-jo,po-ti-ni-ja'') ** Potnia, at Thebes, of no attested name or title, other than that offers are made ''to'' her ''house'', her ''premises'' (Linear B: , ''po-ti-ni-ja,wo-ko-de'') ** Potnia, of unidentified

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

sanctuary - unknown local(?) goddess of ''pa-ki-ja-ne'' (*''Sphagianes''?)

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

at Pylos (Linear B: , ''po-ti-ni-ja'') Linear B Transliterations
pa-ki-ja-ne
** Potnia, of uncertain ''A'' place or epithet (Linear B: , ''po-ti-ni-ja,a-si-wi-ja'') Linear B Transliterations
a-si-wi-jaa-*64-ja
** Potnia, of unknown ''E'' place or epithet (Linear B: , ''e-re-wi-jo-po-ti-ni-ja'') ** Potnia, of unknown ''N'' place or epithet (Linear B: , ''ne-wo-pe-o,po-ti-ni-ja'') ** Potnia, of unknown ''U'' place or epithet (Linear B: , ''u-po-jo-po-ti-ni-ja'') ** Potnia, of unknown ''?'' place or epithet (Linear B: , ''(?)-a-ke-si,po-ti-ni-ja'') * Preswa(?) - generally interpreted as a dove goddess or an early form of

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...

(Linear B: , ''pe-re-*82'' or ''pe-re-swa'') Burkert (1985), pages
45364
* Qerasia(?) - unknown goddess, perhaps Minoan in origin or possibly connected with ''thēr'' (Linear B: , ''qe-ra-si-ja'') Linear B Transliterations
qe-ra-si-ja
Palaeolexicon
The Linear B word qe-ra-si-ja
* Qowia(?) - unknown deity, possibly meaning “She of the Cow(s)" (Linear B: , ''qo-wi-ja'') Palaima (2006), pag
66
* Wanasso(?) - "the Two

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

", possibly Demeter and Persephone, *''wanassojin''(?) regarded as a dative dual form (Linear B: , ''wa-na-so-i'')

Pantheon

*Pantes Theoi - a special invocation "to All the Gods", irrespectively of sex, etc.; recurrently attested at Knossos (Linear B : , ''pa-si-te-o-i'') Hiller (1997), pag
206
Gulizio (2008), pag
3
ff. Linear B Transliterations
pa-si-te-o-i

Heroes, mortals and other entities or concepts

* Proteus - could be the theonym of the sea-god

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') is an early prophetic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" ''(hálios gérôn)''. ...

, but probably just the anthroponym of a nobleman (Linear B: , ''po-ro-te-u'')

Possible deities

Deities speculated to have been worshipped but without hitherto attestation in the Linear B tablets * A possible

sun goddess A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

, predecessor to

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

and possibly related to ''

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

''. No unambiguous attestations of words for "sun" have been found yet, though the Mycenaean word for "sun" is reconstructed as *hāwélios.

Notes

References

Sources

Books

* * * * * * * * * *

Articles in journals, periodicals and of conferences

* ** ** * ** * ** * **

Online databases and dictionaries

;Mycenaean Greek and Linear B * * * ;Ancient Greek, Latin and of English etymology * At the

Perseus Project The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...

, a digital library project of

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. * * At the Perseus Project. * At the Perseus Project. *