πότνια

πότνια, ἡ, poet.title of honour, used chiefly in addressing females, whether goddesses or women:

1 as Subst., = δέσποινα (cf. Apion ap.Apollon.Lex.), mistress, queen (v. sub fin.),

πότνιαν ἁγνήν h.Cer. 203

: mostly c. gen., πότνια θηρῶν (nom.) queen of wild beasts, of Artemis, Il.21.470;

πότνια βελέων Pi.P.4.213

; τὰν ἐρώτων πότνιαν, of Aphrodite, E.Fr.781.16 (lyr.); π. λαῶν, τοξοφόρων, Arat.112, Call. Fr.anon.338: without a gen.,

π. Αὔως Sapph.153

;

πότνι' Ἐρινύς A.Th.887

(lyr.), Eu.951 (anap.);

πότνιαν ἐξαπαφὼν ἐμάν E.Ion704

(lyr.); [

Ἱστίην] πότνιαν h.Ven.24

;

ναὶ τὰν πότνιαν Theoc.15.14

: in voc.,

ὦ πότνι' Ἥρα A.Th.152

(lyr.); ὦ πότνια (sc. Ἀθηναία) Ar.Eq. 1170, al.;

ὦ πότνι' E.IT533

, Ar.Pax445; addressed to a mistress, AP5.269 (Paul.Sil.).

2 in pl. of the Eumenides,

ὦ πότνιαι δεινῶπες S.OC84

;

τὸ τῶν ποτνιέων ἱρόν Hdt.9.97

; of Demeter and Kore, S. OC1050 (lyr.), Ar.Th.1149 (lyr.);

θεσμοφόρους ἁγνὰς π. Inscr.Prien. 196.3

.

3 as Adj., revered, august, in Hom. of Hebe, Enyo, Calypso, Circe, Il.4.2, 5.592, Od.1.14, 8.448; most freq. of Hera, Il.1.551, al., cf. Sapph.Supp.6.2; in Hes. of Hera, Tethys, and Peitho, Th.11, 368, Op.73;

Τριτογένεια Id.Th.926

; Νίκη Bacis ap.Hdt.8.77, cf. B. 11.5;

π. μήτηρ Il.1.357

, al., Od.6.30, al.; esp. in invocation,

π. γῆ Hom.Epigr.7.1

;

ὦ π. χθών A.Ch.722

(anap.), E.Hec.70 (anap.); μᾶτερ π., addressed to Earth, S.Ph.395 (lyr.) (also of a bird, Mosch. 4.24);

π. νύξ E.Or.174

(lyr.); ὦ π. λήθη τῶν κακῶν ib.213;

Ἔνοσι π. Id.Ba.585

(lyr.);

ὦ μεγάλα Θέμι καὶ π. Ἄρτεμι Id.Med.160

(anap.);

ὦ π. αἰδώς Id.IA821

; ὦ π. μοῖρα καὶ τύχη ib.1136: the phrase π. συκῆ is used by Arist.Rh.1408a16 as a parody of Cleophon's style.—Mostly used in voc. [The first syll. is short in A.Th.152, Ch.722, E.Med. 160, Ion 873, al., Theoc. l. c., but elsewh. long, cf. πότμος: the final syll. always short in nom., voc., and acc.sg.]