Queens ladies and Mistresses

Queens Mistresses and Ladies.

There are three words in Greek that can be translated as Queen Lady or Mistress.

Ἄνασσα was a archaicism and ποτνια and the related forms δέσποινα and δέσποτις can be appplied to a woman whether she was human or mortal.

The most common word in classical times was βασίλεια which with a shift of accent βασιλεία also meant realm. The Greeks changed this by adding other feminine suffixes to the βασιλε radical.

Linear B texts give us an earlier form of *gwasir or mayb even*wasil?

I rather prefer *gwasir since we now of other words in Classical Greek with an initial B that derived from a change of IE *GW to B.

Other words are βασιληίς βασιλίς βασίλιννα and βασίλισσα.

Do I hear anyone thinking kyria? That only translates as lady and never to my knowledge as Queen?

Hellas Throne of the Gods

HELLAS THRONE OF THE GODS

Hellas and Hellene have a common origin probably in a very ancient word archaic even in the Classical era and the word probably meant “Throne” used to a way similar to the English and particularly the British usage of CROWN to imply legal authority.

Looking up Hellen and Hellenist in the BIG full size Liddell and Scott I came across several interesting references.

The η in Hellen Ἕλλην has a α in Dorian leading to a usage of Ἑλλάννιος where most Greek dialects use Ἕλληνικός the adjective derived from the name of Hellen son of Deucalion ancestor of the Hellen tribe who lived in Thessaly first mentioned by Homer in the Iliad in the area around Dodona then called Hellas Ἑλλάς.

Hesiod Herodotus Aeschylus and Euripides all referred to Greeks as Hellenes.

Liddell and Scott also mentions a rare word in the Laconian dialect of Dorian Greek ἡ ἑλλά which was a kind of chair and also mention a fragment of a Hellenistic historian Idomeneus who said that the word was also used in Dodona to refer to the seat of the god Zeus.

So Hellen founder of a city realm and tribe was perhaps the heir to the ?divine?  THRONE, what we might call a crown prince, and Hellenes may have originally been the “Crown” tribe, the princely ones, just as Wang means royal in Chinese but so many people have that family name now that it no longer implies royal descent though clearly marks you as a HAN?

This certainly makes as much or more sense than derived it as Sun Helios?

LERNA and LEGENDS reposted

Due to its popularity I'm bumping this ( a 3rd time a couple of years later) so more readers can see it.
#LERNA site of the #HYDRA legends is also a fascinating archaeological site.
I've collected a set  of the most interesting and useful  images I could find for you to use.

The Hydra was said to have been a many headed water snake however the lake at Lerna which has now dwindled to a mere pool seems to have had a very thin barrier between it and the sea.

Perhaps the Hydra was a giant squid or octopod swept into the lake by a storm who attacked swimmers?

Yet The Lake was supposedly always unsafe to swim in even after the Hydra was killed.

The legend speaks of Heracles burning the stumps of the Hydra however other legends also tell of him creating large scale water diversion schemes. Was the Hydra a parasite or disease in a coastal wetland? Was the charcoal from burnt trees used to purify water. Another part of the legend tells of a forest being cut down. Did Heracles divert water into a channel beginning the process of draining the lake and coastal wetlands ? Did he block a dangerous sinkhole perhaps?

Map of Lerna Was the lake north or south of modern Lerna village?

Here's a diagram showing the archaeological site. One of the oddest things about Lerna is that the famous House of Tiles one of the largest #Helladic structures in ancient Greece seems to have been delibarately pulled down carefully and then buried under a tumulus. What were later occupants trying to do? Cherish the ancients or protect themselves from ghosts?

You'll see this aerial shot several times if you google image search Lerna. It seems to date back to the 50s?

I suggest you use Google Earth as their image set show the site area and photos of the springs !

And do read Pausanias if you can!

First Feminine Nouns Long EE Final

More First Declension Feminine Nouns

A few posts back I mentioned that a final long a sound changed to a long e - η in Attic and Ionic.

This is why we have first declension nouns ending in both η and α.

Here's 20 η final nouns that follow the First Declension Pattern.

Άστραπή a flash of lightning

Βροντή A roar of and Thunder

Γραμματική a female teacher of basic literacy from Γράμματα letters

Δίκη Law Order Right Hence Justice

Ζώνη a belt or sash or girdle the origin of Zone.

εὐνή a sleeping place animal's lair, bird's nest or bed for humans

yet in plural εὐναί the anchor stones thrown off the prow of a ship into the sea.

Κεφαλή the head Now you know why an octopus can also be called a cephalopod.

Κολωνή a hill or mound

Μαχή War Battle This was borrowed into English via Latin and became – machia and -machy.

Μηχανή The origin of – MECH and also again via Latin of Machine.

Νίκη Victory

ὄγχνη the pear tree and its fruit

Πύλη a Gate Don't Confuse this with Φυλή Phyle a tribe group or clan.

Ῥώμη Power Strength Force Might Yes Rome or Roma the goddess and city.

Σκήνη A cover or shelter shade cloth or tent

Σωφροσύνη Moderation Discretion Prudence Chastity Commonsense Virtue

ὕλη Hule Forest Wood Hylo-

Τύχη Fortune

Ψυχή The soul

Some More First Declension Feminine nouns

I've tried to select words that are reasonably useful but not the same as the usual selection you see in first year texts over and over again. 

Here's a list of Nouns ending with α

ἁρμονία joint joining fitting together parts

This is harmonia the origin of Harmony. Look up the Greek Verb ἁρμόζω and other related words.

Βῆσσα also spelt Βᾶσσα in Doric, a forest glen a wooded valley

Bassae Modern Greek Vasse in Arcadia is the site of a famous temple of Apollo Epikouros.

γέφυρα bridge ford river crossing dam

γωνία corner angle.

γλῶσσα tongue hence language speech glossa as in glossary

ἐκκλησία an enclosure for a meeting an assembly in such an area

ζημία penalty or fine the loss or damage to your income if you lost a court case

ἡσυχία calm silence

ἡμέρα day The hemera in the botanical name of day lillies

θύρα door entrance

ἰτέα the willow tree

κιθάρα the Kithara a kind of harp

λέαινα the lionness

λύρα another type of stringed musical instrument the Lyre

οἰκία house household The origin of – eco. What words do you know that have eco in them?

πεῖρα a try or attempt

σκία shadow

φιλία “brotherly love” friendship

the feeling stronger than a minor affection preference or liking you have towards a sibling or family member extended to a friend

χώρα country land

ὥρα time a period of time hence season “hour”

Some Greek Accents and other Diacritics

῾ There's a breathing or h sound

᾽ No Aspiration NO H

´ The ACUTE ACCENT

Its presence or absence and position can show a change of meaning. 

It can appear on any of the last 3 syllables of a word.

Ποτέ means at some time or once but πότε means WHEN

τί means WHAT but τι with no accent means any or some ...

` This is the Grave accent

 and ̆ are used to show if a vowel is long or short in meter and pronounciation.

ᾱ ᾰ ῑ ῐ ῡ ῠ

Fabulous First Feminines

First Declension A Stem Feminine Nouns

A list for your use of fabulous Greek that are feminine in more than one way!

ἀγκῡρα anchor for a ship

ἀγλαΐα beauty splendour glory pomp also used in a negative sense in the plural of worldly vanities like the English phrase “pomp and glories”

ἀγορά Agora the central space used for markets and meetings the town “square” the plaza also the Assembly since the Agora was used for public meetings like a Roman forum.

ἀγυία way road street in plural can mean town or city the “streets”

αἰτία cause origin occasion by extension blame crime negative action

ἀκτέα the elder tree

ἄνασσα Queen Lady Mistress

ἀνία grief sorrow distress

ἄρουρα tillage acreage plowed or cultivated land used for grain crops

ἀσία Asia Minor and Major

There are also First Declension Feminine Nouns that end in η

In Attic and Ionic long final a sounds in many words but not all changed to η a change of a long a sound to a long ee.

ἀγάπη love charity compassion

ἀγκάλη arm bent or curved arm

ἀδελφή sister

ἀδελφιδῆ niece

ἀλόη The ALOE plant

ἀμυγδάλη the Almond tree and fruit also admired for its white flowers

ἀνθρήνη the wild bee

Ἀρετή Virtue excellence goodness manliness

ἀρχή beginning source origin

αὐγή bright light ray or beam of usually the sun

ALERT Nouns ending in – μα(τα) are THIRD DECLENSION

Here's the Declension pattern

Nominative Singular α η Plural αι

Accusative Singular αν ην Plural ας

Genitive Singular ας ης Plural ῶν

Dative Singular ᾳ ῃ Plural αις

There are more First Declension Nouns mostly Feminine and some masculine.

Watch for future posts!