A-TA-NA

Zeus appears to get a big headache as Athena emerges from his head. Athena looks a bit surprised herself. Illustration from "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths."

What follows is crazy, but I was drinking so...

The oldest (believed) mention of Athena is a single Mycenaean Greek inscription 𐀀𐀲𐀙𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊 "a-ta-na po-ti-ni-ja" which appears at Knossos, in the Linear B tablets from the Late Minoan II (1450–1400 BC) period...

This is translated as "Athena (a-ta-na) Mistress (po-ti-ni-ja)"... 

But there is actually a possibility that there is an even older mention of Athena. A sign series (inscription) "a-ta-no-dju-wa-ja" appears in the still undeciphered corpus of Linear A tablets, written in the "unclassified Minoan language"...

Apparently the part "dju-wa-ja" could be connected with the Linear B Mycenaean expressions "di-u-ja" or "di-wi-ja" which is interpreted as Div, Diwus, Dyeus, Deus, Zeus, God...

So it is proposed that the Linear A inscription "a-ta-no dju-wa-ja" could then be translated as Athena of Div, Diwus, Dyeus, Deus, Zeus...Or Athena Divine...

However, this is problematic because the Linear A inscription "a-ta-no dju-wa-ja" is very similar to another inscription "a-ta-nū-tī wa-ya". The best translation given (by Jan Best) for the initial "a-ta-nū-tī", which is recurrent in line beginnings, is "I have given"...

Now madness begins: 

I will start with "po-ti-ni-ja". The Ancient Greek word πότνια (potnia) means "mistress". It is a "poetic title of honour", used chiefly in addressing females, whether goddesses or women; Its hypothetical Proto-Indo-European (PIE) form is *pot-niha-, "mistress", "lady", "wife"...

In Slavic languages we have these expressions: 

Da (pronounced dah, apparently from PIE deh ) = yes, give

Dati (pronounced dahtee) = da ti = (give you) = to give

Podati se (pronounced pohdahtee seh) = to submit yourself to someone else's will. For women to let someone fuck them...

Podanik (pronounced pohdahneek) = a man who submitted himself to another man, serf

Podana (pronounced pohdahnah) = a woman who was given to a man

Podana ja (pronounced pohdahnah yah) = I was given to a man

Podana je (pronounced pohdahnah yeh) = She was given to a man

So now let's have a look at "po-ti-ni-ja" again. What does mistress, wife mean again? At the most basic level? You know how you become both wife and a mistress? What do you have to do to become either? Did you know that the etymology of the word "wife" is totally uncertain and that one of the proposed etymologies is related to "shame place" basically a vulva...And did you know that there is a possibility that that the word could actually be derived from Slavic "wu+jeb" = "her+fuck" = wife..."Poetic title of honour" 🙂 Love it...

Ok....

What about "a-ta-na"? There are two possible etymologies here:

In Slavic languages we have following expressions:

Ona (pronounced onah) = "she"

Ot (pronounced "ot" or "at", from PIE atta, pronounces atah) = "father" but also "from". 

-ina (pronounced eenah) = feminine ending denoting something feminine belonging to someone...

If we combine Ot,At + ina = Of the father (she is) = Given by the father (she is), Born of the father (she is)...Which is basically what Athena is...Right?

In Slavic languages we also have these expressions:

Dava (pronounced dahvah) = he gives (continuously or often)

Dava ja (pronounced dahvah yah)= I give (continuously or often)

Dano = given

Dana = given feminine

"Ja dana" (pronounced Yah dahna) = "I (feminine) was given" 

Div = giant, but once meant god

Divija = demonic, but once meant divine

So "a-ta-no dju-wa-ja" could be "ja dana divija" = I was given by Div, Diwus, Dyeus, Deus, Zeus...God...

Ok...

Finally, what about the problematic "a-ta-nū-tī" meaning "I have given"?

In Slavic languages we also have these expressions:

"Ja dano ti" (pronounced Yah dahno tee) = "What I have given to you" 

"Je dano ti" (pronounced Yeh dahno tee) = "What was given to you" 

Which would be something you would put at the beginning of each line listing things given to the authorities or a temple...

So...

But all this is just madness, right? I am drunk after all...Who would have spoken Slavic languages in Bronze Age Minoan Crete? No one of course...So this is all most likely just some gibberish from an "unclassified Minoan language"...

Good night...