Princesses of Ancient Greece
A definition of ‘princess’ is a daughter of a king and queen. Such a child would have status from her parents and this status might affect who she might marry and what kind of activities she would be involved in. There were many women in ancient Greek myth who would meet this definition. But there is not one word like ‘princess’ that would apply to them. Some of the words include:
- βασίλεια — queen Euripides, Electra line 187
- κρείουσα — queen, princess from κρείων — ruling, ruler; Homer, Iliad, book 22, line48
Another word that might mean princess is ‘πότνια’. Homer, Iliad, book 21 line 470 refers to Artemis as πότνια θηρῶν. This is usually translated ‘Mistress of the Animals’ but it could be translated ‘Princess of the Animals’. It is important to realize that Artemis is the goddess of princesses.
A List of ancient Greek Princesses:
Io seems to have been a goddess rather than a princess
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