| Despoina | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sculpture of Demeter, and the veil of Despoina | |
| Abode | Arcadia |
| Symbols | Veil |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Poseidon and Demeter |
| Siblings | Arion (twin), several paternal half-siblings and several maternal half-siblings |
| Part of a series on |
| Ancient Greek religion |
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Despoina or Despoena (/dɛsˈpiːnə/;[1] Greek: Δέσποινα, romanized: Déspoina) was the epithet of a goddess worshipped by the Eleusinian Mysteries in Ancient Greece as the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon and the sister of Arion.[2] Surviving sources refer to her exclusively under the title Despoina ("the Mistress," cognate of "Despot") alongside her mother Demeter, as her real name could not be revealed to anyone except those initiated into her mysteries and was consequently lost with the extinction of the Eleusinian religion.[3] Writing during the second century A.D., Pausanias spoke of Demeter as having two daughters; Kore being born first, before Despoina was born, with Zeus being the father of Kore and Poseidon as the father of Despoina. Pausanias made it clear that Kore is Persephone, although he did not reveal Despoina's proper name.
In the myth, Poseidon saw Demeter and desired her. To avoid him, she took her archaic form of a mare, but he took the form of a stallion and mated with her. From this union Demeter bore a daughter, Despoina, and a fabulous horse, Arion. Due to her anger at this turn of events, Demeter also was given the epithet Erinys (raging).[4]