Poena

For the genus of moths, see Poena (moth).

In Greek mythology, Poena or Poine (‹See Tfd›Greek: Ποινή "recompense, punishment") is the spirit of punishment[1] and the attendant of punishment to Nemesis,[2] the goddess of divine retribution. Sometimes mentioned as one being, and sometimes in the plural as Poenai (Ποιναί) and are akin to the Erinyes.[3] Her Roman equivalent may have been Ultio.

The Greek word poinḗ (ποινή) means a recompense or a punishment. From this word the Latin poena meaning "pain, punishment, penalty" is derived, which in turn gave rise to English words such as "subpoena" and "pain".[4]

  1. ^ Atsma, Aaron. "Poine". Theoi Project. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  2. ^ Irwin, Patrick. "Nemesis". University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 2010-10-02. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  3. ^ A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Poena Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Harper, Douglas. "Penal - Etymology". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-04-08.