Potnia Theron (Ἡ Πότνια Θηρῶν, "The Mistress of the Animals") is a term first used (once) by
Homer (Iliad 21. 470) and often used to describe female divinities associated with animals. The word
Potnia, meaning mistress or lady, was a
Mycenaean Greek word inherited by
Classical Greek, with the same meaning, cognate to
Sanskrit .