Mainstream historical linguistics frequently surrenders the etymologies of the most archaic Greek deities to the "Pre-Greek substrate," labeling them as un-etymologizable foreign loanwords due to localized phonetic variations. This monograph presents a comprehensive, unified alternative framework. We demonstrate that the names of Artemis, Themis, Semele, Moira, and Hermes are not isolated anomalies, but are mathematically regular formations built from a single, native Proto-Indo-European (PIE) structural engine: a core verbal or zoonym root compounded with the Caland-associated characteristic suffix *-mó- and an individualizing agent suffix. Crucially, this paper proves that this template operates as a universal, bi-gender linguistic factory. By maintaining the central *-mó- layer and simply toggling the final animate agent suffix between feminine (-is, -a, -ya) and masculine (-os), prehistoric speakers systematically transformed raw cosmological concepts into personified divine entities. Through regular rules of vocalic syncope, cluster simplification, laryngeal coloring, and nasal dissimilation, this framework unifies the phonetic development of the archaic pantheon under a single mechanical law.
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Brandon Eli Cornelison (2026) studied this question.
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