Editing Dodona (section)

== Other commentaries ==
[[File:Greek_Marble_Muse_Terpsichore,_Late_4th_to_Mid_2nd_BC_(10451853483).jpg|thumb|right|[[Terpsichore statuette from Dodona|Terpsichore of Dodona]], exhibited in 2010 in the [[Michael C. Carlos Museum]], [[Atlanta]].]]

According to [[Richard Claverhouse Jebb|Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb]], the epithet ''Neuos'' of Zeus at Dodona primarily designated "the god of streams, and, generally, of water". Jebb also points out that [[Achelous]], as a water deity, received special honours at Dodona.<ref name="Jeb202">{{harvnb|Jebb|1892|loc=Appendix, [https://books.google.com/books?id=btdHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA202 p. 202, Note #4]}}.</ref> The area of the oracle was quite swampy, with lakes in the area and reference to the "holy spring" of Dodona may be a later addition.

Jebb mostly follows Strabo in his analysis. Accordingly, he notes that the Selloi, the prophets of Zeus, were also called ''tomouroi'', which name derived from Mount Tomares. ''Tomouroi'' was also a variant reading found in the ''[[Odyssey]]''.

According to Jebb, the Peleiades at Dodona were very early, and preceded the appointment of [[Phemonoe]], the prophetess at Delphi.<ref name=Jeb202/> The introduction of female attendants probably took place in the fifth century.<ref>{{harvnb|Eidinow|2014|loc=p. 64: "But from the fifth century the sanctuary appears to have been managed by priestesses, and this may indicate some sort of reorganization in the intervening period."}}</ref> The timing of change is clearly prior to Herodotus (5th century BCE), with his narrative about the doves and Egypt.

[[Aristotle]] (''[[Meteorologica]]'', 1.14) places 'Hellas' in the parts about Dodona and the Achelous and says it was inhabited by "the Selloi, who were formerly called Graikoi, but now Hellenes."<ref name="1.14"/><ref name=Guest272>{{harvnb|Guest|1883|p=[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510017026078;view=1up;seq=310 272]}}.</ref>

The alternative reading of ''Selloi'' is ''Helloi''. Aristotle clearly uses "Dodona" as the designation of the whole district in which the oracle was situated. Thus, according to some scholars, the origin of the words "Hellenes" and "Hellas" was from Dodona.<ref name=Guest272/> Also, the word "Greece" may have been derived from this area.