The earliest attested occurrence of the name, written in Linear B, is Po-se-da-o or Po-se-da-wo-ne, which correspond to (Poseidaōn) and (Poseidawonos) in Mycenean Greek; in Homeric Greek it appears as (Poseidaōn); in Aeolic as (Poteidaōn); and in Doric as (Poteidan), (Poteidaōn), and (Poteidas) [REF].
Another theory interprets the second element as related to the word *δᾶϝον dâwon, "water"; this would make *Posei-dawōn into the master of waters [REF].