Greek God of the Sea
Poseidon was god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses and is considered one of the most bad-tempered, moody and greedy Olympian gods.
He is the son of Cronus and Rhea and was swallowed by his father along with Hades, Demeter, Hestia and Hera. However, in some folklore stories it is believed that Poseidon, like Zeus, was not swallowed by Cronus because his mother Rhea who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which was devoured by Cronos instead.
After the gods defeated the Titans, the world was divided into three and Zeus, Hades and Poseidon drew straws to decide which they would rule. Zeus drew the skies, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the seas. There is only one reference to this divide, by Home in the Iliad.
Facts about Poseidon
Poseidon was most notably the God of the sea and the protector of all waters; sailors relied upon him for safe passage.
Poseidon was allotted his dominion after the fall of the Titans.
Zeus and Hades were his brothers.
It stands to reason that, because of his influence on the waters, he was worshipped in connection with navigation.
Poseidon was worshipped as a fertility god.
His name is Greek for “husband.”
He wielded the trident or three-pronged spear, and this image of him is reflected in art.
Poseidon could strike the ground with his trident to produce an earthquake. This earned him the nickname “Earth-shaker.”
Poseidon possessed a palace, made of gems and coral, located on the ocean floor. He was at Mount Olympus more often than his palace.
Poseidon was moody by nature: his temperament was unstable at best, and his emotional fluctuations often resulted in violence.
He was similar to Zeus in that he liked to exert power over women and flaunt his rugged masculinity. At times, however, his efforts were appreciated. Poseidon saved Amymone from a satyr.
His primary means of transportation was a chariot pulled by horses.
Poseidon assisted the Greeks in the Trojan war. However, Zeus commanded him to withdraw from the battlefield, and he reluctantly obeyed.
His grudge against Odysseus is one theme in the Odyssey.
Poseidon was the husband of Amphitrite, a Nereid. Their union produced Triton, who was half-human, half-fish.
He and Medusa conceived the flying horse, Pegasus – one of many mythological creatures.
He was also the biological father of Orion, Polyphemus, Pelias, and many others.
One of his most notable dalliances involved his sister Demeter. She refused his advances by turning herself into a mare. He then transformed into a stallion and pursued her. Their relations produced a horse, Arion.
He and Athena competed for possession of the city of Athens. To sway the people in his favor, Poseidon made it spring at the Acropolis. Athena, on the other hand, gave them the olive tree. With it, she won the contest.
Despite Poseidon’s connection to chariots and ships, Athena was the first to make one of each.
god of : Oceans, Water, Earthquakes, and Islands
Symbols: Trident, Horse, Dolphin, Turquoise, Ash Tree, White Pine Tree.
Sacred animals: Horse, Dolphin, Fish, Bull and Ram.
Parents:Cronus and Rhea
Spouse: Amphitrite
Children: Triton, Rhode, Benthesikyme, Kymopoleia, Eumolpus, Bellerophon, Theseus, Antaeus, Polyphemus, Pegasus, Khrysaor
Patron god of Athens
There once came a time in Ancient Greece when the first king of Athens, Cecrops, who was half person and half snake, had to find a patron deity for the city state of Athens.
The two Olympian gods who were particularly interested in the patronage were Poseidon, the god of the Seas and Athena, the goddess of Wisdom and Skill. They presented themselves in front of Cecrops and Cecrops asked from them to offer a gift truly valuable for Athens. Poseidon came first: he struck the earth powerfully and created a well with his trident. Immediately, streaming water shot forth, but the water turned out to be salty and not very useful for the population. Next, it was the turn of goddess Athena. Athena stepped forward, struck her spear into the ground and then she knelt and planted an olive branch in it. This way she created an olive tree, as a symbolization of peace and prosperity on earth. Cecrops was very impressed by Athena’s gift. So he chose Athena to lay claim of the city of Athens and the city was named after her. God Poseidon, however, was not pleased with the decision of Cecrops and cursed the city of Athens to never have enough water from then on. After that, it is said that a major problem of water shortage started in Athens, which continues to this day.
Poseidon and Medusa
Poseidon desperately desired Medusa, a virgin priestess of Athena. In a moment of raw passion he chased after her. Medusa escaped Poseidon's embrace, and ran to Athena's temple to beg for help. Poseidon found the poor girl and raped Medusa on the floor of Athena's temple of worship. When Athena discovered this, she angrily turned her priestess Medusa into a monster for her losing her purity. Years later, when Perseus slayed Medusa and their son the giant Chrysaor and the winged horse (Pegasus) were born from her blood.
The Cretan Bull
When Minos, the King of Crete wanted to prove that he was the rightful king, he told the Cretans that he was able to make a majestic white bull appear from the sea. Minos prayed to the gods to help him perform this feat and he would sacrifice the bull in return. Poseidon heard this prayer and made a pure white bull appear from the waves. After Minos became king, instead of sacrificing the bull like he promised, he tried to sacrifice his other bulls and kept the white bull as a pet.This greatly angered Poseidon, who, with the help of Aphrodite, made Minos's wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull, leading to the birth of the Minotaur.As his seventh labor, Heracles wrestled the Cretan Bull until it tired out, then brought it before his cousin, King Eurystheus.
The Wall of Troy
In the first years of his rule, the young Zeus proved to be an impetuous and arrogant ruler, and everyone was rather displeased with his performance. Poseidon, never quite satisfied with playing "second fiddle" to his brother, recruited the others to overthrow the government. They did manage to capture and immobilize Zeus, but he quickly managed to escape and foil their plot. For punishment Poseidon was banished from his home. He and Apollo were sentenced to a year of manual labor building the great wall around Troy while working disguised as a mortals.
The king of Troy had promised to pay the gods with vines of gold when the wall was finished but failed to keep his end of the bargain. Poseidon was infuriated and sent a sea monster to punish the city, but the monster was killed by Heracles (Hercules).
But Poseidon could hold a grudge for a long time. During the Trojan war Poseidon was delighted to fight on the side of the Greeks. In an act of kindness (or perhaps he just had a keen eye for talent), he spared the life of the young warrior Aenas by hiding him away so that he would live to rule the Trojans in the future.
