He was a son of Cronos and Rhea (whence he is called Kronios and by Latin poets Saturnius, Pind. His name seems to be connected with potos, pontos and potamos, according to which he is the god of the fluid element. POSEIDON (Poseidôn), the god of the Mediterranean sea. >īelow are two graphics depicting Poseidon's family tree, the first with names transliterated from the Greek and the second with the common English spellings:- Poseidon riding Hippocamp, Athenian black-figure cup C6th B.C., British Museum He also had numerous mortal offspring including giants such as Antaios and the cyclops Polyphemos, magical horses like Pegasos and Arion, and various human kings, heroes and villians including Theseus and Bellerophontes. Their son was the fish-tailed god Triton. Poseidon married the marine-goddess Amphitrite, eldest child of Nereus, first born son of Pontos (the Sea), a marital alliance which secured his dominion over the sea. He was a brother of the gods Zeus, Haides, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Poseidon was a son of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia and a grandson of Ouranos (the Heavens) and Gaia (the Earth). KRONOS & RHEA (Homer Iliad 15.187, Hesiod Theogony 453, Apollodorus 1.4, Diodorus Siculus 5.68.1, et al) OFFSPRING The content is outlined in the Index of Poseidon Pages (left column or below). This site contains a total of 6 pages describing the god, including general descriptions, mythology, and cult. Poseidon's sacred plants were the pine tree and wild celery which were used to crown victors at the god's Isthmian Games.īelow are examples of the god's animals as depicted in ancient Greek art and photos of his sacred plants:-ġ. The most famous of his sacred animals in myth was the Cretan Bull, sire of the Minotaur.
His chariot was drawn by a pair of fish-tailed horses (Greek: hippokampoi). As god of the sea he was also closely associated with fish and other marine creatures. Poseidon's sacred animals were the bull, the horse and the dolphin. He was often crowned with a wreath of wild celery or a simple headband.īelow are some examples of his attributes as depicted in ancient Greek art:-ġ. The god was either clothed in a robe ( chiton) and cloak ( himation) or depicted nude with just a cloak draped loosely about his arms and shoulders.
He sometimes also wielded a boulder encrusted with sea creatures (crayfish, octopi, fish, etc.). Poseidon's most distinctive attribute was the trident, a three-pronged fishing spear. Many other myths are detailed over the following pages. The hero Odysseus blinded the god's son Polyphemos on his return from Troy and Poseidon sent a storm to scatter and wreck the hero's fleet. The god helped build the walls of the city of Troy, but when King Laomedon refused the payment he had promised, Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the land. Some of his most famous conquests were the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa), Tyro, Amymone, and Aithra mother of the hero Theseus. Poseidon seduced many nymphs and mortal woman often in the guise of an animal or flowing water. The god assaulted his sister Demeter in the shape of a horse as she was wandering the earth in search of her daughter Persephone.
But the king refused him the prize and in anger Poseidon afflicted the land with drought. He entered a contest with the goddess Athena for dominion over Athens and produced the very first horse as a gift. When the Gigantes (Giants) besieged the gods of Olympos, Poseidon crushed Polybotes beneath the island of Kos (Cos). Poseidon and his brothers drew lots for the division of the cosmos after the fall of the Titanes, and won the sea as his domain. >ĭuring the War of the Titanes, the Kyklopes (Cyclopes) crafted a magical trident for Poseidon, and together with his brothers Zeus and Haides he defeated the elder gods and imprisoned them in Tartaros. MYTHSĪt birth Poseidon was swallowed whole by his father Kronos (Cronus), but Zeus later enlisted the aid of the goddess Metis who fed the Titan a magical elixir causing him to disgorge the god. He was depicted as a mature man with a sturdy build and dark beard holding a trident (a three-pronged fisherman's spear). POSEIDON was the Olympian god of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses. Neptunus, Neptune Chariot of Poseidon, Greco-Roman mosaic, Bardo National Museum
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