This article is about the Greek god.
See also:
Poseidon missile -
Poseidon (Planet)[?]
In Greek Mythology, Poseidon ("husband") was the god of the sea, known to the Romans as Neptune, and to the Etruscans as Nethuns.
He was also the god of earthquakes and horses.
Benthesikyme was sometimes mentioned as his sister.
Poseidon was one of the caretakers of the
Oracle at
Delphi before
Apollo took it over.
Sailors drowned horses as a sacrifice to Poseidon.
Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage.
When in a good mood, Poseidon created new
islands and calm
seas.
When in a bad mood, he struck the ground with his
trident and caused
chaotic springs,
earthquakes, drownings and
shipwrecks.
Poseidon's
chariot was pulled by a
hippocampus or
horses.
He was associated with
dolphins,
tridents and three-pronged
fish spears (
tridents).
He lived in a palace on the ocean floor, made of coral and gems.
Poseidon was often referred to with the epithet Poseidon Enosichthon ("earth-shaker").
Neptune was worshipped by the
Romans primarily as a
horse god,
Neptune Equester, patron of horse-racing.
He had a temple near the race tracks in Rome (built in
25 BC), the
Circus Flaminius[?], as well as one in the
Campus Martius[?].
Only
July 23, the
Neptunalia[?] was observed at the latter temple.
Poseidon was a son of
Cronus and
Rhea.
Like his brothers and sisters save
Zeus, Poseidon was swallowed by his father.
He was
regurgitated only after Zeus forced Cronus to vomit up the infants he had eaten.
Zeus and his brothers and sisters, along with the
Hecatonchires,
Gigantes and
Cyclopes overthrew Cronus and the other
Titans.
When the world was divided in three, Zeus received the earth and sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the sea.
His wife was
Amphitrite.
Poseidon once pursued Demeter. She turned herself into a mare; and he became a stallion[?] and captured her.
Their child was a horse, Arion.
Poseidon had an affair with Alope, his granddaughter through Cercyon, begetting Hippothoon.
Cercyon had his daughter buried alive but Poseidon turned her into the spring, Alope, near Eleusis.
Poseidon rescued Amymone from a lecherous satyr and then fathered a child, Nauplius, by her.
A mortal woman named Tyro was married to Cretheus (with whom she had one son, Aeson) but loved Enipeus, a river god.
She pursued Enipeus, who refused her advances.
One day, Poseidon, filled with lust for Tyro, disguised himself as Enipeus and from their union was born Pelias and Neleus, twin boys.
With Medusa, Poseidon had sexual intercourse on the floor of a temple to Athena.
Medusa was changed into a monster and gave birth to Chrysaor and Pegasus.
After raping Caeneus, Poseidon fulfilled her request and changed her into a man.
Athena became the patron goddess of the city of
Athens, in a competition with Poseidon.
They agreed that each would give the Athenians one gift and the Athenians would choose whichever gift they preferred. Poseidon struck the ground with his
trident and a spring sprung up; the
water was
salty and not very useful, whereas Athena offered them an
olive tree.
The Athenians (or their king,
Cecrops) accepted the olive tree and along with it Athena as their patron, for the olive tree brought
wood,
oil and food.
This is thought to remember a clash between the inhabitants during Mycenaean times and newer immigrants.
It is interesting to note that Athens at its height was a significant sea power, at one point defeating the
Persian fleet at
Salamis Island in a sea battle.
Poseidon and Apollo, having offended Zeus, were sent to serve King Laomedon.
He had them build huge walls around the city and promised to reward them well, a promise he then refused to fulfill.
In vengeance, before the Trojan War, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy (it was later killed by Heracles).
Poseidon is best known for his hatred of Odysseus, preventing his return home to Ithaca for many years.
Poseidon loved Pelops and gave him a winged chariot, which he later used in the race against Oenomaus.
Consorts/Children
- With Aethra
- Theseus
- With Alope
- Hippothoon
- With Amphitrite
- Rhode
- Triton
- With Amymone
- Nauplius
- With Canace
- Aloeus
- With Celaeno
- Lycus
- With Chione
- Eumolpus
- With Chloris
- Poriclymenus
- With Demeter
- Despina
- With Europa
- Euphemus
- With Eurynome
- Adrastus
- With Gaia
- Antaeus
- Charybdis
- With Halia
- Rhode
- With Hippothoe
- Taphius
- Libya (No Children)
- With Lybie
- Lamia
- With Melia
- Amycus
- With Medusa
- Pegasus
- Chrysaor
- With Periboea
- Nausithous
- With Thoosa
- Polyphemus
- With Tyro
- Neleus
- Pelias
- Unknown mother
- Aon
- Briareus
- Byzas
- Cercyon
- Cycnus
- Evadne
- Lamia
- Lotis
- Rhodus
- Sinis
- Taras