Poseidon

Neptūnus

Lord of the Sea

God of Earthquakes

Lord of Atlantean Gods

Great Lord of the Seven Seas

God of Storms

### Offspring

Theseus, Triton, Polyphemus, Orion, Belus, Agenor, Neleus, Atlas, Pegasus, Chrysaor, Sybaris See more

Poseidon god of the sea
Poseidon, also known as Neptune, was one of the Dodekatheon gods of the pantheon in Greek mythology.

His main domain was the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". Additionally, he is referred to as "Earth-Shaker" and "Storm-Bringer" due to his role in causing earthquakes and storms, and has been called the "Father of Horses" as he created them from sea foam. He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard.

Like Zeus, Poseidon has had numerous affairs, and thus many children, but unlike his brother's vengeful wife Hera, his own wife did not press the matter. His weapon of choice was a trident, with which he could make the earth shake, causing earthquakes, and shatter any object.

Poseidon resented Zeus' claim to the heavens, and as the second oldest brother wanted his father's former domain for himself: due to this, he resented the hand-out even more, leading to various myths and poems recounting Poseidon’s feuds with Zeus and clashes for power, and because of this he was considered by the Greeks to have a difficult and quarrelsome personality. Combined with his greed, he had a series of disputes with other gods during his various attempts to take over the cities they were the patrons of.

Poseidon is married to the sea goddess Amphitrite and together they had a son named Triton. He also had a child with Aphrodite, a daughter named Rhodos. Other notable children of his were the hero Theseus, the hunter Orion and the cyclop Polyphemus.

## Appearance

His appearance is similar to that of his brothers, Zeus and Hades, with the addition of his crown and trident.

## Personality

Poeidon was also viewed by Hellenists as a particularly lascivious character, entertaining innumerable conquests of goddesses, nymphs and mortal women. Even when his attempts were not successful, Poseidon was not hesitant to take the female he was pursuing by force.

# History

Poseidon was a son of Rhea, the earth mother, and Cronus, the prevailing sky god who ruled over the rest of the Greek pantheon. Fearing that his children would one day usurp him, Poseidon was swallowed by his father immediately after his birth, as were the rest of his brothers and sisters. He was eventually saved by his mother, who tricked Cronus by offering him a large stone wrapped in swaddling clothes in place of her sixth child, Zeus.

Cronus was forced to vomit up Poseidon and the rest of his siblings in the process of ridding the stone from his digestive system. In alternative versions, Poseidon was thrown into the sea by his father as soon as he was born. Either way, Poseidon went on to play a key role in assisting Zeus in usurping Cronus and the rest of the Titans. After Cronus' defeat, the three brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon divided up the universe among themselves, assuming jurisdiction over the sky, the underworld and the sea, respectively.

When the Titanomachy had ended, Zeus and his brothers started working to reshape the world left at their disposal. Their first act was to divide it between them, and therefore they drew lots to decide who was going to rule over which part of the world. Zeus got the heavens, Hades the Underworld and Poseidon the oceans. The earth remained a neutral ground, split among the three gods: Poseidon could cause earthquakes, Zeus controlled the weather, and all living things would come under Hades’ control after their death.

At one point, Poseidon desired Demeter. To deter him, Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world had ever seen. So, in an effort to impress her, Poseidon created the first horse. In some accounts, his first attempts were unsuccessful and created a variety of other animals in his quest; thus, by the time the horse was created, his passion for Demeter had diminished.

## Myths and Legends

As the god Neptune, he was originally considered as the circular body of water around the Roman lands, but was later merged with the Greek deity Poseidon. This hellenised Neptune was usually considered the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, and was married to the sea goddess Salacia.

The eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in the Solar System was named after them.