Neptune - God of the Sea - Crystalinks Neptune Neptune is the god of the sea in Roman mythology, a brother of Jupiter and Pluto. He is analogous but not identical to the god Poseidon of Greek mythology. The Roman conception of Neptune owed a great deal to the Etruscan god Nethuns. Originally he was an Italic god paired with Salacia, possibly the goddess of the salt water. At an early date (399 BC) he was identified with Poseidon, when the Sibylline books ordered a lectisternium in his honour (Livy v. 13). In earlier times it was the god Portunes or Fortunus who was thanked for naval victories, but Neptune supplanted him in this role by at least the first century BC, when Sextus Pompeius called himself "son of Neptune". Neptune was associated as well with fresh water, as opposed to Oceanus, god of the world-ocean. Like Poseidon, Neptune was also worshipped by the Romans as a god of horses, under the name Neptune Equester, patron of horse-racing.

Neptune was also considered the legendary progenitor god of a Latin stock, the Faliscans - ancient Italian people - who called themselves Neptunia proles. In this respect he was the equivalent of Mars, Janus, Saturn and even Jupiter among Latin tribes. Worship and Theology In the historical period, Poseidon was often referred to by the epithets Enosichthon, Seischthon and Ennosigaios, all meaning "earth-shaker" and referring to his role in causing earthquakes.Poseidon was a major civic god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance; while in Corinth and many cities of Magna Graecia he was the chief god of the polis. According to Pausanias, Poseidon was one of the caretakers of the Oracle at Delphi before Olympian Apollo took it over. Apollo and Poseidon worked closely in many realms: in colonization, for example, Apollo provided the authorization to go out and settle from Delphi, while Poseidon watched over the colonists on their way, and provided the lustral water for the foundation-sacrifice.

Xenophon's Anabasis describes a groups of Spartan soldiers singing Poseidon a paean - a kind of hymn normally sung for Apollo. Like Dionysus and the Maenads, Poseidon also caused certain forms of mental disturbance. One Hippocratic text says that he was blamed for certain types of epilepsy. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice. In art Poseidon's chariot was pulled by a hippocampus or seahorses. He was associated with dolphins and three-pronged fish spears (tridents). He lived in a palace on the ocean floor, made of coral and gems. In Rome 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. Mythology Birth and childhood - 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. According to other variants, Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete. When the world was divided in three, Zeus received the earth and sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the sea. Marriage - Lovers Neptune's wife was Amphitrite, daughter of Nereus and Doris. Poseidon fell in love with Pelops, a beautiful youth, son of Tantalus. He took Pelops up to Olympus and made him his lover, even before Zeus did the same with Ganymede. To thank Pelops for his love, Poseidon later gave him a winged chariot, to use in the race against Oenomaus for the hand of Hippodamia. Poseidon once pursued Demeter.

She spurned his advances, turning herself into a mare so that she could hide in a flock of horses; he saw through the deception and became a stallion and captured her. Their child was a horse, Arion, which was capable of human speech. 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.

When she was later beheaded by the hero Perseus, Chrysaor and Pegasus emerged from her neck. After raping Caeneus, Poseidon fulfilled her request and changed her into a man. Other Myths Athena became the patron goddess of the city of Athens after 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. Another version of the myth says that Poseidon gave horses to Athens. 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). In the Iliad Poseidon favors the Greeks, and on several occasion takes an active part in the battle against the Trojan forces. However, in Book XX he rescues Aeneas after the Trojan prince is laid low by Achilles. In the Odyssey, Poseidon is notable for his hatred of Odysseus due to the latter's having blinded the god's son Polyphemus. The enmity of Poseidon prevents Odysseus' return home to Ithaca for many years. Odysseus is even told, notwithstanding his ultimate safe return, that to placate the wrath of Poseidon will require one more voyage on his part. In the Aeneid, Neptune is still resentful of the wandering Trojans, but is not as vindictive as Juno, and in Book I he rescues the Trojan fleet from the goddess's attempts to wreck it, although his primary motivation for doing this is his annoyance at Juno's having intruded into his domain.

The Neptunalia The Neptunalia was the festival of Neptune on July 23, at the height of summer. The date and the construction of tree-branch shelters suggest a primitive role for Neptune as god of water sources in the summer's drought and heat. The most ancient Roman calendar set the feriae of Neptunus on July 23, two days after the Lucaria of July 19 and 21 and two days before the Furrinalia of July 25. G. Wissowa had already remarked that festivals falling in a range of three days are related to each other. Dumezil elaborated that these festivals were all in some way related to the importance of the function of water during the period of summer heat (canicula), when river and spring waters are at their lowest.

Founding his analysis on the works of Palladius and Columella Dumezil argues that while the Lucaria were devoted to the dressing of woods, clearing the undergrown bushes by cutting on the 19 and then by uprooting on the 21, (and burning them afterwards), the Neptunalia were spent in outings under branch huts (umbrae, casae frondeae), in a wood between the Tiber and the Via Salaria, drinking springwater and wine to escape the heat. It looks as though this festival was a time of general free and unrestrained merrymaking during which men and women mixed without the usual Roman traditional social constraints. This character of the festival as well as the fact that Neptune was offered the sacrifice of a bull would point to an agricultural fertility context. The Furrinalia too, devoted to Furrina, a goddess of springs, were referred to those springs which had to be detected by drilling, i.e. required the work of man thence creating a correspondence with the Lucaria of 21, equally entailing an analogous human action upon the soil.

The Furrinalia of July 25 are explained by Dumezil with the hydraulic works again as prescribed by Palladius, i.e. the drilling of wells to detect underground water: patent and hidden waters are thus dealt with on separate though next occasions. Temples Neptune had two temples in Rome. The first, built in 25 BC, stood near the Circus Flaminius, the Roman racetrack, and contained a famous sculpture of a marine group by Scopas. The second, the Basilica Neptuni, was built on the Campus Martius and dedicated by Agrippa in honour of the naval victory of Actium. Renaissance The Renaissance brought with it a revival in pagan art, and many pagan gods were depicted in the same classical models used in Greek and Roman times. However, with Neptune few such models existed, allowing the artists of the Renaissance to depict Neptune however they chose. The results included a face and actions that seemed more mortal, as well as associations with Hercules.

"Triumph of Neptune", Roman mosaic with the Seasons in each corner and agricultural scenes and flora (La Chebba, Tunisia, late 2nd century, Bardo National Museum) Poseidon (Neptune) - Greek God of the Sea. | Greek Mythology Pantheon Greek Mythology Pantheon Greek Mythology Pantheon > Poseidon (Neptune) – Greek God of the Sea Poseidon (Neptune) – Greek God of the Sea Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GenzoMan Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GenzoMan Poseidon (Roman equivalent is Neptune) is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology, brother of Zeus and Hades (Pluto). His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". Additionally, he is referred to as "Earth-Shaker" due to his role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the "tamer of horses". He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard. Poseidon, like his brothers and sisters, lived the first years of his life in the dark belly of his father Cronus.

By the time their brother, Zeus, with the magical potion of Metis, managed to get them out of the peculiar prison. There are also other myths about the birth of Poseidon. Thus, the ancient poets tell that Rhea in the case of Poseidon managed to fool her husband. Rather than giving him to swallow the divine infant, she gave him, wrapped in swaddling clothes, a newborn horse. Then, in order to conceal the baby's crying from Cronus, Rhea put it to grow among a flock of sheep. The nymph Arne took over the growing up of Poseidon. Someday Cronus went through there, because he thought he heard the crying of a baby, and asked Arne if there was a baby nearby. She replied to him with cleverness, that how a baby could be born by sheep or by her that was single. Cronus was fooled and ashamed by her answer and left. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God fighting a sea monster - Art Picture Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God fighting a sea monster - Art Picture She therefore called Telchines, deities similar to the Curetes of Crete, who protected Zeus.

Each time the newborn was crying, savages Telchines start dancing, screaming and hitting their spears on earth. Within such a big panic and in such a fuss Cronus could not hear anything. However, what made the early years of his life was to help his brothers in order to outplay their father and the other Titans and take power into their hands. After that, the three sons of Cronus decided to divide the world. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Gokberk Kaya Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Gokberk Kaya At the suggestion of Zeus, they divided the world in three domains, the sky, the sea and the underworld. Olympus and Earth remained commonplace for visiting them whenever they wanted. Because all three wanted the sky and none naturally wanted to reign for all his life in the underworld, they did draw. Zeus pulled first and chose the kingdom of heaven. Poseidon pulled second and chose the sea. Hades (Roman equivalent is Hades) responded with anger, but quickly accepted his fate and withdrew to his dark kingdom. Poseidon could not easily accept the victory of Zeus.

Ηe admitted the outcome with cold heart, but since then, there were many times that he argued with his brother, till he recognized his eternal supremacy and omnipotence. So when Zeus once asked some errand and the marine god refused to perform it, he sent Iris to the ocean palace. Before Iris left, he told her the following words: Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by God of War III ConceptArt Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by God of War III ConceptArt “Tell the King Poseidon that his almighty brother orders him to immediately come to Olympus because I have a job to assign to him. Otherwise, my terrible wrath will fall upon him and he will be dissolved.” Once Poseidon got the message, he got angry and climbed to Olympus. He then tried to convince the other gods that he is equal to Zeus, the father of gods and men. Poseidon said: “Almighty Olympians, this situation must be clarified once and for all. Our mother Rhea and Cronus had three sons, Zeus, Hades and me. We distributed our domains and one took the sky, the second took the darkness, and I took the foaming sea.

However it is not possible anymore for me to accept such threats and intimidation by Zeus.” Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GenzoMan Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GenzoMan But the gods looked at each other and without saying a word to sea lord, they gave him to understand that everyone accepts the Zeus as supreme ruler. Then he took a decision that he never would have their support. In another case Poseidon is presented to form an alliance with Hera, Athena and Apollo to take over the power of Zeus, trying to tie him with invisible chains from the sky. After the failure of this effort, Zeus decided to punish his brother, forcing him to work in the service of King Laomedon of Troy. The king instructed the god to build the walls of his city. But when a year passed and Poseidon finished his work, the king refused to give him the agreed fee. He even threatened the god that he will sell him as slave. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Mytheon Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Mytheon Once Poseidon acquired back his divine power, he cruelly avenged the king but also the entire country.

He sent a monster in the Trojan shore, which caused irreparable damage and killed too many residents. The Trojans called oracle which answered that in order to get rid of the monster they had to sacrifice the daughter of Laomedon, Isioni. Once the monster was about to devour the princess, Heracles (Hercules) appeared and saved her. Another difference between Zeus and Poseidon was the conquest of Thetis. Both gods were impressed by the beauty of Nereid and wanted marry her. But Gaia or Themis prophesied that the son of Thetis would be more powerful than his father. So the two brothers, fearing this outcome, retracted from the beautiful sea goddess and decided to marry her to the mortal king Pileas of Fthia. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Artmus Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Artmus As the time passed, Poseidon began to realize the superiority of Zeus, indicated his allegiance and offered his help whenever he needed it. He stood by his side at the Clash of the Titans and Giants. He also helped his brother in many other cases.

He calmed the sea for Zeus to pass with his prey after the abduction of Europe. He helped Leto to find the island of Delos to bring forth his children, Apollo and Artemis. Finally, he protected Io, another mistress of Zeus, when she was persecuted by the jealous Hera. When the first Greek cities were created, each god decided to take one or more cities under protection. In these cities major shrines were erected and the most glorious feasts and sacrifices were dedicated to them. For who would be the protector of a city, sometimes it was decided by the rest of the Olympians, other times by some smaller deities and sometimes by the king and its inhabitants. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Neffo Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Neffo Poseidon unfortunately was usually losing the title of protector each time he tried to claim a city. His quarrel with Hera for who will protect Argolis is well known. The gods had designated as jurors Inachos and the two rivers, Kifisos and Asterion. The jurors decided in favor of Hera. Then the lord of the seabed decided to retaliate. He therefore dried up all water sources of Argolis.

According to another version, he struck the sea with his trident, lifting a huge tidal wave which flooded the country. In the same way, Poseidon was forced to yield the island of Aegina to Zeus, Delphi to Apollo, Naxos to Dionysos and Athens to Athena. Moreover, Helios (Roman equivalent is Helius) claimed the area of Corinth. Then Briareus (one of the Hecatonchires), who was appointed judge, gave the Akrocorinth to Helios and the remaining part of the Isthmus to Poseidon. Poseidon had of course, like the other gods, a stately palace on Mount Olympus which was made by Hephaestus. In it, he remained when required to attend to some important gathering of the gods to get some great decision. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God riding a whale - Art Picture Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God riding a whale - Art Picture Sometimes he was going to feasts that were held to the highest peak of Greece, either in response to a marriage of the immortals, or the birth of a new god, or the anniversary of a victory.

But since Poseidon was the lord of the sea and there he spent most of his time, he had a golden palace into the vast depths of the ocean. Corals and shells adorned his strangely beautiful, underwater accommodation. Huge diamonds were glistening and were giving light to the dark seabed. Thousands goldfish followed him everywhere and looked for his blue tunic to be groomed. The entrance of the palace was vigilantly guarded, day and night, by two huge marine seahorses. When the revered ruler of the bottoms came out of his palace to ascend to the surface, all the beasts of the ocean recognized their master and sidetracked for him to pass. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by TaekwondoNJ Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by TaekwondoNJ The lawful wife of Poseidon is Amphitrite, one of the daughters of Nereus. Once, the god was passing through Naxos and met the Nereids, who were playing on the shore with a colourful handball. Amphitrite stood out from all her sisters due to her beauty and grace.

Poseidon fell madly in love with her, he kidnapped her and drove her to a cave where he married and mated with her. But there is a different version that describes a more thrilling divine mating. Amphitrite did not like Poseidon and resisted. She managed to escape, plunged into the azure blue sea and disappeared. Poseidon was searching, in vain, for her in all coasts and in all sea caves. He was tipping up the rocks and shaking the sand of the sea, but without any result. One day he sat sad and thoughtful on a rock. He was approached by a dolphin that asked him why he was so distressed. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Seraphim87 Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Seraphim87 When Poseidon explained, the dolphin promised to its master that it would do anything to find Amphitrite. It travelled for days and nights, and finally found her in Atlas territory near Africa. Then with scherzo and games it managed to lure her and brought her in front of Poseidon. The earth-shaking king, in order to thank his assistant, made him later a constellation.

From the union of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a son was born, Triton, and two daughters, Rhodes and Venthesikymi. The seafarer god had numerous extramarital affairs with goddesses, nymphs and mortals and is considered the father of some of the most famous bandits of antiquity and many of the terrible monsters. But he also left offspring that were honored heroes, founders of important families and city founders. In this subject, he was much more fortunate than his brother Zeus. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by uysaltimsah Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by uysaltimsah Amphitrite was not jealous of her husband as Hera. There is but only one legend about the revenge of the sea goddess. When once Poseidon fell in love with nymph Scylla, Amphitrite threw magical herbs in the fountain where the nymph bathed, the effect of which was to turn the beautiful daughter into a horrible monster. By the time Demeter searched across the entire earth to find her daughter, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades, Poseidon was madly in love with her.

She, in an attempt to avoid him, morphed into a mare and hid among Onkiou’s horses. The god was not fooled by the trick of his sister, turned into a horse and mated with her, without her even noticing it. Demeter was angry from the misfortune and in order to purge the awful sin, she washed herself in the river Ladon. From this strange mating a daughter was born and the faithful, who were not initiated to the mysteries of Demeter, trembled even to say her name. So they called her Lady or Despina (Despoina in Greek is Miss). Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Angg Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by Angg But a horse was also born, Arion. This was a magnificent animal that could think and speak with a human voice. Arion’s unique speed saved Adrastos during the campaign of the seven chiefs against Thiva. It is said that Poseidon had a similar mate with Medusa. Medusa belonged to the generation of Centaurs and had extraordinary beauty to her human body parts.

Once when Poseidon came ashore and was walking to the green pastures of Thessaly, met her and unable to resist to the erotic passion, he transformed into a horse, otherwise there was no way to mingle with her. Nearby there was a temple of the virgin goddess Athena. The goddess was extremely angered that such a sin happened in her sacred space. But she could not punish the culprit because he was an immortal god and even belonged to a previous generation of her. So, she broke out to Medusa, transformed her into a terrible monster which had poisonous snakes instead of hair. This monster was killed, much later, by Perseus. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by rodolfoguerreiro From their union, Chrysaoras were born, father of the three-bodied giant Geryon, and the winged horse Pegasus. Additionally, the flirty god mated with the Earth, the par excellence fertile goddess, although she was his grandmother. From their mate, a giant was born, Antaeus, who is said that reigned in Libya. Any stranger that stepped a foot in his country was doomed to die. The terrible giant was challenging the stranger in a fight and was always victorious.

He was dedicating the skulls of the victims to his father’s temple. Antaeus was invincible when he was touching his mother Earth. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by mullerpereira Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by mullerpereira Heracles, the time that he sought the golden apples of the Hesperides, passed from Libya, fought with him and choked him by lifting him into the air and making him vulnerable. Poseidon was considered the father of another monster, Vousiri, who acted in Egypt and killed all the visitors of his country. Eventually, like Antaeus, he was exterminated by Heracles. Even Amykos was considered son of the sea god and the nymph Melia. He lived in Bithynia and killed all the travelers who passed through there. Finally, Pollux put an end to his injustices when he arrived with the other Argonauts in those parts. They say that the beautiful and brave hero did not kill the giant, but forced him to swear in the name of his divine father that he would not kill again any visitor.

Most of the robbers and bandits that were killed by Theseus while going from Troezen to Athens had Poseidon as their father. Skironas, Sinis, Procrustes and the Kerkyonas found terrible death in the same way that they tortured those passing by after robbing them. One myth says that Poseidon mated with Alopis’s granddaughter, Kerkyona’s daughter, and had with her a son, Ippothoonta who gave his name to the Ippothoontida tribe of Attica. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by mellon007 Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by mellon007 The most famous giant son of god was the Cyclops Polyphemus, from his mate with the Nymph Thoossa. He had no family relationship with homonymous sons of Gaia. He personifies the blind and brutal force that lacks any trace of logic. Homer tells us the passions of Odysseus, who tricked him by telling him that his name was “No-one”. For this act, however, Poseidon chased the king of Ithaca too, during the ten-year course for his country.

Cycnos (Swan) is also considered to be the son of the sea lord and Skamandrodikis. He died after a long battle with Achilles and transformed into the namesake bird. The giant Orion also came from the mating of the god with Euryale, daughter of Minos. Poseidon even gave his son the gift of walking on the waves of the sea. Finally, according to tradition, sons of god were also the Aloades, Otos and Ephialtes, from his coupling with Ifimedeia. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GBrush Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God - Art Picture by GBrush The fatherhood of many monsters and giants is attributed to Poseidon. Besides, in order to avenge some mortals, he often sent various monsters to wreak havoc. We have already mentioned the monster sent to Troy to avenge the king Laomedon. Once, the Nereids complained to their master that Cassiopeia, Queen of Ethiopia, boasted that she was more beautiful than them. The enraged god sent a monster on the coast of the country, which caused terrible disasters.

The oracle said that the country would be exempt from this calamity only if the king Cepheus sacrificed his daughter Andromeda. But at the moment that the monster was about to devour the beautiful princess, Perseus arrived with the winged sandals and saved her. Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God under a cloudy sky - Art Picture Poseidon (Neptune) Greek God under a cloudy sky - Art Picture Well knows is also the adventure of Poseidon with Danaida Amymoni. After the drought sent by Poseidon to avenge Argos, she was looking for water in the forest. But a Satyr swooped at her with violent moods. In order to save her, he struck with his trident the Satyr and killed him. After that, he hit a rock and the spring Lerna flowed. From his love with Amymoni he gained a son, Nafplion, who gave his name to the famous city of the Peloponnese. Also, one of the most important heroes of antiquity, Theseus, was considered the son of Poseidon and Aethra who she met on the island Thira.

From Melanippe, the sea lord had two twin sons, Boeotia and Aeolus, who later became famous heroes and the territories Boeotia and Aiolia were named after them. His relationship with Tyro is also important. She was in love with Enipeas, the most beautiful river. She passed her whole day on his banks, waiting to see him. Greek God Poseidon (Neptune) Statue - A sculpture of Poseidon in the port of Copenhagen. Greek God Poseidon (Neptune) Statue - A sculpture of Poseidon in the port of Copenhagen. Poseidon, who loved her, appeared before her in the form of the river and mated with her. They had two sons, Pelias and Neleus. Pelias reigned in Thessaly and Neleus settled in Messinia and founded Pylos. Poseidon also mated with Neleus’s wife, Flora, and had a son, Periklymenos, who gave him the ability to transform into any animal he wished. Also from Kleito he acquired Atlas and from Melantho he acquired Delphos, who gave his name to Delphi.

From Corfu he had Faiakas and from Rodi he obtained Ialyssos, Kamiros and Lindos, who gave their names to the three most important cities of Rhodes. Poseidon as a god of the sea is responsible for the terrible storms and floods caused with a touch of the trident, but also for the smoothed sea and calm trips of the seafarers. For this reason, the latter considered him their patron. Greek God Poseidon (Neptune) Statue - Poseidon from Milos, 2nd century BC (National Archaeological Museum of Athens) Greek God Poseidon (Neptune) Statue - Poseidon from Milos, 2nd century BC (National Archaeological Museum of Athens) Besides, the Argonauts immediately after the successful completion of their mission dedicated their ship, the fast traveling Argo, to Poseidon. The fishermen also prayed and made sacrifices to the god in order for him to bring them good catch. The ancient Greeks believed that Poseidon tamed horses, so they also honored him with horse races. The gifts that were usually sacrificed were horses and bulls. The fishermen offered him fish. Poseidon was worshiped in a lot of places throughout the Greek territory.

Temples existed in most capes like in Sounion, in Tainaro and in Malea. Beloved symbol of the god after the trident was the fish, especially tuna, dolphin and occasionally the bull and the horse. Please leave a comment if you liked this article 🙂 All pictures are also uploaded in Albums on the Greek Mythology Pantheon page on Facebook, visit us at : You may also like: Neptune, Roman Sea God - Windows to the Universe Other images of the god Neptune Neptune Neptune was the name that ancient Romans gave to the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes, Poseidon. He was the brother of Jupiter (Zeus) and of Pluto (Hades). After the defeat of their father Saturn (Cronos), the three brothers divided the world in three parts to be ruled by one of the three brothers. Jupiter took the sky, Neptune the sea and Pluto the underworld. Neptune had the reputation for having a violent temper. Tempests and earthquakes were a reflection of his furious rage. He was depicted as a bearded men holding a trident and seated in a seashell drawn by sea-horses.

One day Neptune saw the water nymph Amphitrite dancing in the island of Naxos and fell in love with her. He promptly asked her to marry him but unfortunately she refused. However, not discouraged by Amphitrite refusal, Neptune sent one of his servant, a dolphin to look for her. The dolphin found her, and pleaded Neptune's cause so persuasively that she changed her mind. As a reward for finding and returning Amphitrite to him, Neptune immortalized the dolphin by placing it in the heavens as the constellation Dolphinus. Neptune and Amphitrite had several children. Among them was Triton whose name was given in 1846 by William Lassell to the principal moon of the planet Neptune . Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!

Roman Gods and Goddesses Jupiter - King of the Gods Juno - Queen of the Gods Neptune - God of the Sea Pluto - God of Death Apollo - God of the Sun Diana - Goddess of the Moon Mars - God of War Neptune | Roman god | Britannica.com Roman god Athena Neptune, Latin Neptunus, in Roman religion , originally the god of fresh water; by 399 bce he was identified with the Greek Poseidon and thus became a deity of the sea. His female counterpart, Salacia, was perhaps originally a goddess of leaping springwater, subsequently equated with the Greek Amphitrite. Neptune holding his trident, Classical sculpture; in the Lateran Museum, Rome. Alinari/Art Resource, New York Neptune’s festival ( Neptunalia) took place in the heat of the summer (July 23), when water was scarcest; thus, its purpose was probably the propitiation of the freshwater deity. Neptune had a temple in the Circus Flaminius at Rome; one of its features was a sculptured group of marine deities headed by Poseidon and Thetis . In art Neptune appears as the Greek Poseidon, whose attributes are the trident and the dolphin.

Learn More in these related articles: Neptune - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Neptune was the god of the sea. He was originally a god of freshwater, but after the Romans identified him with the Greek sea god Poseidon, he took on Poseidon’s characteristics. Like Poseidon, Neptune is usually shown in art as a bearded man holding a trident (a fishing spear). Neptune’s wife, Salacia, may originally have been the goddess of spring water. She was later equated with the Greek water nymph Amphitrite, who was Poseidon’s wife. The Romans celebrated Neptune’s festival, called the Neptunalia, on July 23, in the heat of summer when water was scarcest. Article History Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind.

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Close Date Published: May 04, 1999 URL: Access Date: January 17, 2017 Share Neptune Neptune Title: God of the sea Greek name: Poseidon Brother of Jupiter Brother of Pluto Many children Neptune was the god of the sea. He carried a trident, which had three prongs. He rode a dolphin or a horse. When the sea is rough enough to show white tops to the waves, these are called sea horses. On the right, the back half of the seahorse is a fish. It may seem strange that Neptune was not a more important god, since the Roman Empire was based on the Mediterranean. But the Romans were poor sailors. When Julius Caesar invaded Britain, it was considered an astounding adventure, even though he was just crossing the English Channel. Neptune was the god of earthquakes. He was called the Earth-shaker. He was also the god of horses and horse-racing. The Romans loved watching horse-racing and had great race tracks for chariot racing, such as the Circus Maximus. You can see the ruins of the Circus Maximus in Rome today, see left. How did the planets get their names? | Cool Cosmos How did the planets get their names?

All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and godesses. Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury were given their names thousands of years ago. The other planets were not discovered until much later, after telescopes were invented. The tradition of naming the planets after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses was carried on for the other planets discovered as well. Mercury was named after the Roman god of travel. Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Mars was the Roman god of War. Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods, and Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture. Uranus was named after an ancient Greek king of the gods. Neptune was the Roman god of the Sea. Pluto, which is now classified as a dwarf planet, was the Roman god of the underworld. The name Earth is an English/German name which simply means the ground. Continue the conversation on

Question: Who was the Roman god of the sea?
Answer: Neptune