POSEIDON - Greek God of the Sea & Earthquakes (Roman Neptune) Poseidon Poseidon-Neptune and Hippocamps, Greco-Roman mosaic C3rd A.D., Sousse Archaeological Museum POSEIDON was the Olympian god of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses. He was depicted as a mature man with a sturdy build and dark beard holding a trident (a three-pronged fisherman's spear). MYTHS At 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. << More >> During 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. << More >> 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.

When the Gigantes (Giants) besieged the gods of Olympos, Poseidon crushed Polybotes beneath the island of Kos (Cos). < <More >> He entered a contest with the goddess Athena for dominion over Athens and produced the very first horse as a gift. But the king refused him the prize and in anger Poseidon afflicted the land with drought. The god assaulted his sister Demeter in the shape of a horse as she was wandering the earth in search of her daughter Persephone. << More >> Poseidon seduced many nymphs and mortal woman often in the guise of an animal or flowing water. Some of his most famous conquests were the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa), Tyro, Amymone, and Aithra mother of the hero Theseus. << More >> 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. << More >> 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.

<< More >> Many other myths are detailed over the following pages. SYMBOLS & ATTRIBUTES Poseidon's most distinctive attribute was the trident, a three-pronged fishing spear. He sometimes also wielded a boulder encrusted with sea creatures (crayfish, octopi, fish, etc.). 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 was often crowned with a wreath of wild celery or a simple headband. Below are some examples of his attributes as depicted in ancient Greek art:- 1. Trident & boulder; 2. Trident's head; 3. Boulder with sea creatures; 4. Headband; 5. Wreath of celery-leaves; 6. Billowing cloak. SACRED ANIMALS & PLANTS Poseidon's sacred animals were the bull, the horse and the dolphin. As god of the sea he was also closely associated with fish and other marine creatures. His chariot was drawn by a pair of fish-tailed horses (Greek: hippokampoi).

The most famous of his sacred animals in myth was the Cretan Bull, sire of the Minotaur. Poseidon's sacred plants were the pine tree and wild celery which were used to crown victors at the god's Isthmian Games. Below are examples of the god's animals as depicted in ancient Greek art and photos of his sacred plants:- 1. Hippocamp (half-horse, half-fish); 2. Dolphin; 3. Pine tree; 4. Wild celery. POSEIDON PAGES ON THEOI.COM This site contains a total of 6 pages describing the god, including general descriptions, mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the Index of Poseidon Pages (left column or below).

FAMILY OF POSEIDON KRONOS & RHEA (Homer Iliad 15.187, Hesiod Theogony 453, Apollodorus 1.4, Diodorus Siculus 5.68.1, et al) OFFSPRING See Family of Poseidon Poseidon was a son of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia and a grandson of Ouranos (the Heavens) and Gaia (the Earth). He was a brother of the gods Zeus, Haides, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. 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. Their son was the fish-tailed god Triton. 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.

<< More >> Below are two graphics depicting Poseidon's family tree, the first with names transliterated from the Greek and the second with the common English spellings:- CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES Chariot of Poseidon, Greco-Roman mosaic, Bardo National Museum I) THE HOMERIC HYMNS Homeric Hymn 22 to Poseidon (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th or 6th B.C.) : "I begin to sing about Poseidon, the great god, mover of the earth and fruitless sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Helikon (Helicon) and wide Aigai (Aegae). O Shaker of the Earth (Ennosigaios), to be a tamer of horses and a saviour of ships! Hail Poseidon Holder of the Earth (gaienokhos), dark-haired lord! O blessed one, be kindly in heart and help those who voyage in ships!" II) THE ORPHIC HYMNS Orphic Hymn 17 to Poseidon (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C.

to 2nd A.D.) : "Hear, Poseidon, ruler of the sea profound, whose liquid grasp begirds the solid ground; who, at the bottom of the stormy main, dark and deep-bosomed holdest they watery reign. Thy awful hand the brazen trident bears, and sea's utmost bound thy will reveres. Thee I invoke, whose steeds the foam divide, from whose dark locks the briny waters glide; shoe voice, loud sounding through the roaring deep, drives all its billows in a raging heap; when fiercely riding through the boiling sea, thy hoarse command the trembling waves obey. Earth-shaking, dark-haired God, the liquid plains, the third division, fate to thee ordains. 'Tis thine, cerulean daimon, to survey, well-pleased, the monsters of the ocean play. Confirm earth's basis, and with prosperous gales waft ships along, and swell the spacious sails; add gentle peace, and fair-haired health beside, and pour abundance in a blameless tide." III) OTHER HYMNS Aelian, On Animals 12. 45 (trans.

Schofield) (Greek natural history C2nd to 3rd A.D.) : "Arion [the poet rescued by a dolphin] wrote a hymn of thanks to Poseidon that bears witness to the dolphin's love of music and is a kind of payment of the reward due to them also for having saved his life.

This is the hymn : ‘Highest of the gods, lord of the sea, Poseidon of the golden trident, earth-shaker in the swelling brine, around thee the finny monsters (theres) in a ring swim and dance, with nimble flingings of their feet leaping lightly, snub-nosed hounds with bristling neck, swift runners, music-loving dolphins, sea-nurslings of the Nereis (Nereid) maids divine, whom Amphitrite bore, even they that carried me, a wanderer on the Sikelian (Sicilian) main, to the headland of Tainarion (Taenarum) in Pelops' land, mounting me upon their humped backs as they clove the furrow of Nereus' plain, a path untrodden, when deceitful men had cast me from their sea-faring hollow ship in to the purple swell of sea.’" ANCIENT GREEK & ROMAN ART Poseidon, Athenian red-figure calyx krater C5th B.C., Yale University Art Gallery POSEIDON (Poseidôn), the god of the Mediterranean sea.

His name seems to be connected with potos, pontos and potamos, according to which he is the god of the fluid element. (Müller, Proleg. p. 290.) He was a son of Cronos and Rhea (whence he is called Kronios and by Latin poets Saturnius, Pind. Ol. vi. 48; Virg. Aen. v. 799.) He was accordingly a brother of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter, and it was determined by lot that he should rule over the sea. (Hom. Il. xiv. 156, xv. 187, &c.; Hes. Theog, 456.) Like his brothers and sisters, he was, after his birth, swallowed by his father Cronos, but thrown up again. (Apollod. i. 1. § 5, 2. § 1.) According to others, he was concealed by Rhea, after his birth, among a flock of lambs, and his mother pretended to have given birth to a young horse, which she gave to Cronos to devour.

A well in the neighbourhood of Mantineia, where this is said to have happened, was believed, from this circumstance, to have derived the name of the "Lamb's Well," or Arne. (Paus. viii. 8. § 2.) According to Tzetzes (ad Lycoph. 644) the nurse of Poseidon bore the name of Arne; when Cronos searched after his son, Arne is said to have declared that she knew not where he was, and from her the town of Arne was believed to have received its name. According to others, again, he was brought up by the Telchines at the request of Rhea. (Diod. v. 55.) In the earliest poems, Poseidon is described as indeed equal to Zeus in dignity, but weaker. (Hom. Il. viii. 210, xv. 165, 186, 209; comp. xiii. 355, Od. xiii.

148.) Hence we find him angry when Zeus, by haughty words, attempts to intimidate him; nay, he even threatens his mightier brother, and once he conspired with Hera and Athena to put him into chains (Hom. Il. xv. 176, &c., 212, &c.; comp. i. 400.); but, on the other hand, we also find him yielding and submissive to Zeus (viii. 440). The palace of Poseidon was in the depth of the sea near Aegae in Euboea (xiii. 21; Od. v. 381), where he kept his horses with brazen hoofs and golden manes. With these horses he rides in a chariot over the waves of the sea, which become smooth as he approaches, and the monsters of the deep recognise him and play around his chariot. (Il. xiii. 27, comp. Virg. Aen. v. 817, &c., i. 147; Apollon. Rhod. iii.

1240, &c.) Generally he himself put his horses to his chariot, but sometimes he was assisted by Amphitrite. (Apollon. Rhod. i. 1158, iv. 1325; Eurip. Androm. 1011; Virg. Aen. v. 817.) But although he generally dwelt in the sea, still he also appears in Olympus in the assembly of the gods. (Hom. II. viii. 440, xiii. 44, 352, xv. 161, 190, xx. 13.) Poseidon in conjunction with Apollo is said to have built the walls of Troy for Laomedon (vii. 452; Eurip. Androm. 1014),whence Troy is called Neptunia Pergama (Neptunus and Poseidon being identified, Ov. Fast. i. 525, Heroid. iii. 151; comp. Virg. Aen. vi.

810.) Accordingly, although he was otherwise well disposed towards the Greeks, yet he was jealous of the wall which the Greeks built around their own ships, and he lamented the inglorious manner in which the walls erected by himself fell by the hands of the Greeks. (Hom. Il. xii. 17, 28, &c.) When Poseidon and Apollo had built the walls of Troy, Laomedon refused to give them the reward which had been stipulated, and even dismissed them with threats (xxi. 443); but Poseidon sent a marine monster, which was on the point of devouring Laomedon's daughter, when it was killed by Heracles. ii. 5 § 9.) For this reason Poseidon like Hera bore an implacable hatred against the Trojans, from which not even Aeneas was excepted (Hom. Il. xx. 293, &c.; comp. Virg. Aen. v. 810; Il. xxi. 459, xxiv. 26, xx.

312, &c.), and took an active part in the war against Troy, in which he sided with the Greeks, sometimes witnessing the contest as a spectator from the heights of Thrace, and sometimes interfering in person, assuming the appearance of a mortal hero and encouraging the Greeks, while Zeus favoured the Trojans. (Il. xiii. 12, &c., 44, &c., 209, 351, 357, 677, xiv. 136, 510.) When Zeus permitted the gods to assist whichever party they pleased, Poseidon joining the Greeks, took part in the war, and caused the earth to tremble; he was opposed by Apollo, who, however, did not like to fight against his uncle. (Il. xx. 23, 34, 57, 67, xxi. 436, &c.) In the Odyssey, Poseidon appears hostile to Odysseus, whom he prevents from returning home in consequence of his having blinded Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon by the nymph Thoosa. (Hom. Od. i. 20, 68, v.

286, &c., 366, &c., 423, xi. 101, &e., xiii. 125; Ov. Trist. i. 2. 9.) Being the ruler of the sea (the Mediterranean), he is described as gathering clouds and calling forth storms, but at the same he has it in his power to grant a successful voyage and save those who are in danger, and all other marine divinities are subject to him. As the sea surrounds and holds the earth, he himself is described as the god who holds the earth (gaiêochos), and who has it in his power to shake the earth (enosichthôn, kinêtêr gas). He was further regarded as the creator of the horse, and was accordingly believed to have taught men the art of managing horses by the bridle, and to have been the originator and protector of horse races. (Hom. Il. xxiii. 307, 584; Pind. Pyth. vi.50 ; Soph. Oed. Col.

712, &c.) Hence he was also represented on horseback, or riding in a chariot drawn by two or four horses, and is designated by the epithets hippios, hippeios, or hippios anax. (Paus. i. 30. § 4, viii. 25. § 5, vi. 20. § 8, viii. 37. § 7 ; Eurip. Phoen. 1707; comp. Liv. i. 9, where he is called equester.) In consequence of his connection with the horse, he was regarded as the friend of charioteers (Pind. Ol. i. 63, &c.; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 156), and he even metamorphosed himself into a horse, for the purpose of deceiving Demeter. The common tradition about Poseidon creating the horse is as follows:-- when Poseidon and Athena disputed as to which of them should give the name to the capital of Attica, the gods decided, that it should receive its name from him who should bestow upon man the most useful gift.

Poseidon their created the horse, and Athena called forth the olive tree, for which the honour was conferred upon her. (Serv. ad Virg. Georg. i. 12.) According to others, however, Poseidon did not create the horse in Attica, but in Thessaly, where he also gave the famous horses to Peleus. (Lucan, Phars. vi. 396, &c.; Hom. Il. xxiii. 277; Apollod. iii. 13. § 5.) The symbol of Poseidon's power was the trident, or a spear with three points, with which he used to shatter rocks, to call forth or subdue storms, to shake the earth, and the like. Herodotus (ii. 50, iv. 188) states, that the name and worship of Poseidon was imported to the Greeks from Libya, but he was probably a divinity of Pelasgian origin, and originally a personification of the fertilising power of water, from which the transition to regarding him as the god of the sea was not difficult.

It is a remarkable circumstance that in the legends about this divinity there are many in which he is said to have disputed the possession of certain countries with other gods. Thus, in order to take possession of Attica, he thrust his trident into the ground on the acropolis, where a well of sea-water was thereby called forth; but Athena created the olive tree, and the two divinities disputed, until the gods assigned Attica to Athena. Poseidon, indignant at this, caused the country to be inundated. (Herod. viii. 55; Apollod. iii. 14. § 1 ; Paus. i. 24. § 3, &c.; Hygin. Fab. 164.) With Athena he also disputed the possession of Troezene, and at the command of Zeus he shared the place with her. (Paus. ii. 30. § 6 ) With Helios he disputed the sovereignty of Corinth, which along with the isthmus was adjudged to him, while Helios received the acropolis. (ii. 1.

§ 6.) With Hera he disputed the possession of Argolis, which was adjudged to the former by Inachus, Cephissus, and Asterion, in consequence of which Poseidon caused the rivers of these river-gods to be dried up. (ii. 15. § 5, 22. § 5; Apollod. ii. 1. § 4.) With Zeus, lastly, he disputed the possession of Aegina, and with Dionysus that of Naxos. (Plut. Sympos. ix. 6.) At one time Delphi belonged to him in common with Ge, but Apollo gave him Calauria as a compensation for it. (Paus. ii. 33. § 2, x. 5. § 3; Apollon. Rhod. iii. 1243, with the Schol.) The following legends also deserve to be mentioned. In conjunction with Zeus he fought against Cronos and the Titans (Apollod. i. 2. § 1), and in the contest with the Giants he pursued Polybotes across the sea as far as Cos, and there killed him by throwing the island upon him. (Apollod. i.

6. § 2; Paus. i. 2. § 4.) He further crushed the Centaurs when they were pursued by Heracles, under a mountain in Leucosia, the island of the Seirens. (Apollod. ii. 5. § 4.) He sued together with Zeus for the hand of Thetis, but he withdrew when Themis prophesied that the son of Thetis would be greater than his father. (Apollod. iii. 13. § 5; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 178.) When Ares had been caught in the wonderful net by Hephaestus, the latter set him free at the request of Poseidon (Hom. Od. viii. 344, &c.), but Poseidon afterwards brought a charge against Ares before the Areiopagus, for having killed his son Halirrhothius. (Apollod. iii. 14.

§ 2.) At the request of Minos, king of Crete, Poseidon caused a bull to rise from the sea, which the king promised to sacrifice; but when Minos treacherously concealed the animal among a herd of oxen, the god punished Minos by causing his daughter Pasiphaë to fall in love with the bull. (Apollod. iii. § 3, &c.) Periclymenus, who was either a son or a grandson of Poseidon, received from him the power of assuming various forms. (i. 9. § 9, iii. 6. § 8.) Poseidon was married to Amphitrite, by whom he had three children, Triton, Rhode, and Benthesicyme (Hes. Theog. 930; Apollod. i. 4. § 6, iii. 15. § 4); but he had besides a vast number of children by other divinities and mortal women. He is mentioned by a variety of surnames, either in allusion to the many legends related about him, or to his nature as the god of the sea.

His worship extended over all Greece and southern Italy, but he was more especially revered in Peloponnesus (which is hence called oikêtêrion Poseidônos) and in the Ionic coast towns. The sacrifices offered to him generally consisted of black and white bulls (Hom. Od. iii. 6, Il. xx. 404; Pind. Ol. xiii. 98; Virg. Aen. v. 237); but wild boars and rams were also sacrificed to him. (Hom. Od. xi. 130, &c., xxiii. 277; Virg. Aen. iii. 119.) In Argolis bridled horses were thrown into the well Deine as a sacrifice to him (Paus. viii. 7. § 2), and horse and chariot races were held in his honour on the Corinthian isthmus. (Pind. Nem. v. 66, &c.) The Panionia, or the festival of all the Ionians near Mycale, was celebrated in honour of Poseidon. (Herod. i.

148.) In works of art, Poseidon may be easily recognised by his attributes, the dolphin, the horse, or the trident (Paus. x. 36. § 4), and he was frequently represented in groups along with Amphitrite, Tritons, Nereids, dolphins, the Dioscuri, Palaemon, Pegasus, Bellerophontes, Thalassa, Ino, and Galene. (Paus. ii. 1. § 7.) His figure does not present the majestic calm which characterises his brother Zeus; but as the state of the sea is varying, so also is the god represented sometimes in violent agitation, and sometimes in a state of repose. It must be observed that the Romans identified Poseidon with their own Neptunus, and that accordingly the attributes belonging to the former are constantly transferred by the Latin poets to the latter. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

SOURCES (ALL POSEIDON PAGES) POSEIDON - the Greek God of the Sea (Greek mythology) POSEIDON Also known as ENOSICHTHON Lusty God of the Ocean and patron of sailors After the Olympian Gods kicked out the TITANS , this crusty old seagod took charge of the waves while his brothers ZEUS and HADES plumped for the earthy bits. Feared by sailors, he can cause storms and shipwrecks with the aid of his three-pronged trident, but if he’s in a good mood he can soothe the sea to sleep. For reasons that have so far eluded us, POSEIDON the Sea God is well-known for his love of horses. Yes, you read correctly. Horses. Not fish. Not dolphins. Not even seahorses. He likes horses. Land-based galloping mammals. Without fins. It’s hard to image this burly old salt cooing over a pony, but perhaps he’s not such a bluff rugged cove as his image suggests.

He’s the father of many gods and heroes — and of course horses — including THESEUS , TRITON , POLYPHEMUS , ORION and PEGASUS . His wife is the reluctant AMPHITRITE but he still leaps from one lusty affair to the next. With Iphimedeia he produced the ill-fated ALOADAE twins OTUS and EPHIALTES . DEMETER presented him with ARION and DESPOENA . And so on. Sea air is obviously good for the libido. Check out his flowing beard and ruddy complexion. Under the Romans, POSEIDON was poised and ready to become NEPTUNE . POSEIDON FACTS AND FIGURES Cite this Link to this page HTML: To link to this page, just copy and paste the text below into your blog, web page or email. <a href="">Godchecker entry on POSEIDON, the Greek God of the Sea</a> BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the text below: [url= entry on POSEIDON, the Greek God of the Sea[/url] Cite this article Here's the info you need to cite this page.

Just copy the text in the box below. Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "POSEIDON - the Greek God of the Sea (Greek mythology)." <em>Godchecker</em>. Godchecker.com / CID, 27 Aug. 2015. Web. 18 January 2017. . 27 August 2015 by the Godchecker Team. Editors: Peter J Allen, Chas Saunders References: Coming soon. Poseidon Poseidon See More Poseidon Pictures > Poseidon is the god of the sea and protector of all aquatic features. Brother of Zeus and Hades , after the overthrow of their father, Cronus , he drew lots with them to share the universe. He ended up becoming lord of the sea. He was widely worshipped by seamen. He married Amphitrite , one of the granddaughters of the Titan Oceanus . At one point he 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. His weapon was a trident, with which he could make the earth shake, causing earthquakes, and shatter any object. He was second to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He was considered by Greeks to have a difficult 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 patrons of. Poseidon Is also called Neptune. Greek Mythology: Poseidon Poseidon (puh-SYE-dun or poh-SYE-dun) Roman name Neptune. See The Olympians for another picture. Poseidon was the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. Although he was officially one of the supreme gods of Mount Olympus, he spent most of his time in his watery domain. Poseidon was brother to Zeus and Hades. These three gods divided up creation. Zeus became ruler of the sky, Hades got dominion of the Underworld and Poseidon was given all water, both fresh and salt.

Although there were various rivers personified as gods, these would have been technically under Poseidon's sway. Similarly, Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, wasn't really considered on a par with Poseidon, who was known to drive his chariot through the waves in unquestioned dominance. Poseidon had married Nereus's daughter, the sea-nymph Amphitrite. The Romans' name for Poseidon was Neptune. In dividing heaven, the watery realm and the subterranean land of the dead, the Olympians agreed that the earth itself would be ruled jointly, with Zeus as king. This led to a number of territorial disputes among the gods. Poseidon vied with Athena to be patron deity of Athens. The god demonstrated his power and benevolence by striking the Acropolis with his three-pronged spear, which caused a spring of salt water to emerge. Athena, however, planted an olive tree, which was seen as a more useful favor. Her paramount importance to the Athenians is seen in her magnificent temple, the Parthenon, which still crowns the Acropolis. The people of Athens were careful, all the same, to honor Poseidon as well.

Poseidon was father of the hero Theseus , although the mortal Aegeus also claimed this distinction. Theseus was happy to have two fathers, enjoying the lineage of each when it suited him. Thus he became king of Athens by virtue of being Aegeus's son, but availed himself of Poseidon's parentage in facing a challenge handed him by King Minos of Crete. This monarch threw his signet ring into the depths of the sea and dared Theseus to retrieve it. The hero dove beneath the waves and not only found the ring but was given a crown by Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite. Poseidon was not so well-disposed toward another famous hero. Because Odysseus blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, who was Poseidon's son, the god not only delayed the hero's homeward return from the Trojan War but caused him to face enormous perils. Poseidon similarly cursed the wife of King Minos. Minos had proved his divine right to rule Crete by calling on Poseidon to send a bull from the sea, which the king promised to sacrifice. Poseidon sent the bull, but Minos liked it too much to sacrifice it.

So Poseidon asked Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to make Minos's queen, Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull. The result was the monstrous Minotaur, half-man, half-bull. As god of horses, Poseidon often adopted the shape of a steed. It is not certain that he was in this form when he wooed Medusa . But when Perseus later killed the Gorgon, the winged horse Pegasus sprang from her severed neck. Poseidon sometimes granted the shape-shifting power to others. And he ceded to the request of the maiden Caenis that she be transformed into the invulnerable, male warrior Caeneus. 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: Greek Mythology - Ancient History - HISTORY.com Greek Mythology A+E Networks Introduction “Myth has two main functions,” the poet and scholar Robert Graves wrote in 1955. “The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that children ask, such as ‘Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death?’…The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs.” In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life. They explained everything from religious rituals to the weather, and they gave meaning to the world people saw around them.

Google Greek Mythology: Sources In Greek mythology, there is no single original text like the Christian Bible or the Hindu Vedas that introduces all of the myths’ characters and stories. Instead, the earliest Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in the Bronze Age, and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods. The poet Homer’s 8th-century BC epics the Iliad and the Odyssey, for example, tell the story of the (mythical) Trojan War as a divine conflict as well as a human one. They do not, however, bother to introduce the gods and goddesses who are their main characters, since readers and listeners would already have been familiar with them. Did You Know? Many consumer products get their names from Greek mythology. Nike sneakers are the namesake of the goddess of victory, for example, and the website Amazon.com is named after the race of mythical female warriors. Many high school, college and professional sports teams (Titans, Spartans and Trojans, for instance) also get their names from mythological sources.

Around 700 BC, the poet Hesiod’s Theogony offered the first written cosmogony, or origin story, of Greek mythology. The Theogony tells the story of the universe’s journey from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and details an elaborate family tree of elements, gods and goddesses who evolved from Chaos and descended from Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld). Later Greek writers and artists used and elaborated upon these sources in their own work. For instance, mythological figures and events appear in the 5th-century plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and the lyric poems of Pindar. Writers such as the 2nd-century BC Greek mythographer Apollodorus of Athens and the 1st-century BC Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus compiled the ancient myths and legends for contemporary audiences. Greek Mythology: The Olympians At the center of Greek mythology is the pantheon of deities who were said to live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From their perch, they ruled every aspect of human life.

Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women (though they could change themselves into animals and other things) and were–as many myths recounted–vulnerable to human foibles and passions.

The twelve main Olympians are: Zeus (Jupiter, in Roman mythology): the king of all the gods (and father to many) and god of weather, law and fate Hera (Juno): the queen of the gods and goddess of women and marriage Aphrodite (Venus): goddess of beauty and love Apollo (Apollo): god of prophesy, music and poetry and knowledge Ares (Mars): god of war Artemis (Diana): goddess of hunting, animals and childbirth Athena (Minerva): goddess of wisdom and defense Demeter (Ceres): goddess of agriculture and grain Dionysos (Bacchus): god of wine, pleasure and festivity Hephaistos (Vulcan): god of fire, metalworking and sculpture Hermes (Mercury): god of travel, hospitality and trade and Zeus’s personal messenger Poseidon (Neptune): god of the sea Other gods and goddesses sometimes included in the roster of Olympians are: Hades (Pluto): god of the underworld Hestia (Vesta): goddess of home and family Eros (Cupid): god of sex and minion to Aphrodite Greek Mythology: Heroes and Monsters Greek mythology does not just tell the stories of gods and goddesses, however

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Human heroes–such as Heracles, the adventurer who performed 12 impossible labors for King Eurystheus (and was subsequently worshipped as a god for his accomplishment); Pandora, the first woman, whose curiosity brought evil to mankind; Pygmalion, the king who fell in love with an ivory statue; Arachne, the weaver who was turned into a spider for her arrogance; handsome Trojan prince Ganymede who became the cupbearer for the gods; Midas, the king with the golden touch; and Narcissus, the young man who fell in love with his own reflection–are just as significant. Monsters and “hybrids” (human-animal forms) also feature prominently in the tales: the winged horse Pegasus, the horse-man Centaur, the lion-woman Sphinx and the bird-woman Harpies, the one-eyed giant Cyclops, automatons (metal creatures given life by Hephaistos), manticores and unicorns, Gorgons, pygmies, minotaurs, satyrs and dragons of all sorts. Many of these creatures have become almost as well known as the gods, goddesses and heroes who share their stories.

Greek Mythology: Past and Present The characters, stories, themes and lessons of Greek mythology have shaped art and literature for thousands of years. They appear in Renaissance paintings such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea and writings like Dante’s Inferno; Romantic poetry and libretti; and scores of more recent novels, plays and films. Tags Poseidon | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Cronus Poseidon, in Greek religion , god of the sea (and of water generally), earthquakes, and horses. He is distinguished from Pontus, the personification of the sea and the oldest Greek divinity of the waters. The name Poseidon means either “husband of the earth” or “lord of the earth.” Traditionally, he was a son of Cronus (the youngest of the 12 Titans ) and of Cronus’s sister and consort Rhea , a fertility goddess. Poseidon was a brother of Zeus , the sky god and chief deity of ancient Greece , and of Hades , god of the underworld. When the three brothers deposed their father, the kingdom of the sea fell by lot to Poseidon. His weapon and main symbol was the trident, perhaps once a fish spear .

According to the Greek poet Hesiod , Poseidon’s trident, like Zeus’s thunderbolt and Hades’ helmet, was fashioned by the three Cyclopes . Poseidon, marble statue from Melos, 2nd century bce; in the National Archaeological Museum, … Alinari/Art Resource, New York As the god of earthquakes, Poseidon was also connected to dry land, and many of his oldest places of worship in Greece were inland, though these were sometimes centred on pools and streams or otherwise associated with water. In this aspect, he was known as enosichthon and ennosigaios (“earth-shaker”) and was worshipped as asphalios (“stabilizer”). As the god of horses, Poseidon is thought likely to have been introduced to Greece by the earliest Hellenes, who also introduced the first horses to the country about the 2nd century bce. Poseidon himself fathered many horses, best known of which was the winged horse Pegasus by the Gorgon Medusa . Ruins of a temple of Poseidon, Attica, Greece. © Digital Vision/Getty Images Poseidon came into conflict with a variety of figures in land disputes.

Notable among these was a contest for sovereignty over Attica , which he lost to the goddess Athena . Despite losing, Poseidon was also worshipped there, particularly at Colonus (as hippios, “of horses”). Poseidon hurling his trident, coin (reverse), 306–282 bce. Diameter 1.1 inches (28 mm). WGS Photofile Athena Poseidon’s offspring were myriad . He was the father of Pelias and Neleus by Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, and thus became the divine ancestor of the royal families of Thessaly and Messenia. Many of his sons became rulers in other parts of the ancient Greek world. Otherwise he had many monstrous offspring, including giants and savage creatures, such as Orion , Antaeus , and Polyphemus . Progenitor of many, with several consorts, Poseidon also was married to the Oceanid Amphitrite , with whom he also had multiple offspring, including the sea creature Triton . The chief festival in Poseidon’s honour was the Isthmia , the scene of famous athletic contests (including horse races), celebrated in alternate years near the Isthmus of Corinth .

His character as a sea god eventually became his most prominent in art, and he was represented with the attributes of the trident, the dolphin , and the tuna. The Romans, ignoring his other aspects, identified him with Neptune as sea god. Amphitrite and Poseidon in a chariot drawn by Tritons, detail of a frieze from an altar in the … Giraudon/Art Resource, New York Poseidon - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) In the religion and mythology of ancient Greece, Poseidon was the god of the sea and of water in general. Unpredictable and often violent, he frequently represented the destructive power of the sea and was also the god of earthquakes. He was closely associated with horses as well. In art, Poseidon was typically shown as a bearded man carrying a trident (a three-pronged fishing spear) and accompanied by a dolphin or a tuna. He traveled over the sea in a chariot pulled by creatures that had the heads and bodies of horses and the tails of fish. Poseidon was one of the 12 chief gods who lived on Mount Olympus. The Romans identified their god Neptune with Poseidon. Article History

Question: Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology, was known by what name in Roman mythology?
Answer: Neptune