Poseidon , godof the ocean , was an constitutional physique in ancient Greek mythology . Although the name Poseidon means " lord of the land , " this potent god mostly control the oceans and watercourse . The Aegean Sea fell and rise by his hired hand , andsailorsprayed for clemency during every nautical ocean trip .
Like other gods in the Greek pantheon , Poseidon choose on additional responsibilities . The weewee god was also know as the " Earth Shaker , " the lord of quake , and the patron god of horse races and other famous acrobatic contest of the ancient Olympics .
A Brief Overview of the Sea God from Ancient Greek Mythology
The Olympian deity of the ancient Hellenic creation oversaw soul from their heavenly land above Mount Olympus . Ancient Greece was a complex society that looked to these gods for guidance and abundance in life . Everything was a symbolisation or omen , and the graven image walked among them in life .
In Greek mythology , Poseidon was the swayer of the sea . Poseidon ’s trident and chariot ( drawn by ocean creature , of course ) were plebeian motifs in art , as well as crucial symbols forcoastalcommunities . For good transit on a tranquil sea , Poseidon required court and sacrifices .
Who Was Poseidon’s Wife?
The sea goddess Amphitrite was the married woman of the god Poseidon . She was the sea - houri girl of Nereus and Doris , who descended from the original supreme god of the ocean , Oceanis , and Cronus ’s sister , Tethys .
Despite her powerful blood , Amphitrite had little say in her initial courting with Poseidon .
The legend states that Amphitrite denied Poseidon ’s initial cash advance and fled to the Titan Atlas . Poseidon then send a dolphinfish to remember her forcefully . Upon bring his next king back to him , the porpoise was grant a configuration from the male monarch of the sea himself .
Greek Family Drama
Ancient Greeks love a honest dramatic play , and few were more suspenseful than the many myths of the origins of the oldest Hellenic god . Ancient Hellenic mythology chronicles the rise to great power of the Olympian idol over their Titan forerunner .
Like many mortal royal families , the Greek immortal suffered constant infighting among the ranks . In a coup for the ages , three brothers depose Poseidon ’s begetter , Cronus — and Poseidon was one of them .
Zeus was the chief god of the fight program , and all the youngster of Titans worked together to supplant primordial parents . You could say Zeus ’s thunderbolt and Poseidon ’s trident were the spearheads of the assault .
The Titan opposition was quick rout , and the gods were quick to take on the mantle of world power . Zeus describe the position of sky god , his brother Hades became the frequenter god of the underworld and Poseidon ’s land became the mellow seas .
3 Epic Stories Featuring Poseidon
Ancient times were a breeding ground for many myths and story of heroes defeating barbarian creatures and Olympian gods dealing out divine retribution on other god in the pantheon . The Aegean Sea was a vital setting for Greek legend , so ineluctably , the ocean god Poseidon played a primal function in many myths .
1. The Founding of Athens
As one story goes , a capital letter city rebel to prominence in ancient Greece , but it had no name or a patron immortal to protect it . Poseidon and Athena , the patron goddess of wisdom and war , bickered about everything , so of course , this young glisten city was a loot deserving fight for .
The citizens asked for a endowment from each Greek god , with the best one winning backing and naming rights . Poseidon , playing into the nickname " Earth Shaker , " develop what he thought was a perfect programme . Poseidon impress his trident into the ground and make a saltwater outflow that backlash in a flood .
Athena ’s gift of a wizard olive tree diagram planted atop the Acropolis was a more worthy gift for the people , so they decide to name the city Athens . Poseidon ’s honor was bruised , so he flooded the city further . Zeus intervene , and the ocean god eventually give to the wishes of the the great unwashed , returning to the sea .
2. Perseus and Medusa
One of Poseidon ’s epithet was his insatiable appetite for seduction . In one such story , he seduced a beautiful maiden in the tabernacle of Athena . According to the Greek poet Hesiod , the umbrageous Athena cursed the maiden over , turning her into a powerful ocean monster before exiling her to a legendary island in the Aegean Sea .
choose her malice a footfall further , Athena appeared to the Hero Perseus to guide his quest to kill Medusa . Athena offer Perseus her specular shell , a sword , Hades ' helmet of invisibility and Hermes ' fly sandals . Since one look from Medusa would turn the hero to stone , Perseus used the reflection from the shell and lopped off her head .
Although Poseidon played a minimum role in the story of Perseus and Medusa , his initial encounter with the creature in deadly form leave in an strange pregnancy . Once Perseus fly away with her head , Medusa ’s consistence gave birth to the giant Chrysaor and the olympian winged horse Pegasus .
3. The Trojan Horse
After a go wrong 10 - yearsiegein response to Helen of Troy ’s leaving her Grecian king hubby for the Trojan prince Paris , the Hellenic force were all but spent . ineffectual to surpass the metropolis ’s impenetrable high wall and valorous defense forces , the Greeks were forced to devise a strategy to attack Troy from the inside .
Notable Hellenic legends like Achilles , Ajax and Odysseus were unable to inhibit Troy by the steel , but a maestro carpenter named Epeius was able to do so with a hammer and some driftwood . He built a monumental wooden cavalry as a forfeit to the god Poseidon , and the Greek force-out seemingly defect the struggle .
The Trojans celebrated their victory and bring the iconic workplace of art inside the Bill Gates , unaware of the Hellenic soldier hide inside . At nighttime , the Greeks climbed out and open up the gates for Greek reinforcements , and send into the city . Celebration turn tohorroras the city was burned to the basis by aurora .
Poseidon’s Offspring
In Greek mythology , the god Poseidon was the elysian ancestor of many grotesque issue . Some children were sacred animals , while others were gargantuan brutes with short fuzee like their Father-God . Poseidon also created all sorts of trials for mortal , but none were more lengthy and arduous than the Odyssey .
Homer’sOdysseyfollows the travels of Odysseus , the Greek King of Ithaca , returning home after the fall of Troy . In one of Odysseus ' adventures , he is appropriate by one of Poseidon ’s sons , a jumbo cyclops named Polyphemus . While the giant slept , Odysseus stabbed his only eye before escaping .
Poseidon appears as an angry begetter instead of an impartial chief immortal of the sea and curses Odysseus for an drawn-out misstep home to his wife and kingdom . Poseidon create several roadblocks in the journey , including inflicting the hero ’s ship with storms , unfavourable winds and excruciating sea ogre face-off .
