In Greek mythology, the brother of Zeus, god of water and the sea, depicted with a trident in his hand. He is a violent god, responsible for earthquakes and similar destructive forces. He is also connected with horse-taming.
Prehistory
In Greek mythology, Poseidon (Greek: Ποσειδών) was the god of the sea, as well as horses and, as "Earth-Shaker", of earthquakes.
In Mycenean culture, Poseidon's importance was greater than that of Zeus. the name PO-SE-DA-WO-NE (Poseidon) occurs with greater frequency than does DI-U-JA (Zeus). Tablets from Pylos record sacrificial goods destined for "the Two Queens and Poseidon" and to "the Two Queens and the King". The most obvious identification for the "Two Queens" is with Demeter and Persephone, or their precursors, goddesses who were not associated with Poseidon in later periods. Poseidon is already identified as "Earth-Shaker"— E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE— in Mycenaean Knossos , a powerful attribute where earthquakes had accompanied the collapse of the Minoan palace-culture. In the heavily sea-dependent Mycenean culture, no connection between Poseidon and the sea has yet surfaced;
Demeter and Poseidon's names are linked in one Pylos tablet, where they appear as PO-SE-DA-WO-NE and DA-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;
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 to Poseidon a paean - a kind of hymn normally sung for Apollo.
Like Dionysus and the Maenads, Poseidon also caused certain forms of mental disturbance.
Homeric Hymn to Poseidon
The hymn to Poseidon included among the Homeric Hymns is a brief invocation, a seven-line introduction that addresses the god as both "mover of the earth and barren sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Helicon and wide Aegae, and specificies his two-fold nature as an Olympian: "a tamer of horses and a saviour of ships."
Role in society
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 horses that could ride on the sea.
In Rome
Neptune was worshiped by the Romans primarily as a horse god, Neptune Equester, patron of horse-racing.
Myth
Birth and childhood
Poseidon was a son of Cronus and Rhea. 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.
Lovers
His wife was Amphitrite, a nymph and ancient sea-goddess, daughter of Nereus and Doris.
Poseidon fell in love with Pelops, a beautiful youth, son of Tantalus. 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 was also thought to have raped Aethra thus fathering the famed Theseus.
In an archaic myth, Poseidon once pursued Demeter.
Poseidon had an affair with Alope, his granddaughter through Cercyon, begetting Hippothoon.
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.
With Medusa, Poseidon had sexual intercourse on the floor of a temple to Athena.
After having sex with Caeneus, Poseidon fulfilled her request and changed her into a man.
Other stories
Athena became the patron goddess of the city of Athens after a competition with Poseidon. Another version of the myth says that Poseidon gave horses to Athens
Poseidon and Apollo, having offended Zeus, were sent to serve King Laomedon. 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.
In the Odyssey, Poseidon is notable for his hatred of Odysseus due to the latter's having blinded the god's son Polyphemus.
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.
Spoken-word myths - audio files
| Poseidon myths as told by story tellers |
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| 1. Poseidon and Pelops, part I, (integral to Tantalus myth), read by Timothy Carter |
| Bibliography of reconstruction: Homer, Odyssey, 11.567 (7th c. Poseidon and Pelops, part II (Integral to the myth of Pelops and Hippodameia), read by Timothy Carter |
| Bibliography of reconstruction: Pindar, Olympian Ode, I (476 BC); Second Vatican Mythographer, 146: Oenomaus |
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Neptune in Bologna, Italy. |
Neptune in Copenhagen, Denmark. |
Neptune in Florence, Italy. |
Neptune in Gliwice, Poland. |
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Neptune at the Louvre, in Paris. |
Neptune in Los Angeles, the United States. |
Neptune in Lviv, Ukraine. |
Neptune in Olomouc, Czech Republic. |
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Neptune in Poznań, Poland. |
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