by James Humphreys

Created on: April 19, 2008   Last Updated: April 09, 2009

Poseidon: God of the sea; lord of horses, and, due to his ability to create earthquakes, the "earth-shaker". Poseidon was one of the six siblings of the titan Cronus, and once the world was divided up, after the war of domination between the titans and the gods, he received the realm of the sea. He was granted a throne on Mt. Olympus, like his brother Zeus but unlike his brother Hades, but Poseidon preferred to reside in his underwater palace made of corals and gems, riding on his chariot pulled by a hippocampus: a horse with the ability to ride on the sea. Poseidon was one of the greatest civic Gods, and with the Greeks being major fans of sea travel and exploration, he was widely worshiped and honored. Many city states would take on Poseidon as their primary god, and he was second only to Athena in Athens. However he was also known for attempting to take many cities away from other gods, which every so often he would succeed at

When Poseidon was calm he was known for creating islands and granting calm seas, however like all gods he had a temperamental mood and, using his famed trident, he would strike the ground in an eruption of chaos causing disasters such as earthquakes or great booming storms. A famous example of this is his hatred of Odysseus in the Odyssey, in which he stops the protagonist from reaching his home, after a long and bloody war. Sailors reverently sought to avoid this godly rage, often by drowning a horse as a sacrifice.

The character of Poseidon poses a very striking and dominant image, overshadowed in power only by the presence of Zeus himself. There was constant rivalry between the two brothers, often ending in Poseidon attempting to usurp Zeus' power and status for himself. To continue the theme of likenesses, Poseidon is considered a bold symbol of masculinity, just like his brother, and Poseidon often exerted his masculinity with his forceful womanizing. A good example of his sexual pursuits involves Poseidon's infatuation with one of his own sister, Demeter. There are different accounts as to what happened between Demeter and her brother, but in all accounts it always results in Poseidon creating the first horse: Arion. Just like Zeus, Poseidon would continue in his numerous love affairs and eventually fathered many children which included Theseus, Pegasus, Pelias, and Orion to name but a few.

Poseidon in my opinion is one of greatest images of what we consider a true mythological deity to be like, and his form can be witnessed around the world, from Greece, to Norway; to America, and onwards. This powerful character is essential for anyone studying mythology or ancient history, and should be of intrigue to those who are not.

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