by Veronica Beaudry

Created on: April 07, 2008

In the Pantheon of the Greco-Roman gods, Poseidon was the ruler of the sea. He watched over all bodies of water including rivers and fountains. He also had dominion over earthquakes and volcanoes. Because the sea was so important to the civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea, Poseidon was sometimes seen as equal in power to his brother Zeus, the king of the gods.

Poseidon was a powerful god who was feared as well as loved and respected. He was known to have a temper and, like with the other gods, it was not a good idea to anger him. Poseidon's temper is seen in one of the stories related to the hero, Perseus.

In this story, there is a queen named Cassiopeia. She was the wife of Cepheus, king of Joppa. Cassiopeia angered Poseidon by saying that she and her daughter, Andromeda, were more beautiful than the sea nymphs. Poseidon punished this boast by flooding the land of Joppa as well as sending a sea monster that devoured people. An oracle said that Cepheus would have to sacrifice his daughter, Andromeda, to the sea monster in order to appease Poseidon. Luckily for Cepheus, Perseus wanted to marry Andromeda and rescued her before the sea monster could harm her.

Apart from having a temper, Poseidon was also known for having disagreements with other gods. The most famous dispute was the one he had with Athena over the city that would soon be known as Athens. Several of the Olympian gods wanted to be the patron of the new city state that was forming. The choice came down to Poseidon or Athena. Neither god would give in so Zeus devised a contest that would be judged by the other Olympians and would determine the new city's patron god.

The objective of the contest was to see which god could create the best gift for humanity. Poseidon took his turn first and gave humanity the horse. The horse's beauty and majesty, as well as its strength and speed, made it a wonderful gift. The other gods were very impressed by Poseidon's creation until Athena created the olive tree. Athena argued that hers was the better gift because the olive tree could grow in harsh terrain. It would provide food for the people as well as oil that could be used in sacrifices to the gods. Athena was named the winner and the new city was named in her honor.

Like his younger brother, Zeus, Poseidon was a married man who liked the ladies and has many stories that tell of his conquests.

Poseidon was married to Amphitrite. She had taken a vow of celibacy, which may have played a part in Poseidon's infidelity.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>