POSEIDON ~ THE GOD OF THE SEAS

Poseidon ( Ποσειδών) is one of the Twelve Leading Gods in ancient Greek Religion. He is the God of the Sea and other bodies of  water,of earthquakes and of horses.

Poseidon is the Protector of seafarers, and of many Hellenic cities and colonies. In Homer's Iliad, Poseidon supports the Greeks against the Trojans during the Trojan War. In the Odyssey, during the sea-voyage from Troy back home to Ithaca, the Greek hero Odysseus provokes Poseidon's fury by blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, resulting in Poseidon punishing him with storms, the complete loss of his ship and companions, and a ten-year delay. Poseidon is also the subject of a Homeric hymn. In Plato's Timaeus and Critias, the island of Atlantis was Poseidon's domain.

Poseidon was the second son of titans Cronos and Rhea. In most accounts He is swallowed by Cronus at birth but later He is rescued by Zeus, along with his other siblings. However, in some versions of the story, He, like his brother Zeus, did not share the fate of his other brother and sisters who were eaten by Cronos. He was saved by his mother Rhea, who concealed Him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which She gave to Cronos to devour.

 The nurse of Poseidon was Arne, who denied knowing where He was, when Cronos came searching; according to Diodorus Siculus Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete.


According to a single reference in the Iliad, when the world was divided by lot in three, Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the sea. In the Odyssey , Poseidon has a home in Aegae.

Poseidon is known in various guises, denoted by epithets. He also has a close association with horses. He is more often regarded as the tamer of horses, but in some stories He is their father, either by spilling His seed upon a rock or by mating with a creature who then gave birth to the first horse.He is closely related with the springs, and with the strike of His trident, He creates springs.

Some epithets of Poseidon are:
"Asphaleios"- as protector from the earthquakes.
"Tavreios"- related with the bull. 
"Pelagios"- in Ionia.
"Phykios" -related with seaweeds.


Athena became the patron Goddess of the city of Athens, after a competition with Poseidon. During that competition, Poseidon struck the ground with His trident and a spring sprang up; the water was salty and not very useful for the residents of Athens. Athena offered them an olive tree and won the contest. Yet, Poseidon remained a numinous presence on the Acropolis in the form of His surrogate, Erechtheus.

Poseidon is said to have had many lovers of both sexes. His consort is Amphitrite, a Nymph and ancient sea-Goddess, daughter of Nereus and Doris. Together they have a son named Triton, a merman. Poseidon is also the father of many heroes. He is thought to have fathered the famed hero Theseus.

SOURCE:Wikipedia