Poseidon

**By: Nick**
 * The God of the Sea**



A god of many personalities, this god was short tempered, destructive, and very revenge driven. On the other hand he could also be kind, creative, and very affectionate towards the mortals. [|Poseidon] was the god of the sea, storms and earthquakes in Greek mythology. He was also the second most powerful god on Mount Olympus next to his brother Zeus. Poseidon is very much like the ocean, calm one minute and stormy the next. This can be seen through his ways of life and powers, his family, his symbols, myths, and his friends and enemies (McLeish).

Poseidon is the Greek god responsible for natural and unnatural events, mostly the ones associated with the ocean and the coastal lands. Poseidon’s main weapon is his almighty trident capable of shaking the earth. By using his powers he could cause earthquakes and tidal waves that could destroy or drown cities. Not all of his powers are destructive though; he could also raise new lands, but his most extraordinary ability was being able to restore peace. Although helpful to humans, protecting sailors at sea, filling nets with fish, and guiding ships to safety; he was also short tempered. He could be a terrifying figure punishing all who showed disrespect. Poseidon had two kingdoms, one on Mount Olympus and one in the depths of the sea. But he mostly preferred to stay in the underwater kingdom with his sea nymph wife Amphitrite (Parada) (Smith,).

Poseidon was the son of Titans Cronus and Rhea, at birth Poseidon was swallowed at birth by his father. He was later saved by his brother Zeus (he was not eaten) who tricked Cronus into drinking a potion that made him throw up Poseidon and his other siblings Hades, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. Later Poseidon joined Hades and Zeus in killing their father Cronus and the three brothers divided the universe among themselves. Poseidon became god of the seas, Hades god of the underworld, and Zeus god of the sky; the three brothers are the three main gods hence the name “the big three”. Even though Zeus is the king of gods Poseidon often showed his independence, once he even planed with Athena and Hera to overthrow Zeus. They managed to put him in chains but the sea goddess Thetis saved Zeus by bringing a giant from Tartarus. As punishment Poseidon was sentenced to serve one year as slave to King Laomedon. Poseidon was married to Amphitrite, he had three offspring one was the sea god Triton, a merman who was a fish from waist down and resembled a human from waist up. Even though he was married he had many mistresses and produced many offspring (Atsma).

Poseidon had many symbols; probably the most known ones are the trident, the horse, and the dolphin. The Trident is the symbol of Poseidon’s power, it is a three pronged fishing spear used by many Mediterranean fisherman, with the trident he would call forth or subdue storms the trident is still recognized as the symbol of sea-power. At one point Poseidon had a lust for Demeter, so to put him off she told him to make the most beautiful animal she had ever seen. So to impress her he created the first horse, there were many unsuccessful attempts, but by the time he had finished his passion for Demeter had cooled. He also created the Unicorn and Pegasus. Some say that this was one of his symbols because it was accidentally created while Poseidon was trying to make a horse. Others say that it was because he sent a bull to king Minos of Crete to sacrifice (Parada).

Poseidon is a man of many stories here are a few. According to myth Poseidon once entered a contest with Athena to see who could create the more useful thing for the people of Crete. Athena created the olive tree and Poseidon created a salt water spring. The people of Crete decided that the olive tree was more useful and that Athena won, but Poseidon was jealous and tormented the people of Crete with earthquakes and tidal waves. Another is Poseidon like his brother Zeus had a liking for the young mortal woman, so he seduced a young beautiful girl named Medusa when Athena found them together in her temple she turned Medusa into a monster with snakes for hair and a stare that could turn anyone to stone (Parada).

Poseidon His friends were his brothers and allies Zeus and Hades, both of whom he fought beside in the War of the Titans. His list of enemies is longer. Poseidon fought with Athena, the goddess of war, for control over the city of Athens and even fought against his nephew, [|Apollo]. He fought Polybotes, a giant, and he hated all Trojans. He had lesser disputes with the king of Crete, and his sister Hera. His most famous enemy was Odysseus, upon whom he inflicted numerous set backs on his way home ( Jenks).

In summary, Poseidon is a god of many personalities. He can be calm one minute, and the next raging and frightful like the ocean. His qualities are shown through his powers, family, friends, and enemies. Poseidon is not just a figure in Greek Mythology; he is still referred to today in many stories like __The Lightning Thief__.

Works Cited

Atsma, Aaron J. “POSEIDON : Greek God of the Sea & Earthquakes ; Mythology ; Pictures : NEPTUNE.” //THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art//. 2000. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. .

Jenks, Kathleen. "Poseidon/ Neptune: Myths Attributes, Loves; Also the Science & Astrology of the Planet Neptune." //Myth*ing Links' Portal/Epigraph Page//. 2 Nov. 2003. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. .

McLeish, Kenneth. //Myth: Myths and Legends of the World Explored//. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1996. Print.

Parada, Carlos. "Poseidon - Greek Mythology Link." //Entrance - Greek Mythology Link//. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <@http://www.maicar.com/GML/Poseidon.html>.

Smith, Charles R., and Craig P. Russell. "Book Review: The Mighty 12 Superheroes of Greek Myth by Charles R. Smith Jr.