Poseidon was god of the sea, of horses, and of earthquakes. (His Roman name was Neptune.) The brother of Zeus and Hades, Poseidon was given the sea for his dominion, while Zeus was given the sky and Hades the underworld. Poseidon constructed the fence that runs round Tartarus and imprisons the Titans.

Poseidon is usually portrayed as a mature man with a beard. He is often shown with his trident, which was given to him by the Cyclops. Tridents were used both to spear fish and by military forces as weapons.

Mythology

Poseidon, like most of his brothers and sisters, was swallowed at birth by his father Cronus. A prophecy had warned Cronus that one of his children would usurp him, but his wife Rhea tricked him by giving him an herb that made him regurgitate the children.

Poseidon’s consort was Amphitrite, a sea nymph who was the daughter of Nereus and Doris. He had many children, including:

• Triton, the merman, who could blow on his conch shell to calm the sea or raise waves. His mother was Amphitrite.

• The hero Theseus, king of Athens, who was credited by Aristophanes with having established many Athenian traditions.

• Pelias and Neleus, twin heroes birthed by the mortal Tyro.

• Nauplius by Amymone, a Danaid.

• Arion, a horse capable of human speech, whose mother was Demeter after she turned herself into a horse to evade Poseidon.

• Polyphemus, the Cyclops, daughter of the Nereid Thoosa.

• The giants Oto and Ephialtae, sons of the queen Iphimedia. Poseidon impregnated her when she cavorted around on the seashore.

Poseidon could create islands or springs or waterways by striking the ground with his trident. If he was annoyed, he could cause earthquakes and shipwrecks.

Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god of the city of Athens. They each contributed one gift and then let the citizens decided who would be their patron. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and created a spring. But since the spring was salty, it wasn’t of much use to the Athenians. Athena gave the city an olive tree, which provided food, oil and wood, so the Athenians chose her as their goddess. In revenge, Poseidon sent a flood to the Attic plain.

Poseidon in Popular Culture

• In cartoons, Neptune appears in the TV show and movie SpongeBob SquarePants; SpongeBob becomes his personal Krabby Patty fry cook. In the Disney film Hercules, Neptune appears as a fish-man, more like his son Triton. Triton also appears in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, where he has some of the characteristics of Poseidon, including a magic trident. Triton is king of the underwater kingdom Atlantica.

• In comic books, Aquaman, a superhero and member of the Justice League of America, is an Atlantean. Atlanteans worship Neptune, and Aquaman is known to exclaim “Great Neptune,” just as Wonder Woman exclaims “Great Hera!” Aquaman’s nemesis, oddly, is Neptune’s son Triton.

• The Seacons are a group of Transformers who can join together and form a superior being known in Japan as King Poseidon (known other places as Piranacon). Poseidon was also a giant robot in Japanese anime.

Back to Ancient Greek Olympian Gods