Meet the Greek God Poseidon

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Many of the classical cultures were closely related to the seas and oceans that surrounded them, since thanks to them they could trade with other peoples, and therefore a large part of his life was related to this environment. He was also a feared medium, since it was a dangerous place where on many occasions the classical citizens lost their lives. All this made cultures associate the sea with certain gods, generally some of the most powerful, one of them being Poseidon. To get to know this god better, in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to talk about Poseidon's main features.

Index

1. Who was Poseidon?
2. Featured Poseidon Features
3. Main myths of Poseidon
4. Main sons of Poseidon

Poseidon was the Greek god of the seas, oceans, and earthquakes, being therefore one of the most respected and feared deities by the people of Ancient Greece. In some cities like Athens he was one of the most important gods, while in others like Corinth he was the supreme god. He was loved because he was thought to be capable of creating new islands and calming the sea, but also feared for his ability to cause the sea to tumble into chaos and sink sailors.

He was the god of the sea because as Zeus divided the world he kept this part, keeping Zeus with the heavens and Hades with the Underworld. The earth was divided between the three gods, this being the reason why Poseidon is also named as god of earthquakes and shaker of the earth.

As for the attributes of him they are very numerous, being able to be considered as such all the symbols that the Greeks considered marine. His main attribute was his trident, a weapon with three points, with which he was always represented and which was thought to be the one that could cause the rough sea. Other attributes of him are horse-drawn carts, sea shells, and marine animals.

Poseidon also appeared in other mythologies with his name changed, such as Neptune in Roman mythology or Nethuns in Etruscan mythology.

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We are going to get fully into the myth to know what are the most striking characteristics of Poseidon. Next, we must list some of the main characteristics that differentiate Poseidon from the rest of the gods and thanks to which we can recognize him. The Poseidon's main features are as follows:

• He was a god with big mood swings, being able to be benevolent and get angry and destroy entire islands.
• He ruled over all the water, both seas and oceans or rivers.
• His weapon and his main symbol was a trident.
• He moved by means of a carriage carried by sea ​​horses.
• He was able to create earthquakes and other natural disasters.
• He created the first horse of the world.
• He had a great marine palace.
• It was the god that it protected the navigators.

The sea was a very important element in Greek mythology, and that is why Poseidon is the protagonist o secondary in many of the main myths of the Greeks, since much of them happen in the sea. Some of these summarized myths are as follows:

The founding of Athens

When Athens was founded, the citizens of the polis needed a supreme god to protect the city, and the two best options were Athena and Poseidon. Both gods presented a gift to the Athenians, but the olive tree given by Athena was the favorite, so the goddess of wisdom was chosen by the Greeks. After this Poseidon sent a great flood against the city, which had to be stopped by other gods like Zeus.

The odyssey

One of the most famous stories in Greek mythology is the Odyssey, which recounts the travels of Ulises for Greece. The greatest enemy of the story is Poseidon, being the cause that the journey of the Greek heroes was so long. The main reason Poseidon became an enemy of the Greeks was because Odysseus had blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, which was the son of Poseidon.

The minotaur

One of the versions of thecreation of the minotaur She says that the god of the sea gave a large white bull to the king of Crete to sacrifice in her honor, but the king decided to keep it. As punishment Poseidon made the king's wife have a son with the bull, the so-called Minotaur.

jellyfish

People say that jellyfish she was a beautiful maiden who was seduced by Poseidon in an Athena temple. The goddess of wisdom as punishment decided to turn Medusa into a monster with hair made of snakes, and whose gaze would turn anyone to stone.

Universal flood

It is said that Zeus asked Poseidon to send a great flood on the world, trying to sink the entire world except the noblest of human beings. The survivors vary depending on the story, but most say that the only survivors were Deucalion Y Pirra.

Poseidon and troy

It is said that Poseidon was sent to protect Troy at the request of Zeus, building the city walls with Apollo. The Trojan king did not reward the gods after the creation of the walls, so Poseidon sent a sea monster to the city which was defeated by Heracles.

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To conclude this lesson on the characteristics of Poseidon we must talk about the descendants of the god of the sea, since like his brother Zeus, this deity had a large number of children, both mortals and other mythological figures. Some of the main sons of him are as follows:

• Triton: The messenger of the deep sea, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and one of the few descendants of Poseidon who was related to him.
• Pegasus: The well-known flying horse was the son of Poseidon and Medusa.
• Polyphemus: The famous Cyclops who was blinded by Odysseus was the son of Poseidon and Toosa.
• Charybdis: A monster capable of creating great eddies in the sea. He was the son of Poseidon and Gaea.
• Theseus: This king of Athens is according to some myths the son of Poseidon, being one of the most famous Greek demigods.
• Bellerophon: Known for his great victories against the chimera and for taming Pegasus, this great hero was the son of Poseidon and Eurynome.

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