Poseidon
King of the Sea; Lord of Rivers, Lakes, Fresh Water; Horses, Chariots
Domains:
Olympian - Theoi Halioi
Category:
5E Alignment:
5E Domains:
Three-pronged fishing spear (Trident)
5E Symbol:
Greek Name | Transliteration | Latin Spelling | Translation |
Ποσειδων | Poseidôn | Poseidon | Neptunus, Neptune |
POSEIDON was the Olympian god of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses.
He was depicted as a mature man with a sturdy build and dark beard holding a trident (a three-pronged fisherman's spear).
Myths
At birth Poseidon was swallowed whole by his father Kronos (Cronus), but Zeus later enlisted the aid of the goddess Metis who fed the Titan a magical elixir causing him to disgorge the god.
During the War of the Titanes, the Kyklopes (Cyclopes) crafted a magical trident for Poseidon, and together with his brothers Zeus and Haides he defeated the elder gods and imprisoned them in Tartaros.
Poseidon and his brothers drew lots for the division of the cosmos after the fall of the Titanes, and won the sea as his domain.
When the Gigantes (Giants) besieged the gods of Olympos, Poseidon crushed Polybotes beneath the island of Kos (Cos).
He entered a contest with the goddess Athena for dominion over Athens and produced the very first horse as a gift. But the king refused him the prize and in anger Poseidon afflicted the land with drought.
The god assaulted his sister Demeter in the shape of a horse as she was wandering the earth in search of her daughter Persephone.
Poseidon seduced many nymphs and mortal woman often in the guise of an animal or flowing water. Some of his most famous conquests were the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa), Tyro, Amymone, and Aithra mother of the hero Theseus.
The god helped build the walls of the city of Troy, but when King Laomedon refused the payment he had promised, Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the land.
The hero Odysseus blinded the god's son Polyphemos on his return from Troy and Poseidon sent a storm to scatter and wreck the hero's fleet.
These and many other myths are detailed over on the Theoi Project page.
SYMBOLS & ATTRIBUTES
Poseidon's most distinctive attribute was the trident, a three-pronged fishing spear. He sometimes also wielded a boulder encrusted with sea creatures (crayfish, octopi, fish, etc.). The god was either clothed in a robe (chiton) and cloak (himation) or depicted nude with just a cloak draped loosely about his arms and shoulders. He was often crowned with a wreath of wild celery or a simple headband.
Below are some examples of his attributes as depicted in ancient Greek art:-
Trident & boulder
Trident's head
Boulder with sea creatures
Headband
Wreath of celery-leaves
Billowing cloak.
SACRED ANIMALS & PLANTS
Poseidon's sacred animals were the bull, the horse and the dolphin. As god of the sea he was also closely associated with fish and other marine creatures. His chariot was drawn by a pair of fish-tailed horses (Greek: hippokampoi). The most famous of his sacred animals in myth was the Cretan Bull, sire of the Minotaur.
Poseidon's sacred plants were the pine tree and wild celery which were used to crown victors at the god's Isthmian Games.
Below are examples of the god's animals as depicted in ancient Greek art and photos of his sacred plants:
Hippocamp (half-horse, half-fish)
Dolphin
Pine tree
Wild celery