Poseidon

Greek god of sea, earthquakes, horses; brother of Zeus. Defining antagonist of Odysseus throughout the Odyssey for the blinding of his son Polyphemus. Lost the contest with Athena over Athens (offered a saltwater spring; Athena offered the olive tree). The Isthmian Games were his Panhellenic festival.

Parentage

• father: CronusHesiod, Theogony 453–458 (primary)
• mother: RheaHesiod, Theogony 453–458 (primary)

Children

• Theseus
• Bellerophon
• Cycnus
• Eumolpus
• Neleus
• Orion
• Pelias

Children in alternative accounts

• Asopus: Acusilaus: Poseidon and PeroApollodorus, Library 3.12.6 (primary)

Domains

• sea
• earthquakes
• horses

Powers

• Create the horse
• Raise and calm sea-storms
• Shake the earth / cause earthquakes
• Transform into animal shapes

Epithets

• Ἐνοσίχθων greek · Enosichthon · HomericEarth-shaker; he who shakes the earth (earthquake-god)Hom. Il. 7.455; 8.208 (recurrent formula) (primary)
• Γαιήοχος greek · Gaieochos · HomericEarth-holder / earth-embracer; encircler and upholder of the landHom. Il. 13.43; Od. 9.528 (primary)
• Ἵππιος greek · Hippios · cultOf horses; horse-god and creator of the horsePaus. 8.25.7; 1.30.4 (Poseidon Hippios at Colonus) (primary)
• Ἀσφάλιος greek · Asphalios · cultSecurer/steadfast; he who keeps the earth secure against quakesPaus. 3.11.9; 7.21.7 (Poseidon Asphalios) (primary)
• κυανοχαίτης greek · kyanochaites · HomericDark-haired / sea-blue-maned; constant Homeric epithetHom. Il. 13.563; Od. 9.536 (primary)
• Πελάγιος greek · Pelagios · cultOf the open sea; lord of the deep watersFarnell, Cults of the Greek States IV, 1-55 (Poseidon's marine epithets) (secondary)
• ἐννοσίγαιος greek · ennosígaios · literaryEarth-shaker; he who makes the earth quakeHomer, Iliad 13.43 (primary)
• Ἑλικώνιος greek · Helikṓnios · cultOf Helike; god of the Panionian league at MykaleHomer, Iliad 20.404; Herodotus 1.148 (primary)
• Φυτάλμιος greek · Phytálmios · cultThe nurturing; fosterer of growth (cult at Troezen)Pausanias 2.32.8 (primary)

Relations

• lover: Libya
• lover: Pitane
• lover: Chione the Boread
• equated with: NeptunusRoman Neptunus is the canonical Latin parallel to Greek Poseidon through interpretatio Romana; the pre-equation Italic Neptune was a freshwater/spring deity (Neptunalia festival) and the marine-Poseidon identification was added through Hellenic interpretatio.Standard interpretatio Graeca/Romana scholarship; Beard, North & Price, Religions of Rome (1998); Wissowa, Religion und Kultus der Römer (1912) (secondary)
• lover: EurynomeReciprocal of greek_eurynome.loverHes. fr. 43a; Apollod. 2.3.1 (primary)
• lover: TyroReciprocal of greek_tyro.loverHom. Od. 11.235-259; Apollod. 1.9.8 (primary)
• lover: AethraReciprocal of greek_aethra.loverBacch. 17; Plut. Thes. 6; Apollod. 3.15.7 (primary)
• sibling: ZeusHes. Theog. 453-457 (primary)
• interpretatio: NeptunusPoseidon ↔ Neptune per ancient interpretatio. Roman Neptune was originally a freshwater-spring deity (Neptunalia July 23, with shelter-building in foliage to escape summer heat); only equated with Poseidon under Greek influence.Cic. Nat. D. 2.66; Verg. Aen. 1.124-156 (primary)
• interpretatio: Horse-Lord of the Waters ThagimasadasReciprocal of scythian_thagimasadas.interpretatio — Hdt: 'Poseidon, in Scythian Thagimasadas', worshipped only by the Royal Scythians. Preserves the water-and-horse pairing — the strongest functional fit in his list; breaks on sea and earthquake.Herodotus, Histories 4.59 (primary)
• father: CronusHesiod, Theogony 453–458 (primary)
• mother: RheaHesiod, Theogony 453–458 (primary)
• counterpart of: PoseidonThe hymn addresses this deity in an Orphic ritual context; Greek genealogy is not imported.Orphic Hymns, 16 (Thomas Taylor numbering; modern hymn 17) (primary)

Sources

• existence: Hom. Il. 13, 20; Od. 1.20-21, 5.282-381, 9.526-535; Hes. Theog. 930-933; Apollod. 1.4 (primary)
• parentage: Hes. Theog. 453-457 (primary)