---
title: Poseidon
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/poseidon/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2022-11-15
---
# Poseidon
_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_
Poseidon was the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) of the sea and rivers, creator of storms and floods, and the bringer of earthquakes and destruction. He was perhaps the most disruptive of all the ancient gods but he was not always a negative force. He was a protector to mariners and, as a tamer of horses, the patron of that animal and horse breeding. To the Romans, he was known as [Neptune](https://www.worldhistory.org/Neptune/).
### Origins & Family
Cults to Poseidon date as far back as the late [Bronze Age](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Bronze_Age/) and the [Mycenaean civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/) (at its peak from the 15th to 12th century BCE), as attested by [Linear B](https://www.worldhistory.org/Linear_B_Script/) inscriptions found at [Pylos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pylos/) in the [Peloponnese](https://www.worldhistory.org/Peloponnese/) and [Knossos](https://www.worldhistory.org/knossos/) on [Crete](https://www.worldhistory.org/crete/). Indeed, the god seems to have been one of the most important [Mycenaean](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/) deities, perhaps no surprise given the [culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/culture/)'s obvious seafaring skills. It may be that Poseidon was a mix of an indigenous but pre-Greek god with Potis, an [Indo-European](https://www.worldhistory.org/Indo-European_Languages/) deity. Pylos, we know, had Poseidon as its main god with a priestess as the head of his cult.
In later [Greek mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Mythology/), Poseidon was the son of Kronos and [Rhea](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rhea/), and brother of [Zeus](https://www.worldhistory.org/zeus/) and [Hades](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hades/). He was a key figure in the battles for control of the universe between the Titans, the [Giants](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giants/), and the Olympians. On their victory, the three brothers drew lots to decide which domain they would reign over, and Poseidon gained the seas. The god dwelled in magnificent golden mansions beneath the sea, beautifully adorned with coral and sea flowers. Traditionally, this undersea [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/), which included the god's stables of fine white horses, was located near Aegae in Euboea. Seemingly not content with the seas alone, Poseidon often interfered in the plans of Zeus, and once even attempted to overthrow his brother with the aid of [Hera](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hera/) and [Athena](https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/). It was as punishment for this treachery that Poseidon was made to build the magnificent walls of [Troy](https://www.worldhistory.org/troy/).
[  Artemis, Poseidon and Demeter Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9574/artemis-poseidon-and-demeter/ "Artemis, Poseidon and Demeter")Poseidon's wife was the Nereid [Amphitrite](https://www.worldhistory.org/Amphitrite/) although she had proved a little difficult during the courting process and once fled to the [Atlas](https://www.worldhistory.org/Atlas/) mountains. Fortunately, the sea god was helped by the dolphin Delphinus who persuaded Amphitrite to return and marry Poseidon. In gratitude, Poseidon ensured that Delphinus was remembered for all time by making a constellation in her likeness which still carries her name.
The god's most famous son with Amphitrite was Triton, who was half-man, half-fish. Two other children were Rhode and Benthesicyme. However, as with the other divinities, Poseidon fathered many other offspring with various partners. Most notable are Theseus (with Aithra), Polyphemus the [Cyclops](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Cyclops/) (whom [Odysseus](https://www.worldhistory.org/odysseus/) famously encountered on his lengthy return from the [Trojan War](https://www.worldhistory.org/Trojan_War/)), Orion the hunter (with the daughter of Minos), the flying horse Pegasus (after the rape of [Medusa](https://www.worldhistory.org/Medusa/)), the wild horse Arion, and [Charybdis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scylla_and_Charybdis/) (with [Gaia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gaia/)), the ship-eating sea monster which created terrible whirlpools. Perhaps justifiably jealous of all these affairs, Poseidon's infatuation with [Scylla](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scylla_and_Charybdis/), the daughter of the sea god Phorcys, led Amphitrite to cast some magic herbs in the girl's bath which turned her into a raging monster with twelve feet and six heads. Both [Scylla and Charybdis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scylla_and_Charybdis/) would menace mariners who passed the Straits of Messina between [Sicily](https://www.worldhistory.org/sicily/) and mainland [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/).
Poseidon was himself responsible for another terrible creature - the [Minotaur](https://www.worldhistory.org/Minotaur/). Minos' failure to sacrifice the bull given as a gift by the god resulted in Poseidon bewitching Minos' wife [Pasiphae](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pasiphae/) into falling in love with the bull; and the fruit of their amorous relationship was the half-man, half-bull creature which inhabited the [labyrinth](https://www.worldhistory.org/Labyrinth/) of Knossos.
[  Zeus or Poseidon from Cape Artemisium Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/407/zeus-or-poseidon-from-cape-artemisium/ "Zeus or Poseidon from Cape Artemisium")### In [Hesiod](https://www.worldhistory.org/hesiod/) & [Homer](https://www.worldhistory.org/homer/)
The god is a major protagonist in the Trojan [War](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) of Homer's *[Iliad](https://www.worldhistory.org/iliad/)*, where he supports the Greeks and gives them either encouragement with rousing speeches, often in disguise as various Achaean personalities, or actually leads them in [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) with flashing sword. However, he does also give aid to the Trojan hero [Aeneas](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aeneas/) in order to escape from the fearsome [Achilles](https://www.worldhistory.org/achilles/). Poseidon also features in Homer's *[Odyssey](https://www.worldhistory.org/Odyssey/)* as the nemesis of Odysseus. In revenge for the blinding of his son Polyphemus, he cursed Odysseus to wander the sea for ten years. Poseidon is most often described by both Homer and Hesiod as 'deep sounding Earth-shaker', the 'dark-haired one' and 'encircler of the earth.' The latter title reminds that many ancients believed that all waterways were connected and that the land floated on water. For this reason, it made sense that one god looked after all these waterways which encircled the earth (even if many rivers and springs had their own specific personifications in [mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/mythology/)).
### Worship & Sacred Sites
In the [Greek religion](https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Religion/), Poseidon was said to hold the Isthmus of Corinth in special regard; probably as it was an important sea route. The god was particularly revered here and was the focus of horse races and other events at the Panhellenic Isthmian games which were held in his honour near Corinth. The games were held every two years in the spring and, like the [Olympic Games](https://www.worldhistory.org/Olympic_Games/), athletes, charioteers, and horse racers competed for prizes, in this case, a prestigious crown of first pine and then, in the Classical period, of dry celery. Corinth was also one of the earliest [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) to connect Poseidon to maritime [trade](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/trade/) and navigation as indicated by votive clay plaques dating to the [Archaic period](https://www.worldhistory.org/Archaic_Period/). [Sounion](https://www.worldhistory.org/sounion/) was another strategic site close to the god, and his 5th-century BCE [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/) still stands on the promontory which overlooks ships entering the Saronic gulf. The god was honoured by boat races held at the cape once every four years.
In the legendary competition with Athena to win the patronage of [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/), Poseidon offered to the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) the gifts of a saltwater spring and a horse. However, Athena's gift of an olive tree gained greater favour, and it was she who would become the patron of the great city. Still, the god was honoured by the annual Posideai festival - which perhaps had more to do with [agriculture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Agriculture/) than the sea - and the mid-winter month of Posideon carried his name.
[  Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, Greece Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/362/temple-of-poseidon-sounion-greece/ "Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, Greece")As a protector during earthquakes (despite the fact he was also seen as their cause), the god was often appealed to as Poseidon Asphaleios, and a temple to the god was built on [Rhodes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rhodes/) for just that purpose. Poseidon had an oracle at Taenarum in Laconia and important sanctuaries at the small island of Calauria off Troezen and Onchestus in Boeatia. Onchestus had a curious ceremony whereby horses pulled a riderless [chariot](https://www.worldhistory.org/chariot/) through the site, and if it crashed, then the chariot was dedicated to the god. Many coastal settlements across the [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/) bore his name (for example, Posidonia/[Paestum](https://www.worldhistory.org/Paestum/)), and mariners and fishermen everywhere made votive offerings to Poseidon for protection. His cult worshippers most frequently sacrificed bulls, stallions, and male sheep. Finally, the god was also credited as being the father of at least 30 different semi-historical city-founders and several major tribes across [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/), likely reflecting the importance the god had in the [Mycenaean period](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/).
### Representation in Art
Poseidon is most commonly depicted in ancient Greek art as mature and bearded. He often brandishes his trident, fashioned by the Cyclopes, with which he would create earthquakes by striking it to the ground. He is also frequently portrayed riding his golden chariot pulled by hippocamps - half-horse and half-serpent creatures with fishtails - or [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/)-shod horses, of which he was patron. Dolphins, seahorses, and tuna fish are additional marine animals frequently seen in the god's company in art.
The god appears with Athena in their competition to become the patron of Athens on the west pediment of the [Parthenon](https://www.worldhistory.org/parthenon/) (447-432 BCE). Poseidon appeared on [coinage](https://www.worldhistory.org/coinage/), perhaps most strikingly the [silver](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silver/) tetradrachms of ancient [Macedon](https://www.worldhistory.org/macedon/) (306-283 BCE) where he seems about to hurl his trident. Perhaps the most celebrated representation of Poseidon is the 2 metre-high [bronze](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/bronze/) statue (c. 460 BCE) from Cape Artemisium (although such is the similarity in the depiction of Poseidon and Zeus in ancient Greek art, it may well represent the latter). The statue was recovered from a shipwreck in the 1920s CE, and the magnificent striding figure now dominates one of the rooms of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- Bagnall, R. (ed). *The Encyclopedia of Ancient History.* Wiley-Blackwell, 2012
- Carabatea, M. *Greek Mythology.* Peania, Pergamos, 2007
- [Carpenter, T.H. *Art and Myth in Ancient Greece.* Thames & Hudson, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/B000EQ2DA0/)
- [Graves, R. *The Greek Myths.* Penguin Classics, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0143106716/)
- [Graziosi, B. *The Gods of Olympus.* Picador, 2015.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1250062349/)
- [Hesiod. *Hesiod.* Loeb Classical Library, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0674996224/)
- [Homer. *The Iliad.* Penguin Classics, 1998.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0140275363/)
- Hope Moncrieff, A.R. *Classical Mythology.* Senate, London, 1994
- [Hornblower, S. *The Oxford Classical Dictionary.* Oxford University Press, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199545561/)
- [National Geographic. *National Geographic Essential Visual History of World Mythology.* National Geographic, 2008.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/142620373X/)
## About the Author
Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.
## Timeline
- **c. 700 BCE**: Sanctuary of [Poseidon](https://www.worldhistory.org/poseidon/) built at [Isthmia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Isthmia/).
- **465 BCE**: New [Temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/) to [Poseidon](https://www.worldhistory.org/poseidon/) built at [Isthmia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Isthmia/).
- **c. 460 BCE**: The [bronze](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/bronze/) [Poseidon](https://www.worldhistory.org/poseidon/) or [Zeus](https://www.worldhistory.org/zeus/) statue (of Cape Artemesium) is sculpted.
- **c. 444 BCE - 440 BCE**: [Temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/) of [Poseidon](https://www.worldhistory.org/poseidon/) at [Sounion](https://www.worldhistory.org/sounion/) re-built.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Cartwright, M. (2019, September 04). Poseidon. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Poseidon." *World History Encyclopedia*, September 04, 2019. .
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Poseidon." *World History Encyclopedia*, 04 Sep 2019, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 04 September 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.