POSEIDON AND ODYSSEUS
Homer’s Odyssey describes the return of the tragic hero
Odysseus from Troy to Ithaca as a series of mishaps at sea.
Most of these were due to Poseidon and came about because
Odysseus had blinded the Cyclopes Polyphemus, who was the
sea god’s son. The poem describes vividly how the god stirred
up storms and tempests, which wrecked Odysseus’s ship and
drowned his companions. Many of the perils Odysseus faced,
such as the whirlpool Charybdis, were the ofspring of Poseidon.
TEMPLES TO POSEIDON
As a powerful deity, Poseidon was widely revered and some of his
temples have survived. He was not always worshipped as a sea god- some temples were dedicated to Poseidon Hippios (“Poseidon of
horses”), and many people worshipped a form of Poseidon who was a
god of plants. At least one of his temples in Greece, though – the temple
at Sounion, in Attica – is sited on a spectacular
cliftop overlooking the sea, a clear
reminder of the deity’s sphere of
influence. Boat races were held
there in honour of the god.
POSEIDON AND
THE BEASTS
Poseidon was linked closely
with the vitality and energy of
animals. Two creatures especially
associated with him were the bull
and the stallion. Both were singled out
by the Greeks for their sexual potency
and violence. During his sexual exploits,
Poseidon sometimes took the form of a
horse, as on the occasion when he was
pursuing the goddess Demeter, who had
turned herself into a mare. The destructive
bull that rose from the sea in some myths,
such as that of Hippolytus, is also a
manifestation of Poseidon’s power.
OTHER CLASSICAL SEA GODS
The Greeks worshipped several other sea gods, although they
were not as powerful as Poseidon. Some of them were linked with
particular sea creatures. For example, Glaucus was associated with
fish, while Proteus was a herder of seals. Others
possessed special abilities. Triton, for example,
was famous as a musician who played on
the conch shell. Proteus was
also known for his great
wisdom, although he
did not like answering
Stallion people’s questions.
One myth tells how the
first horse grew from
semen that Poseidon
had spilled on a rock.POSEIDON AND THE FLOODGlaucus
Originally a fisherman, Glaucus was
made immortal when he ate a herb
with magical powers. He became
one of the minor gods of the sea.Triton
Half-fish, half-man, Triton
was a familiar deity of the
sea. Some myths say there
were several Tritons.
Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull
After a curse from Poseidon, the queen of Crete, Pasiphae,
fell in love with, and mated with, a bull sent by the sea god.
The offspring of this union was the Minotaur.Poseidon stirs the waves
Sometimes Poseidon smote the sea with
his trident to create stormy waves, and
sometimes he stirred them up with it.
Temple at Sounion
Poseidon’s temple at
Sounion could be seen by
ships far out at sea. Now it
survives as an evocative ruin,
with two rows of columns
set on a stone platform.Proteus
Renowned for his
wisdom, Proteus was
called the “ancient one
of the sea”. He often
changed his shape to
avoid being questioned.23