My Story about Poseidon

The ground beneath my feet begin to rumble…suddenly everything’s shaking! The pictures on the walls, the things in the cabinets, and even the house all begin to fall apart piece by piece! Debris and wind begin to intrude, causing more chaos, and footsteps accompanied by yelling are heard from all directions as everyone searches for shelter! Suddenly, the water begins to stir, rising higher and higher by the second. The large wave begins to serve as a shadow, hovering over and covering much of the land, causing a great flood.

I could only think of one explanation…Poseidon must be at work again! Poseidon, or as the Romans call him, Neptune is the god I have chosen to center my paper on. Poseidon was a one of the greatest and most powerful gods in mythology. In my paper, I will address Poseidon’s background, captivating myths about Poseidon, and the differences displayed between him and his Roman counterpart, Neptune.

Poseidon was one of the sons born to the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. Among one of the many that were almost eaten by Cronus, his siblings included Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, and the King of the heavens himself, Zeus. All except Zeus were consumed by Cronus. With the help of Rhea, Zeus managed to escape. And along with his remaining brothers and sisters, Poseidon was thrown up out of his father. The Greek name “Poseidon” is possibly related to the Greek meaning of “river” or “drink”, and the Roman name “Neptune” means “moist”.

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The “earth-shaker”

He is the god of the seas, earthquakes, and horses. He is often known as the “earth-shaker” for earthquakes. This oceanic deity earned his title in the casting of lots after he and the other Olympians defeated Titians in the Titanomachy, and the Giants in the Giantomachy. His appearance is rather majestic. He is depicted as a very powerful and frightful man, to portray how easily tempered the god can be. His strong persona is complemented with a body that accentuates large muscles, a full beard, and his trusty trident, “a three-pronged fork resembling a fisherman’s spear” (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 171). Poseidon encompasses many cultic aspects, one including fishermen making sacrifices of animals to Poseidon before casting their nets down into the sea, and believed that in exchange for their sacrifice, they would catch a great amount of fish. The story behind this sacrifice is in Korkya, a bull would leave its pasture and venture to the seashore. This happened daily, and the herdsmen witnessed a large number of “tunny-fish”. This event was reported to the people of Korkya, who experienced difficulty in catching the tunnies, and the people sent messengers to Delphi. Upon doing this, they sacrificed the bull to Poseidon and immediately, they caught the tunnies! They made contributions of their fish supply at Olympia, and at Delphi. Among a surplus amount of others places in which a cult existing to honor Poseidon, another is found in Argolis, in Southern Greece. Due to the fact that Poseidon possesses the name Prosklystios, meaning flooder, a sanctuary is was built in his glory. The people in the city of Argos believed that Poseidon engulfed a large part of their country because Inachus, king of the city of Argos in Greek mythology, decided that the land belonged to Hera. She influenced Poseidon to send the sea back, but the people of Argos made a sanctuary in his name, at the place where the tide receded.

The god of horses

Previously mentioned, the sea and shake god is also the god of horses. This is further exemplified through the myth of Poseidon and Demeter. Demeter was off in search of her daughter Persephone, and Poseidon made it his mission to follow her. He had a sexual desire for Demeter, however, she did not reciprocate the same want. In attempts to escape Poseidon, she turned herself into a mare. Her plan backfired when Poseidon then transformed himself into a stallion, and left Demeter with no alternative other than to mate with him. She became pregnant, and gave birth to a daughter, Despoina and Arion, a horse who was able to speak human language. This story is interesting to me because usually when two gods mate, they give birth to another god, who normally take the image of man. However, in this myth, the two gods, Poseidon and Demeter, bore a horse with human capabilities. Another myth is the one which Poseidon was seeking out his queen of the sea, Amphitrite, one of the sea nymphs named the “Nereids”, and daughter of Nereus. After seeing her dancing one day, Poseidon fell in love with her, and wanted to marry her. Amphitrite however, refused. She went off hiding, and Poseidon could not find her. He decided to send a dolphin to search for her, and when the dolphin did, she was convinced to marry Poseidon! As a result of the dolphins success, Poseidon placed a constellation in his honor among the stars, titled Delphinus. I found this myth fascinating because although I’m not a huge astrological fan, my interest is peaked when regarding the sky, the stars, and certainly the stories of the constellations. As well, the role the dolphin played, the “helping matchmaker” made the myth winsome, and therefore, more engaging for me.

Poseidon vs Neptune

Poseidon and his Roman counterpart, Neptune are typically thought of as the same god, just with interchangeable names. They do have quite a collection of similarities, but the two versions do differ slightly. In both Greek and Roman mythology, this deity is the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. Neptune however, is commonly more associated with freshwater. Both cultures depict the sea god with his three-pronged spear, the trident! As well as, sea animals such as fish and dolphins around him. Neptune is also seen very strong, with an even stronger temperament, muscles, and his long, full beard. Neptune is seen by Romans as more of “the god of horses”, for the sport of horse-racing, and even has a temple in Rome near the race tracks of the Circus Flaminius. Their birth stories are the same. There is a festival named “The Neptunalia” in honor of Neptune and relates to the importance of water during the heat of the summer, which is why it is held on July 23rd. At this time, summer temperatures are at its peak. Neptune is not well developed in art though.

The earthquake finally passed, and the waters began to relax. Poseidon must have calmed down! I chose to write my paper on the god of earthquakes, seas, and horses because he is one of the most important gods, in a sense of being one of rulers of the three parts of the division of the world. While, Zeus gets a lot of credit and recognition, and Hades does not have a lot, Poseidon was a good middle, and I was not aware of how mighty he could be from the sea, whereas heaven and hell in words alone give off a powerful positive and negative connotation. It was fascinating learning about Poseidon, and his interacting with many goddesses. The myth of how is bride, Amphitrite, came to be, and little differences that separate Poseidon and Neptune certainly held my interest. Through exploration of his history, myths, and variations among Neptune and Poseidon, I have learned both amusing and intriguing information and…to not anger the ocean and earthquake god…or else!