Poseidon, the bad - tempered Earth Shaker
Despite his lamentable ways (or perhaps because of them), Poseidon held great power and significance for the Ancient Greeks.
The temples to honour Poseidon were usually situated by the sea, and you can always identify him from the crowd of other heavily-stubbled Olympians by his trident. This trident was made for him by the Cyclopes and he uses it to stir up the waves and command the winds, usually to the detriment of human interests.
-
I love Greek Mythology : Lensography of Legends
-
In the isles of the Aegean, and of the Ionian, there is no river, no mountain ridge, no rocky crag, that is untouched by the tales of the Ancients. Philosophically, artistically, scientifically and politically, the Greeks reached an astonishing leve...

I begin to sing of Poseidon, the great god, mover of the earth and of the barren sea, the sea-god who is lord of Helicon and Aegae
Homer
The Olympians
Dodekatheon
They get their name from their dwelling place, Mount Olympus, which, we are told, towers up from the centre of the earth.
It's here that the major gods live and entertain themselves by meddling in the affairs of mortals. And having affaires with each other. The Olympians weren't all-wise and godlike in their behaviour, but very human in their faults. Poseidon is a clear example of this.

Portrait of the Olympians
Poseidon with his Trident
Brothers of Poseidon
-
Zeus the Thunderer : Tales of the Ancient Greeks
-
Zeus was the supreme god and ruler of Olympus with titles like Lord of the Sky, Cloud- gatherer, Rain-god and Zeus the Thunderer. He was mighty, glorious, awesome, wise and mythology's most well-known philanderer. Through this less than noble behavi...
-
Smith of the Gods : Tales of the Ancient Greeks
-
Unlike the other gods of ancient Greece, Hephaestus was not divinely handsome and beauteous of limb. To put it plainly, he was downright ugly. His feet were misshapen, his complexion hideous, he was so grotesque it was said that his mother threw him...
The War with the Titans
Titanomachy
After the war with the Titans, Zeus divided the world between himself and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus ruled the Sky, Hades ruled the Underworld, and Poseidon ruled the Seas.
A thoroughly unlikeable character ....
Quarrelsome, surly, petulant and with an unreliable temper, Poseidon could hold a grudge for a long time. Always restless and greedy, he plotted to seize the lands, cities and countries of humans, dried up the lakes and rivers of people he disliked, and sent great tidal waves against those who irritated him.His numerous dalliances
Like his brother, the philandering Zeus, Poseidon spent a great deal of time hunting down women to dally with. He continued this flagrant behaviour despite being married to Amphitrite, the granddaughter of a Titan.
He fathered numerous children including five pairs of twin boys with Cleito. The first born boy was Atlas, who made quite a name for himself in later life. Poseidon was also father of the heroes Theseus, Orion and Proteus.
His numerous quarrels
Poseidon was absolutely furious with King Laomedon over a payment for building the walls of Troy. Seething with rage, the vengeful god sent a horrible sea-monster to destroy the countryside as punishment.
At one time Poseidon had wanted to be the Protector of Athens and, in a competition with Athena for this honour, he offered a spring to the Athenians. However, when the people drank the water, they had to spit it out since it was salt, Poseidon being a sea-god after all. He lost to Athena who had given Athens a much more useful gift -- the olive tree.So he quarreled with Athena over this imagined slight, stamped his foot in puerile pique and flooded the whole Attic Plain. The innocent citizens were punished needlessly but the gods of Olympus held humans in little regard, and Poseidon was no exception. (The gods cared little for each other as well).
The Trojan War
However, one sunny afternoon he decided to help the Greeks during the Trojan War.
Help the Greeks he certainly did, but not all of them individually. For Odysseus had blinded the Cyclops, Polyphemus, who was another of Poseidon's sons, so the sea god thwarted the hero's homeward journey after the Sack of Troy.
Poseidon raised the seas into a great storm with his trident and shipwrecked Odysseus and his crew.
More on the Ancient Greek Myths
The Pride of Odysseus
They refer, of course, to this incident with the Cyclops when Odysseus bragged a little loudly about his exploits and just missed being flattened by giant boulders hurled by Polyphemus. It was then that Odysseus boastfully (and unwisely) revealed his name to the round-eyed brute and with that, Polyphemus called upon his father, Poseidon, to punish the man who had harmed him.
This regrettable lapse of his usual intelligence hurt Odysseus more than losing a few men, because Poseidon (in one of his nastier moods) made the poor man's journey home so much longer and so much harder.

Statue of Poseidon
Keep Him Happy
He also ruled over earthquakes which he triggered whenever he had a fancy to see the earth shake, but he preferred to stay in his underwater palace and harass the traffic on the sea. No sailor would board a vessel without first making an offering to the God of the Sea.
If you sail across the Aegaen Sea, perhaps you should make an offering to Poseidon as did the ancient mariners. The old god has been ignored for many ages and it never hurts to please any deity, particularly an unpredictable ruffian like Poseidon.
Remember to pour a little oil on the waters before you embark.
Prophecy and Madness : More Tales
-
Dionysus, the Dual God : Tales of the Ancient Greeks
-
Loud-roaring Dionysos, the son of Semele and of Zeus, is the god of wine and madness, and also of vegetation, standing somewhere between man and woman, human and god. He has a complex dual nature. On the one hand, he is the god of agriculture, and a...
-
The Oracle at Delphi : Tales of the Ancient Greeks
-
On Mt Parnassus, the sacred ruins of Delphi run lightly down the wooded terraces, and inside the sanctuary is the ancient Temple of Apollo. These sacred ruins are now little more than a plinth of stone supporting a few Doric columns, but once Delphi...
Like This Lens?
New Text module
10% of my income goes to continue the work of Fred Hollows in treating avoidable blindness and improving indigenous health.Photo : Khim Rath, who can now see after a successful cataract operation, Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia.
Blindness is a significant public health issue in Cambodia. Over 160,000 people are blind and an additional 20,000 become blind each year. The main cause of blindness is cataract, which can be treated by a simple 15 minute operation at an average cost of $25 (AUD$35).
Thanks for dropping by ..
Thanks very much for dropping by this lens. You're more than welcome to leave a note in the guest book above and, if you're a member of Squidoo, you can also rate this lens :)It's all much appreciated, Susanna
About Susanna Fuffy
Lensmaster susannaduffy, aka Susanna Duffy, has been a member since September 25 2006, has rated 2,392 lenses, favorited 109, and has created 161 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Ancient Roman Recipes". See all my lenses
My Bio
G'day from Melbourne, Australia where I write about King Arthur, Mythology, Legendary Beasts, Ancient Rome, Books, Fairy Creatures, Australiana and Adventures in my Kitchen. And now I'm an Angel (Please bear with me as I test the new wings). I'm also the GroupLeader of these vibrant communities -
Epicure
The Bookworms
All About Arthur
Wander Downunder
Legends and Lore
The Goddess
Feline Friends
More in Susanna's Lensography

Check out these great lenses...
-
- My Angel Blessings
Have you just received a cryptic comment in your guestbook about an angel blessing? That's because I've seen your work and recognise the merit in it. It's a way of letting you know that your efforts have been worthwhile and of encouraging you to con... view lens -
- I Love Red Handbags
A Red Handbag is a necessity in every wardrobe. No fashion item could be more versatile. The rich vibrant colour is bold, sexy and fun on a young woman and dramatically elegant for the mature woman. It livens up any outfit, casual or formal, from je... view lens -
- No Angel
At least not in the sense I imagine angels to be. I would like to clear up a few points. Firstly, angels are sexless creatures. This just isn't true in my case, I'm definitely a woman. I did once read that angels are composed of ethereal matter, an... view lens
High Five
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMake your own lens!
Everybody has a favourite subject, everyone is an expert in something, Get your own revenue generating page about your favourite.
All you need is an email address, no complicated forms! Making a Squidoo Lens is a great way to get the word out about any topic, a garden gnome collection, your passion for scuba-diving, that recipe from your grandmother, tips for pruning hibiscus or tuning a truck, how to start a celebrity fan club or how to supplement your home income.
The first step is to think of your topic and make your first lens now. Come and join the Squidoo community!
The Feral Squid
Through a lens darkly
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byby susannaduffy
Join... (more)








