Odysseus and Poseidon: the Turbulent Waves of a God’s Legacy

Poseidon’s Turbulent Beginnings: From Consumption to Rulership

Poseidon was the son of Rhea and Cronus(the rulers of the Titans). At a young age, he had a very rough start to life. When he was the firstborn, after shortly being born, his father ate him and his brother Hades. It is rumored that his mother, Rhea saved the youngest child Zeus. Rhea saves Zeus by putting a rock in a blanket to save her youngest son. Zeus, later on in life, came back to save his brothers.

Cronus saw a prophecy that said that all Cronus’s Children would overthrow him. Apparently, Poseidon was born in the 8th century BCE of the third or fourth generation. When Zeus went to save his brother, he tricked Cronus by giving him a potion that made him vomit up Hades, Poseidon, and his other siblings, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera. When Poseidon was born, it was decided that he and his two brothers would rule the three main parts of the universe. Zeus got the sky, Hades got the underworld, and Poseidon ruled the sea.

Rising Tides: Poseidon’s Journey to Fame and Influence

Poseidon was famous for a lot of things. Poseidon was known as the god of the seas/earthquakes and also the trident that he had(a three-pronged spear similar to a pitchfork). Poseidon could hit his trident on the ground, and it would cause a huge earthquake. This also earned him the name of Earthshaker. He helped build the walls of Troy, but when King Solomon didn’t give him the promised pay, he sent a sea monster to destroy the land. The Romans called him Neptune, which is the name of a planet. He has other names, such as Cronides. He has other things that represent him, such as plants. His sacred plants are a pine tree and even something called wild celery. He entered a contest with the goddess Athena over the over dominion over Athens and produced the very first horse as a gift, but when the king refused him, he covered the land with drought. One of the gods even assaulted his sister Demeter in a shape of a horse when she was looking for her daughter Persephone. Poseidon seduced many nymphs and mortal women, often in the guise of an animal or water. The hero Odysseus blinded the goats’ son Polyphemus on his return to Troy, and Poseidon sent a storm to scatter and wreck the hero’s fleet.

Clashing Waves: What Did Poseidon Do to Odysseus and His Legendary Feats?

Poseidon did a lot of things like when he was battling with the Titans, the cyclops even helped Poseidon by crafting a magical trident for Poseidon, and with his brothers Zeus and Hades, he defeated the elder gods and put them Tatorus. Poseidon and his brothers drew lots for their division of the cosmos after the fall of the Titans and won the sea as his domain. When the giants designed the gods of Olympus, Poseidon crushed Polybotes underneath the island of Kos. When you see Poseidon, you can usually see him with the hippocampus(horses/fish). Poseidon is seen in one movie series that I think we all know as Percy Jackson. One of Poseidon’s most famous deeds is the creation of the horse. There are two stories that tell how he did this. It is believed that when trying to win the city of Athens, he created it. The other is that he fell in love with Demeter, which doesn’t make that much sense since that was his sister, but who knows? I believe that Poseidon the horse somehow when he was trying to win Athens, even though I believe this doesn’t mean it actually happened. Poseidon and Athena were battling for Athens, but in the end, Athena was the victor. From this time forward, Athena and Poseidon would forever be rivals. This plays out in the story of the Odyssey, where Poseidon tries to thwart Odysseus while Athena tries to help him.

Ocean’s Legacy: Poseidon’s Later Years and His Enduring Influence

Later in life, Poseidon had a lot of children, such as Charybdis, Cyclops, Theseus, Orion, Pegasus, and the most recognizable, Percy Jackson. He lived in a palace underwater that was made of coral and jewels. He also got married to Amphitrite. Later in life, there were a lot of things created by him and the gods that we all know about. Famous statues are built of what we believe is what the gods looked like. Poseidon is one of the most important gods because he is the first. Not a lot of us know a lot, but I believe that Poseidon was a god of water and earth and was very helpful to the mortals. Even though Poseidon is older than Zeus, he still has to obey him. I believe that he obeys Zeus because it is his way of showing gratitude for him saving him all those years ago. I love learning about Poseidon, but I think that he gets too grumpy sometimes and that he might need to take an anger management class or two.

References:

1. Hesiod. (700 BCE). “Theogony.”
2. Homer. (8th Century BCE). “The Iliad.”
3. Homer. (8th Century BCE). “The Odyssey.”
4. Ovid. (8 CE). “Metamorphoses.”
5. Apollodorus. (2nd Century BCE). “The Library.”
6. Pausanias. (2nd Century CE). “Description of Greece.”
7. Riordan, R. (2005). “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”
8. Graves, R. (1955). “The Greek Myths.”
9. Burkert, W. (1985). “Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical.”
10. Kerenyi, C. (1951). “The Gods of the Greeks.”

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