Poseidon was a great Greek god whose purpose was to protect all the waters of the earth and was also referred to as the god of the seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and all water bodies . Myths have it that Poseidon had immense power over water and could cause natural disasters such as floods, storms, rough seas as well as cause water to spring from the earth. Poseidon used the trident as his weapon of choice and was considered the second most powerful god, a purpose he accomplished with his weapon. The term blue planet is used to describe the earth due the vital role that water plays on earth, not to mention the fact that water occupies close to 80% of the earth. All living things need water in order to survive. This essay will use stories and myths to study the history of the Greek god and a study as to why Poseidon’s powers are of great importance to the existence of man.
Poseidon is said to have been born to Rhea and Cronus. There are two myths which explain his origin. One of these myths explain that he was swallowed by his father Cronus along with his siblings as a baby and was later saved by Zeus . Another story explains that his mother Rhea saved him from his father by tricking him into swallowing a colt, and gave baby Poseidon to a flock of lambs. Poseidon ended up with the Telchines on Rhodes who raised him. A well at the place where baby Poseidon was given to the lambs was later named “the lambs well.” Rhea’s nurse who assisted her to protect the baby was adamant that she did not know about the whereabouts of the baby. The nurse’s name was Arne and the town of Arne is said to have been named after the nurse. I am yet to come across a town named after his mother although it is possible she was contented in the realization that her son was still alive.
Zeus was more powerful than his brother Poseidon, a fact that made Poseidon angry and he is said to have threatened his older brother on many occasions. Zeus was considered the most powerful god making his brother Poseidon the second most powerful god . Despite his anger to this fact, Poseidon and his brothers were submissive to Zeus. Poseidon lived at the depth of the sea with his wife and horses, and he used his horses to pull him in a chariot on sea waters. Sea water is said to calm on the approach of his chariot and sea monsters often danced around his chariot in reverence . Poseidon became the protector of the sea, and sea men had to pray to him and make a sacrifice to him by drowning a horse to him before they embarked on a journey on the sea. If they failed to do this, Poseidon would become angry with them and would punish them by wrecking their ship. He would cause an earthquake by striking his trident on the earth which would cause an earthquake which would send waves from the sea to wreck their ship.
Poseidon’s weapon of power the trident took the form of a fisherman’s spear with three prongs which was presented to him after a victorious battle against the Titans. Poseidon was awarded the sea, and part of the earth with his brother Zeus, although his brother was king and had more power over him . After the victory against the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided the world amongst themselves. It was after this battle that Poseidon received the trident as a gift from Cyclops. The trident was also the cause of his failure at times. In a competition for the city of Athens against a goddess by the name Athena, King Cecrops asked the two to present to him a gift that would please him. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and it produced salty water which of little relevance to the king and city of Athens . The goddess Athena presented to the king an Olive tree and won the competition and was awarded the city. In anger, Poseidon sent a flood to the city of Athens as punishment.
Poseidon is said to have been married but was also known for his many affairs from which he bore many children and yet, he was unable to win the love of his one true love. Poseidon married Amphitrite who was the daughter of a Titan by the name Oceanus. These are the same Titans that Poseidon fought and defeated in battle. He was known for his many affairs some of which he used treachery to trick women into becoming his lovers. Despite his powers Poseidon had to trick Tyro into becoming his lover by disguising himself as Enipus a man she was in love with. He also convinced Aloe into becoming his love and they conceived a child together. Later when her father learned of the fatherhood of her baby, he punished her by burying her alive, instead of being proud that his grandchild had powerful blood in his veins. Poseidon being the god of water saved his lover by turning her into a spring . Despite his many lovers, his one true love is said to be a woman by the name Demeter who lost her interest in him before he could prove his love for her.
Poseidon created many creatures in his time most of which were motivated by emotions such as love and anger. Demeter asked Poseidon to create her a beautiful creature for her as proof for his love for her but he took too long and eventually she lost interest in him. He however managed to create the horse which is a beautiful animal but why he would want his own creations to be drowned as sacrifice by seamen in order to protect them is still a mystery . At one point Poseidon and another god by the name Apollo upset their brother Zeus and were sent to the city of Troy to serve the king of the time . I fail to understand how a god could accept to serve man as punishment. The king requested the two gods to build a wall round the city of troy and promised to pay them with a present. After the completion of the project the king failed to pay them and in anger, Poseidon sent the king a sea creature to punish him, but Heracles succeeded in slaying the creature.
Poseidon is seen to be an emotional god whose thirst for revenge drove many of his actions. While he is said to be jealous of the great Greek wall since it was better than the one they had built around the city of Troy, his hatred for the Trojans after their refusal to pay him and Apollo for building the wall lead him to support the Greek against the Trojans. By doing so, he went against his brother Zeus who sided with the Trojans against the Greek . This is despite the fact that his brother was more powerful than him and had punished him to serve the city of Troy in the first place. Poseidon achieved this by disguising himself as a hero who would reveal himself to the Greek army in order to encourage them and sometimes he watched the battle from a distance . His hatred for the Trojans was intense but he would not let his more powerful brother find out that he was supporting his rivals and instead he opted not to fight at all. Poseidon’s ways are not acceptable to most people and even Apollo his niece with whom they had built the wall of Troy, disagrees with him. When Odysseus causes his son Polyphemus blindness, Poseidon denies him entry into their home. Poseidon was a great god who had the power to cause storms gather storms, cause flood and wreck ships.
In conclusion water is a necessity to the existence of all living things and Poseidon’s command over the water bodies makes him a great and powerful god. Water can be the source of life and at times it can also result in death. When Poseidon causes salty water to spring, he lacks to provide the essence of water to life. He however proves that he is powerful when he sends floods to the city of Athens as punishment for granting the city to the Goddess Athena instead of him. Sea men on voyage had to offer a sacrifice to him in order to get protection from him. Failure to do this angered the sea god who would cause the earth to quake sending waves to the sea which would wreck the ship bringing death to the sea death. A well is named at the place where the young god is saved from his father by being handed over to a flock of ship.
References
Atsma, A. J. (2015). Poseidon. Retrieved from Theoi: http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html
Dean, G. (2016, April 8). Poseidon. Retrieved from Mythweb: http://www.mythweb.com/gods/poseidon.html
