Poseidon

Lore & Background

Homer reports that Poseidon became lord of the sea when, following the overthrow of his father Cronus, the world was divided by lot among Cronus' three sons; Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea, with the Earth and Mount Olympus belonging to all three. In Plato's Timaeus and Critias, the legendary island of Atlantis was Poseidon's domain. In Homer's Iliad, Poseidon supports the Greeks against the Trojans during the Trojan War. In the Odyssey, during the sea-voyage from Troy back home to Ithaca, the Greek hero Odysseus provokes Poseidon's fury by blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, resulting in Poseidon punishing him with storms, causing the complete loss of his ship and numerous of his companions, and delaying his return by ten years. According to legend, Athena became the patron goddess of the city of Athens after a competition with Poseidon, though he remained on the Acropolis in the form of his surrogate, Erechtheus. After the fight, Poseidon sent a monstrous flood to the Attic plain to punish the Athenians for not choosing him.

In Their Own Story

If surviving Linear B clay tablets can be trusted, the names po-se-da-wo-ne and Po-se-da-o ("Poseidon") occur with greater frequency than does di-u-ja ("Zeus"). A feminine variant, po-se-de-ia, is also found, indicating a lost consort goddess, in effect the precursor of Amphitrite. Poseidon was the chief god at Pylos. The title wa-na-ka appears in the inscriptions. Poseidon was identified with the title wanax from the Homeric era to classical Greece. The title didn't mean only king, but also protector. Wanax had chthonic aspects, and he was closely associated with Poseidon, who had the title "Lord of the Underworld". The chthonic nature of Poseidon is also indicated by his title E-ne-si-da-o-ne (Earth-shaker) in Mycenean Knossos and Pylos. Through Homer the epithet was also used in classical Greece. (Ennosigaios, ennosidas).

Reader's Guide

In the Arcadian myths, Poseidon is related to Demeter and Despoina and he was worshipped with the surname Hippios in many Arcadian cities. At Thelpusa and Phigalia there were sister worships which are very important for the study of primitive religions. In these cults Demeter and Poseidon were chthonic divinities of the underworld. Near Thelpusa the river Ladon descended to the sanctuary of Demeter Erinys (Demeter-Fury). During her wandering in search of her daughter Demeter changed into a mare to avoid Poseidon. Poseidon took the form of a stallion and after their mating she gave birth to a daughter whose name was not allowed to be told to the unitiated and a horse called Arion (very swift). At Phigalia Demeter had a sanctuary in a cavern and she was given the surname Melaina (black). The goddess was related to the black underworld. In a similar myth Poseidon appears as a horse and Demeter gives birth to a daughter whose name was not allowed to be told to the unitiated (At Lycosura her daughter was called Despoina).

Did You Know?

• The earliest attested occurrence of the god's name, written in Linear B, is 𐀡𐀮𐀅𐀃 Po-se-da-o or 𐀡𐀮𐀅𐀺𐀚 Po-se-da-wo-ne.
• In Homeric Greek, his name appears as Ποσιδάων (Posidaōn); in Aeolic, as Ποτε(ι)δάων (Pote(i)daōn); in Doric, as Ποτειδάν (Poteidan) and Ποτειδᾶς (Poteidas); in Arcadic, as Ποσoιδᾱν (Posoidan).
• Plato in his dialogue Cratylus gives two traditional etymologies: either the sea restrained Poseidon when walking as a 'foot-bond' (ποσίδεσμον), or he 'knew many things' (πολλά εἰδότος or πολλά εἰδῶν).
• In the very old myth of Thelpusa, Demeter-Erinys and Poseidon are divinities of the underworld in a pre-mythic period, and Poseidon appears as a horse.
• Poseidon was the chief god at Pylos, and the title wa-na-ka appears in the inscriptions.