Poseidon(Neptune)Ancient Greek God of the Sea, The Earth-shaker
Poseidon is the son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, the brother of Zeus and Hades and one of the Olympian gods. Zeus gives him the task of reigning over the deep sea. His appearance is similar to his brother Zeus, except that he is depicted with a trident instead of a thunderbolt. His epithet is the Earth-shaker, for he is known to produce earthquakes. His chariot is driven by dolphins, but he is known for having created the horse. Offspring Poseidon is married to the Nereid, Amphitrite, although, like Zeus, he doesn't remain monogamous. Together they have a son, Triton, who is a merman. Triton can change shape at will and is usually depicted with a conch shell. The ruler of the sea had an affair with the Gorgon, Medusa. She bore him two children. One was Chrysaor, who becomes the grandfather to Cerebus, the Nemean Lion, the Theban Sphinx, and the Lernaean Hydra. Their second child is bore right after the Greek hero, Perseus, cuts off Medusa's head and the winged horse, Pegasus, is born. The Cyclopes, Polyphemus, is another son of the Earth- shaker. He is born from the union of Poseidon and a sea nymph, Thoosa. He is a shepherd and is mainly known for his role in Homer's Odyssey, where he is blinded by the Greek hero, Odysseus, and calls upon his father for revenge. He has been named as the father of the Greek hero, Theseus, known for killing the Minotaur. The king of Athens, Aegeus, has also claimed that title. Theseus was happy to claim lineage from both fathers. Contest with AthenaAthena and Poseidon had a contest to see who would get control over the area of Athens and Attica. They each had to produce something that would be useful to the citizens of the area. Athena created the olive tree with her spear and with his trident, the ruler of the sea created a salt spring, although some versions have him creating the horse. The citizens voted for the olive tree and so Athena won the contest for being the patron deity of Athens and Attica. He was still worshiped by the Athenians and the marks left by his trident were enshrined in the Erectheum, on top of the Acropolis, along with Athena's olive tree. LinksPoseidon
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