by Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Sep 06, 2003 1:04 pm
Salvete
this is part 2.
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Homeros identified Poseidon as, along with Apollo, the tutelary god of Troy. Still, the Trojan War was instigated after King Priamos reneged on his promise to reward Apollo and Poseidon for building his city's walls. In revenge, Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravage the land of Troy.
Poseidon is also found at Athens vying with Athena as the patron deity of that city. Trying to win the people over, Poseidon strikes a rock to make a spring for them. Unfortunately, it is seawater and unusable. Athena then created the olive tree, a mainstay of the ancient Mediterranean economy, and wins the people over.
In the myth of Leto, he raised the sea to cover the floating island of Delos so that she could bear Apollo and Artemis protected from the wrath of Hera. According to Herodotus, Poseidon was the father of Athena, though this myth is largely ignored in favor of Zeus' parentage. Poseidon is also given as the alternate father of the mortal heroes Bellerophon, Theseus, and Pelops.
He was mostly depicted bearded and robed in earlier times, losing his robes (like most Greek gods) in the classical era. Without his trident, however, he is difficult to distinguish from Zeus.
His alliance with Demeter suggests a relationship between the two Gods. His name Poseidon or Poteidan which means, "husband of the Goddess Da". This Goddess Da could be Demeter because her name could also be written Da Mater, but Da also means Earth. His surname Gaiaochos tells us that about his marriage with mother Earth, an union which brought forth Antaios and other monsters like the Cyclops Polyphemos. Even though it was Zeus who was spared the fate of being devoured, another story tells us how Rhea deceived Kronos when Poseidon was born. There are several versions of his birth as of his marriage. He once married Theophane, granddaughter of Gaia and Helios and daughter to the king of Macedonia. Her name means either "she who causes a god to appear" or she who appears as a goddess." Suitors contended this woman until Poseidon takes her away to a island where he turned her into a sheep and himself as a ram. He also turned the inhabitants of the island into sheep so that the suitors could not discover them and Poseidon consummated his marriage, which brought forth the ram with the Golden Fleece. Regarding his alternative birth story, Poseidon was brought to the island of Rhodes where the Telchines lived underground and Rhea asked them to raise him. They had a sister called Halia; a sea goddess whom Poseidon fell in love with when he was grown up. This led to the birth of 6 men who chased later Aphrodite away of their island. Aphrodite punished them by letting them rape their mother. They oppressed the islanders until Poseidon intervened and punished them by sending them to the underground. Halia threw herself into the sea and turned into the Goddess Leukothia. Halia's daughter Rhodos is the same person as Rhode, who was also said to have been a daughter of Aphrodite or of Amphitrite. All these names must have been applied to one great goddess who was called Hekate, Kabeiro or Demeter Kabeiria and was regarded as the mother of the Kabeiroi.
Sailors for a safe voyage on the sea relied upon Poseidon. Many men drowned horses in sacrifice of his honor. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems, and drove a chariot pulled by horses. However, Poseidon was a very moody divinity, and his temperament could sometimes result in violence. When he was in a good mood, Poseidon created new lands in the water and a calm sea. In contrast, when he was in a bad mood, Poseidon would strike the ground with a trident and cause unruly springs and earthquakes, shipwrecks, and drowning.
Poseidon was similar to his brother Zeus in exerting his power on women and in objectifying masculinity. He had many love affairs and fathered numerous children. Poseidon once married a Nereid, Amphitrite, and produced Triton who was half-human and half-fish. He also impregnated the Gorgon Medusa to conceive Chrysaor and Pegasus, the flying horse. The rape of Aethra by Poseidon resulted in the birth of Theseus; and he turned Caeneus into a man, at her request, after raping her. Another rape involved Amymone when she tried to escape from a satyr and Poseidon saved her. Other offspring of Poseidon include Eumolpus, the Giant Sinis, Polyphemus, Orion, King Amycus, Proteus, Agenor and Belus from Europa, Pelias, and the King of Egypt, Busiris.
One of the most notorious love affairs of Poseidon involves his sister, Demeter. Poseidon pursued Demeter and to avoid him she turned herself into a mare. In his lust for her, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion and captured her. Their procreation resulted in a horse, Arion. Poseidon is Greek for "Husband" (possibly of wheat), and therefore it is thought that he and Demeter (goddess of wheat) is a good match because they reign as the god and goddess of fertility.
Another infamous story of Poseidon involves the competition between him and the goddess of war, Athena, for the city of Athens. To win the people of the city over, Poseidon threw a spear at the ground and produced the spring at the Acropolis. However, Athena won as the result of giving the people of Athens the olive tree. In his anger over the decision, Poseidon flooded the Attic Plain. Eventually, Athena and Poseidon worked together by combining their powers. Even though Poseidon was the god of horses, Athena built the first chariot. Athena also built the first ship to sail on the sea over which Poseidon ruled. Poseidon often used his powers of earthquakes, water, and horses to inflict fear and punishment on people as revenge. Though he could be difficult and assert his powers over the gods and mortals, Poseidon could be cooperative and it was he who helped the Greeks during the Trojan War. Poseidon is an essential character in the study of Greek mythology.
Poseidon is the powerful earth-shaker, the Big Bull, Ruler of the Seas. Poseidon is the powerful God who was worshiped by seamen but also by fishermen as on the land and Poseidon is a God whose temper quick changes like the sea does. He is responsible for the creation of the horse, which he created for the Goddess Demeter out of love for her. The myth tells the story that Poseidon felt in love with Demeter but that she doesn't want anything to do with hem. Thus she said to him that she was his if he creates the most beautiful creature but when he did it, his love for her cooled down and was the trick successful.
Poseidon is the Zeus of the Sea and oceans. Hades is the king of chthonic Gods, Zeus is the king of the Gods and Poseidon is the king of the water and river gods. He is also responsible for earthquakes, tsunamis. He causes this by touching the ground or water with his attribute: the Trident. All Gods of the Sea and Oceans possesses one but Poseidon trident is made out of pure gold. Like his brother Zeus, they share the same personality, which i mean by seducing women and goddesses alike. Poseidon would have had 34 mistresses. Under the many mistresses, where also Aphrodite, Gaia, Medusa, Caenea. Like the other Gods is the Sea god neither good nor evil. He's both. He is as destructive as creative. By his gifts, civilizations flourish separately and they can as just as easy be destroyed. He doesn't just create civilizations but also life in the seas and oceans as in the rivers. Al those who sail on the sea must pay tribute to him cause he is the maker of storms and typhoons. His wife is the Nereid Amphitrite whose marriage can be compared with those of Zeus' and Hera's. She is one of the 50 daughters of the Sea gods Doris and Nereus. When he was in love with her, she didn't want anything to do with him. To gain her for him, he sent the messenger Delphinus to her. He made a such good case for Poseidon that she accepted to marry Poseidon. To show his gratitude for what he did, Poseidon gave Delphinus a place in the heavens as a constellation. He has fought with many Gods over the ruling of several cities on the mainland but his most famous struggle was that with Athena over Athens. He had fought with Hera over Argos, with Apollo over Corinthe, etc... It was true his associations with horses that made him important to the Romans when they equalize him with their Seagod Neptune. Poseidon was at first not happy about the part of the world he got so a conspiracy came into existence until this was discovered and he was banned from Olympos along with Apollo. Like i already said, Poseidon married Amphitrite but he had more than 116 mistresses according to one source. And more than 120 childeren which included Aeolus(Arne), Aethuse & Anthas(Alcyone), Asopus(Celusa), Aspledon(Mideia), Chrysaon(Medusa), Orion(Euryale), Despoina(Demeter),
Eirene(Melantheia), Eryx, Sybl(Lamia),Proteus, Triton and many others. He had many other names including Enosichton(Earthshaker), Ennosigaeus. His nickname was Cyanochaetes . His sacred animals are horses, bulls and dolphins. Poseidon is honored at the Poseidea, his annual festival and on the eight day of each Hellenic month along with his heroic son Theseus. Fishermen offered him the first fruits of the tuna catch, and modern intuitions suggests that he enjoys offerings of biscuits (because of their saltiness) and foamy stout tossed into the waves. Sailors, fishermen, and all who work on or around the sea are his. He values strength and courage, but is not above taking even the most beloved sailor down to the briny depths. He is a chaotic God, completely unpredictable. The Lord of the deep is also a god of oracles. The oracle of the dead at Cape Tainaron is dedicated to Poseidon and he is even mentioned as an original lord of Delphi. His intimate enemy Odysseus who even reached the Underworld in search of an oracle, becomes the priest of Poseidon whou founds a new cult place of the God, probably an oracle of the dead, according to Burkert
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Valete optime
Romulus
Quintus Aurelius Orcus
Rector ColRel
Rogator
Princeps gentis Aureliae