Poseidon



Greek bronze sculpture depicting the god Poseidon. "Poseidon Soter at Artemisium" (c. 575 B.C.). The statue was found in the Aegean Sea in 1926.
Click on image for full size (77K JPEG)
Image courtesy of the National Archaelogical Museum at Athens, Greece. (c) Greek Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Receipt Fund.

Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes. Poseidon was depicted as a bearded man with long hair, holding a trident. He had a very bad temper. The symbol of Poseidon's power was the three pronged spear known as the trident.

When he was angry, he split mountains and threw them into the sea to make islands. Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and Hades. He married Amphitrite who was one of the Nereids. The Greek god Poseidon was known to the Romans by the name of Neptune.



Poseidon



Greek bronze sculpture depicting the god Poseidon. "Poseidon Soter at Artemisium" (c. 575 B.C.). The statue was found in the Aegean Sea in 1926.
Click on image for full size (77K JPEG)
Image courtesy of the National Archaelogical Museum at Athens, Greece. (c) Greek Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Receipt Fund.

Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes. Poseidon was depicted as a bearded man with long hair, holding a trident and accompanied by dolphins and fish. He had the reputation for having a very bad temper. The symbol of Poseidon's power was the three pronged spear known as the trident.

The storms and earthquakes were a reflection of his furious rage. When he was angry, he split mountains and threw them into the sea to make islands. Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and Hades. He married Amphitrite who was one of his attendants, the Nereids. The Greek god Poseidon was known to the Romans with the name of Neptune.



Poseidon



Greek bronze sculpture depicting the god Poseidon. "Poseidon Soter at Artemisium" (c. 575 B.C.). The statue was found in the Aegean Sea in 1926.
Click on image for full size (77K JPEG)
Image courtesy of the National Archaelogical Museum at Athens, Greece. (c) Greek Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Receipt Fund.

Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes. Poseidon was depicted as a bearded man with long hair, holding a trident and accompanied by dolphins and fish. He had the reputation for having a very bad temper. The symbol of Poseidon's power was the three pronged spear known as the trident.

The storms and earthquakes were a reflection of his furious rage. When he was angry, he split mountains and threw them into the sea to make islands. Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and Hades. He married Amphitrite who was one of his attendants, the Nereids. The Greek god Poseidon was known to the Romans by the name of Neptune.

Poseidon is ever present in the story of Odysseus, the famous Greek hero. On the island of the cyclopes, Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, Poseidon's son. The sea god brought on fierce storms and creatures for revenge, but each time Odysseus survived. After many years, Odysseus planted an oar and made a shrine to Poseidon to appease him.


Last modified November 19, 1997 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer