Poseidon+-+1


 * Poseidon God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Horses   **

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 __**Worship of Poseidon ** __ Poseidon was a major civic god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance. In his kind aspect, Poseidon was seen as creating new islands and offering calm seas. When offended or ignored, he supposedly struck the ground with his trident and caused chaotic springs, earthquakes, drownings and shipwrecks. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowned their horses as a sacrifice. ======

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__**Birth and triumph over Cronus** __ ======

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Poseidon was a son of [|Cronus] and [|Rhea]. In most stories he is swallowed by [|Cronus] at birth but later saved, with his other brothers and sisters, by Zeus. However in some versions of the story, he, like his brother Zeus, did not share the fate of his other brother and sisters who were eaten by Cronus. He was saved by his mother [|Rhea], who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which she gave to [|Cronus] to devour. ======


 * __The Walls of Troy __** Poseidon and Apollo, having offended Zeus, were sent to serve King Laomedon of Troy. He had them build huge walls around the city and promised to reward them well. He later did not keep his promise and didn't reward them at all. In vengeance, before the [|Trojan War], Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy (it was later killed by Perseus).

**__Poseidon in Literature and Art__** In Greek art, Poseidon rides on a chariot that is pulled by a [|hippocampus] or by horses that could ride on the sea. He was associated with dolphins and tridents (three pronged fish spear). He is said to lived in a palace on the ocean floor, made of coral and gems. In the //Iliad (epic poem) //<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Poseidon favors the Greeks, and on several occasion takes an active part in the battle against the Trojan forces. However, in Book XX he rescues Aeneas after the Trojan prince is laid low by Achilles. In the //<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Odyssey //<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, Poseidon is notable for his hatred of Odysseus (King of Ithaca) due to the latter's having blinded the god's son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. The enmity of Poseidon prevents Odysseus's return home to Ithaca for many years. Odysseus is even told, notwithstanding his ultimate safe return, that to placate the wrath of Poseidon will require one more voyage on his part.

<span style="text-align: center; display: block; color: rgb(29, 43, 226); font-size: 160%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> **__Poseidon in Contemporary Culture__** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-sans-serif;"> The image of Poseidon or Neptune is generally used in European culture as a symbol of the ocean and waters, and hence occurs as a decorative sculpture on many fountains, and monuments in ancient seaports. "King" Neptune appears as the ruler of the sea, from cans of tuna to //The Spongebob Squarepants Movie//. Disney animators also portrayed Neptune as a fish-man, mistaking him for Triton, in the 1997 animated movie //Hercules//. In Percy Jackson & The Olympians, by Rick Riordan, the main character Perseus Jackson is a son of Poseidon (making him a half-god). In the Age Of Mythology Game's Campaign, Poseidon is seduced by the powers that Titan Kronos promises him in return to setting him free. Poseidon then aids one of his cyclops children, Gargarenses, in freeing the Titan. <span style="color: rgb(29, 43, 226); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-sans-serif;">In Marvel Comics, Poseidon (more frequently referred to as "Neptune") is the patron god of Namor the Sub-Mariner, and his undersea kingdom of [|Atlantis]. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis [] [] [] [] [|http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/rhea.html] []