Poseidon: God of the Sea and Father of Horses
Poseidon depicted with his magical trident in a chariot drawn by two hippocampi (creatures with the forequarters of horses and hindquarters of fish).
The Poseidon Mosaic in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep, Turkey
You may know Poseidon as the god of the sea but his domain extends beyond his watery realm. God of the sea, earthquakes, floods, and drought, Poseidon was a fearsome force not to be trifled with. However, despite his destructive powers and quick temper, Poseidon also embodies the bounty of the ocean and its ability to sustain and breed life. Like most gods in the Greek pantheon, Poseidon is not what he seems on the surface and a complex deity lies beneath the waves in the ocean's deep.
Who is the Greek God Poseidon?
Poseidon was a child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Fearing a prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him, Cronus swallowed Poseidon along with is siblings Demeter, Hestia, Hera, and Hades. Eventually Zeus, Poseidon's brother, obtained a magical elixir from the goddess Metis causing Cronus to expel Poseidon and his siblings. It was then that the real battle against the Titans began.
It is during the fearsome fight between where Poseidon obtained his iconic magic trident from the Cyclopes. Together with Zeus and his siblings, Poseidon helped defeat the Titans, banish them to Tartarus, and take on the title of the new gods: The Olympians.
After their triumphant victory, the three brothers, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon drew lots for their portion of the cosmos to rule. Zeus drew the clear skies and became the king of Mount Olympus, Hades drew the Underworld, and Poseidon the fearsome seas.
In terms of personality, Poseidon is not dissimilar to his brother Zeus. If a grizzled sailor was a god, Poseidon is exactly what you would expect. Poseidon is known for this...uhm, non-consensual affairs, divine horniness, anger, and toxic displays of masculinity.
Neptune Creating the Horse, Ca 1845 by Édouard Alexandre Odier.
Certified Horse Girl
While the most well known domain of Poseidon is the ocean, he has some unexpected spheres of influence. Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes, and natural disasters at large, as well as the "Father of Horses" or the tamer of horses.
Some myths say Poseidon created the first horse by striking a rock with his trident, by "spilling his seed" upon a rock, or by mating with an unknown creature which resulted in the birth of the first horse. However, other traditions maintain Poseidon simply was the first to domesticate horses, rather than their outright creator. Regardless, Poseidon is a certified horse-girl and horses were often sacrificed to gain his favor.
In certain traditions, Poseidon was the literal father of some horses. In Hesiod's Theogony, Poseidon "lay down in a soft meadow among spring flowers" and mated with the Gorgon Medusa, evidently this union impregnated her, although the birth was...less than traditional. When Perseus slayed the Gorgon by decapitation, two children sprang forth from her head and blood: the warrior Chrysaor and the winged horse Pegasus.
In another less-than-savory myth, wherein Poseidon demonstrates his similarity to his brother Zeus, is that of Poseidon and Demeter. During the time Demeter was searching for her daughter, Persephone, she caught her brother's eye. Demeter staved off her brother's advances and transformed herself into a mare, escaping into a herd of wild horses. Not to be dissuaded, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion, and forced himself upon his sister. This copulation gave birth to the talking horse, Arion.
The Contest for Athens: Poseidon vs. Athena
Hera depicted plucking the eyes of the slain giant Argus to decorate the plumage of her peacocks.
Juno and Argus (c. 1610), Peter Paul Rubens.
Before Athens gained its name, it was a beautiful city ruled by King Cecrops. This land was so impressive that word spread to Olympus where the gods began to argue who would be their patron deity. After much argument, Poseidon and Athena emerged as the strongest contenders for the coveted position. Zeus decided that a contest between the gods would determine who would become the beloved patron god of the city: each god would present the city with a single gift, and whoever's gift the city valued more, would become their patron deity.
Proud Poseidon went first, he descended upon the city, dramatically raised his trident and thrust it into the ground. Water gushed from the earth, as a spring welled up. At first the citizens were impressed at this bountiful gift that would helps sustain life...until they tasted the water. It was salty and briny and undrinkable, as Poseidon was the god of the sea. The springs would be good for bathing and not much else. However, Poseidon's gift represented the access to the sea and trade that Athens would have (as it it did become a fearsome sea-faring city).
Aphrodite's Apothecary's
Poseidon Candle.
Next, Athena, likely smirking at the response to Poseidon's gift, stepped forward. Athena offered the citizens a simple gift: the olive tree. As the goddess of wisdom, though this gift was simple, it provided immense utility. The wood of the olive tree could be used for construction and fire while the fruit provided oil and food.
It was no contest, and king Cecrops declared Athena the winner, bestowing her name upon the city. Cecrop's city, now Athens, celebrated their new patron goddess...but not for long. Jealous, and furious about his loss, Poseidon sent a horrific flood towards the city of Athens but it was stopped by Zeus, or Athena, depending on the version of the story.
Another version of this tale, told by the Roman poet Ovid, took on his typical misogynistic flavor and strange vendetta against the goddess Athena (he is also responsible for the version of the Medusa myth where Athena cursed her acolyte as punishment...which is not the original telling). In Ovid's version of the founding of Athens, women still had a say in democracy, and Athena only won the contest is because the city had more women than men...and only the women voted for Athena. In this version of the story, Poseidon also sent the flood to Athens in a rage and the only way to appease the insecure Poseidon was to deprive women of the ability to vote entirely.