Poseidon
Greek mythology · deity · sea, earthquakes, horses
Brother of Zeus and lord of the sea, the earth-shaker whose trident stirs storms and splits the ground. His decade-long grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus drives the Odyssey.
Stories
The Wrath of Poseidon
Trapped in the Cyclops' cave, Odysseus blinds Polyphemus to escape, then cannot resist shouting his real name. Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon, whose vengeance scatters Odysseus's fleet and delays his homecoming ten years, with only Athena's favor bringing him home.
The Titanomachy
For ten years the young gods war against Cronus and the Titans, until Zeus frees the hundred-handed giants and the Cyclopes forge his thunderbolt. The old order falls into Tartarus; Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades divide the cosmos by lot, and only Prometheus among the Titans stands with the victors.
The Contest for Athens
Poseidon strikes the acropolis and a salt spring gushes; Athena plants the first olive tree. The city judges the olive the better gift, takes the goddess's name, and the sea god's grudge salts Athenian history.