![]() The Olympian gods often caused disaster in their wake, and the love affair of Medusa and Poseidon is evidence of this. His Affair with Medusa Poseidon and Medusa run to each other, on Greek bowl, late 5th century BCE, via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Unfortunately, it was only after his death that it was revealed that Hippolytus had been falsely accused. ![]() Theseus, enraged and appalled, demanded that Poseidon kill Hippolytus for his crimes. One day, Hippolytus the son of Theseus and grandson of Poseidon was accused of attempting to rape his mother-in-law. Theseus could ask for anything, and the god would be bound to his promise. In another myth involving Theseus and Poseidon, Poseidon had given three wishes to Theseus. Minos did not doubt Theseus’ lineage after that. When he returned to the ship, he emerged from the waves completely dry and decorated in his glorious attire. Theseus was given the ring and many beautiful adornments. Theseus dived into the waves, where he was met by dolphins who took him to the palace of Poseidon. When Theseus was on King Minos’ ship, the king challenged Theseus to prove his parentage: Minos threw his signet ring into the waves and told Theseus to retrieve it, claiming that he would be able to retrieve the ring if Poseidon was his father. In myth, Theseus volunteered to go with his comrades as one of the sacrifices which King Minos of Crete demanded every year for his Labyrinth. When he came across Princess Aethra, he seduced her, and she later bore the Greek hero Theseus. The Olympian Gods were famous for being unable to resist mortals, and Poseidon was guilty of giving in to his impulses. Theseus, Son of Poseidon Aethra and Theseus, by Angelica Kauffman, 1771, via Burghley Collections with Death of Hippolytus by Sir Peter Paul Reubens, c.1611, via the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge His toil was so great that he returned home as the sole survivor of his crew that had set out ten years ago to go to war. Odysseus was shipwrecked continually, and he had to defeat or escape from many sea monsters on his journey. He added ten long years to Odysseus’ journey home… because the only way for Odysseus to return to his home in Ithaka was by sea. ![]() Poseidon, offended on behalf of his son, agreed. Therefore, when Odysseus stabbed Polyphemus in the eye and taunted him about his lineage, Polyphemus called on his father for revenge. Unbeknownst to Odysseus, Polyphemus was a son of Poseidon. For Odysseus in particular, angering Poseidon was a great mistake… After the Trojan War, Odysseus was making his way home when he stopped off at the island of Polyphemus, a Cyclops. For the ancient Greeks who were a seafaring population, to anger the Sea God would mean trouble. If there was one god you didn’t want to get stormed up… it was Poseidon. The Persecution of Odysseus Shipping in a Storm, by Jean-Antoine Théodore Gudin, c.1802-1880, via Sotheby’s Under the Sea: Nereids and Dolphins Ancient Poll, Pamukkale I, by Maria Filopoulou, 2013-2014, via Zoumboulakis Galleries Poseidon’s powers meant that he could cause earthquakes, tsunamis, terrible storms… or else he could ensure that you had a perfect day at the beach. For this reason, Poseidon is often nicknamed “Barnacle Beard”. In most artwork depictions of Poseidon, he is shown with wavy locks and a long and curly beard, which greatly resembles the growth of barnacles on the bottom of a ship. Triton is the name of the King of Atlantis, and Ariel is his daughter. You may recognize his son’s name as it was the influence for Disney’s popular film The Little Mermaid. ![]() He lived with his wife Amphitrite, who was a beautiful sea nymph, and with his son, Triton. He lived in a palace that was made of golden coral, at the very bottom of the ocean. Most of the Olympian Gods had a home on Mount Olympus, but Poseidon had his own kingdom under the sea. Poseidon’s domain covered about three-quarters of the world, and so his reach was far and wide. King of the Waves Poseidon Bust, by Cyan Design, via ![]()
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