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Poseidon

Poseidon

Poseidon was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses and the protector of all waters; sailors relied upon him for safe passage. 

He was moody by nature: his temperament was unstable at best and his emotional variances often resulted in violence. He was similar to Zeus in that he liked to exert power over women and show off his rugged masculinity. He held the trident and this image of him is reflected in art. Poseidon could strike the ground with his trident to produce an earthquake. This gave him the nickname "Earth-shaker”.

Poseidon was son of Cronus and Rhea. Like all of his siblings aside from Zeus, Poseidon was swallowed by Cronus at birth and, thanks to Zeus, afterward disgorged unharmed. After the gods defeated the Titans, the world was divided into three; Zeus, Hades and Poseidon drew straws to decide which they would rule. Zeus drew the skies, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the seas.

Poseidon's home was Aegean Sea. He possessed a palace, made of gems and coral, located on the ocean floor. His primary means of transportation was a chariot pulled by horses. He was the husband of Amphitrite, a Nereid. Their union produced Triton, who was half-human, half-fish. He and Medusa conceived Pegasus–the flying horse. He was also the biological father of Orion, Polyphemus, Pelias and many others.

Poseidon was a hot-blooded deity and had many disputes with both gods and men, most famously with Athena and Odysseus. 

His grudge against Odysseus is a theme of the Odyssey. During the sea-voyage of Odysseus from Troy back home to Ithaca, the Greek hero provokes Poseidon's fury by blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, resulting in Poseidon punishing him with storms, the complete loss of his ship and companions, and a ten-year delay. 

Regarding the city of Athens, Poseidon and Athena competed for the honor of being the patron of the city. To sway the people in his favor, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a spring sprang up; the water was salty and not very useful. Athena, on the other hand, offered them the olive tree, which resulted in her winning the contest. Despite Poseidon’s connection to chariots and ships, Athena was the first to make one of each.

Poseidon's symbols were the Trident, the Fish, the Dolphin, the Horse and the Bull.