Poseidon – God of the Sea

Poseidon was the brother of Zeus, and just as Zeus ruled over the land and the sky, Poseidon ruled over the rivers and the seas. (1) He was always represented as carrying a trident, or a fish spear with three points. When he struck the sea with it, storms would arise; then with a word, he could quiet the huge waves, and make the surface of the water smooth.

The palace of Poseidon was at the bottom of the sea. It was made of shells and coral, fastened together with gold and silver. The floors were of pearl and were ornamented with all kinds of precious stones. (2) Around the palace, there were great gardens filled with beautiful sea plants.

One day, (3) Poseidon had a quarrel with one of the goddesses over a piece of land. Each one wished to own this land, and at last, they asked the other gods to solve the problem for them. So, at a meeting on Mount Olympus, the gods decided that the one who could make the most useful gift for the people would have the land.

When the trial came, (4) Poseidon thought that a spring of water would be an excellent gift for people. He struck his trident on a rocky hill which stood in that land, and a stream of water flowed out, but Poseidon had forgotten that men could drink only fresh water. The spring which he made was salty and (5) it was of no use to the people at all. Then the goddess made an olive tree grow out of the ground. When the gods saw how useful the tree would be for men with its fruit and oil, they decided that the goddess won. So, Poseidon did not get the land; but in time, people showed the salty water and the olive tree on the hill as a proof that the trial really took place.

Poseidon was worshiped most by the people who lived by the shore of the sea. Every city along the coast had a temple of Poseidon where people came to pray to him for fair weather and happy voyages for themselves and their friends.