Poseidon

In Greek mythology, the chief god of the sea, brother of Zeus and Pluto. The brothers dethroned their father, Kronos, and divided his realm, Poseidon taking the sea. Husband of Amphitrite, his sons were the merman sea god Triton and the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Armed with a trident, he drove a chariot drawn by sea monsters, half horse and half serpent. His palace lay in the depths of the sea off Aegae in Euboea.

Attributes Formerly worshipped as a consort of Earth, he became a god of earthquakes and the freshwater streams which render the soil fertile. He was also regarded as a god of horses, and may have been worshipped in the form of a horse in the steppes where his cult probably originated. He was believed to have taught men the art of horsemanship, and to have been the founder of the horse race, of which he was a special patron. In Attic legend, Poseidon was credited with the creation of the first horse during his battle with the goddess Athena over the patronage of Athens; Athena produced the olive and won the city.

Worship Poseidon's main sanctuary was at Mycale in Asia Minor, where the Ionians celebrated the Panionia in his honour.