Famous story behind The Golden Statue of Poseidon . I mentioned about The Golden Statue of Poseidon in recent post 10 Facts About the Lost City of Atlantis
The fable tells that Cleito had five pairs of twin sons with Poseidon, the eldest of which was named Atlas. The ten sons inherited the great city and the first child, Atlas, became the first ruler of Atlantis.
However, it is believed they also built a huge temple for their father with a giant statue of Poseidon riding a chariot carried by winged horses.
The statue was completely built-in gold and placed in a temple with its spiral roof so high up that the clouds drifted through the spirals of the temple.
About POSEIDON: POSEIDON was the Olympian god of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses. He was depicted as a mature man with a sturdy build and dark beard holding a trident (a three-pronged fisherman’s spear).
Famous Myths about Poseidon
- At birth Poseidon was swallowed whole by his father Kronos (Cronus), but Zeus later enlisted the aid of the goddess Metis who fed the Titan a magical elixir causing him to disgorge the god.
- During the War of the Titanes, the Kyklopes (Cyclopes) crafted a magical trident for Poseidon, and together with his brothers Zeus and Haides he defeated the elder gods and imprisoned them in Tartaros
- Poseidon and his brothers drew lots for the division of the cosmos after the fall of the Titanes, and won the sea as his domain.
- When the Gigantes (Giants) besieged the gods of Olympos, Poseidon crushed Polybotes beneath the island of Kos (Cos)
- He entered a contest with the goddess Athena for dominion over Athens and produced the very first horse as a gift. But the king refused him the prize and in anger Poseidon afflicted the land with drought. The god assaulted his sister Demeter in the shape of a horse as she was wandering the earth in search of her daughter Persephone.
- Poseidon seduced many nymphs and mortal woman often in the guise of an animal or flowing water. Some of his most famous conquests were the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa), Tyro, Amymone, and Aithra mother of the hero Theseus.
- The god helped build the walls of the city of Troy, but when King Laomedon refused the payment he had promised, Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the land.
- The hero Odysseus blinded the god’s son Polyphemos on his return from Troy and Poseidon sent a storm to scatter and wreck the hero’s fleet.
Family of Poseidon
Poseidon was a son of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia and a grandson of Ouranos (the Heavens) and Gaia (the Earth). He was a brother of the gods Zeus, Haides, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
Poseidon married the marine-goddess Amphitrite, eldest child of Nereus, first born son of Pontos (the Sea), a marital alliance which secured his dominion over the sea. Their son was the fish-tailed god Triton.
He also had numerous mortal offspring including giants such as Antaios and the cyclops Polyphemos, magical horses like Pegasos and Arion, and various human kings, heroes and villians including Theseus and Bellerophontes
For detailed Info about Stories, family, myth and Encyclopedia about Poseidon, refer https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html
Also Read, Amazing Facts about Mighty Poseidon – God of the sea