The Greek words 'posis', meaning lord or husband and 'don' derived from 'dea' meaning goddess, must have given birth to the word Poseidon. Poseidon was one of the most important gods of the Greeks. Let's know more about him.

    * Poseidon was the son of Cronus and Rhea. According to most of the myths, Cronus had swallowed Poseidon but Zeus saved him. Some myths say that his mother who concealed him from his father saved Poseidon. He was one of the six siblings who divided the power of the world. Zeus, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter were the names of his siblings.
    * The tablets in Linear B, a script used for writing Mycenaean, an early form of Greek, reveal that Poseidon was venerated at Pylos and Thebes during the pre-Olympian Bronze Age. He found a place in the list of Olympian Gods, as the brother of Zeus and Hades.
    * It is believed that Zeus acquired the sky; Hades took the underworld while Poseidon was in charge of the sea. It is believed that Poseidon liked to stay under the waters with his queen Amphitrite. He is supposed to have lived in a palace made out of gems and corals.
    * The trident and the dolphin are Poseidon's symbols.
    * Some say that when anyone offended Poseidon, he used to strike the ground with his trident, causing earthquakes and shipwrecks. He is called as the ‘earth-shaker’. To avoid his anger, sailors used to pray to him for a safe journey.
    * Pausanias believed that Poseidon was one of the caretakers of the oracle of Delphi. Poseidon and Apollo are considered to have worked together in certain fields. Poseidon was the provider of lustral or holy water for the foundation-sacrifice.
    * A competition between Poseidon and Athena, which made Athena the patron goddess of Athens, is famous in Greek mythology. According to the myth, it was once decided that both Athena and Poseidon would gift something to the Athenians. Poseidon struck the ground and brought about water. It was salty and hence rendered of no use to the people of the city. Athena however, presented the Athenians, an olive tree. This was a very useful gift, which made the people accept Athena as their patron goddess.
    * Tyro, a mortal woman, was in love with a river god named Enipeus. One day, Poseidon, disguised himself as Enipeus and approached Tyro. From their union were born, Pelias and Neleus. Poseidon was the father of Nauplius, the founder of Nauplia. He was the father of many a great hero of the Greek mythology, not all his children were human. Poseidon was the father of Arion, a horse, which was the result of his most notorious love affair involving his sister. Poseidon was attracted by Demeter who transformed herself into a mare to avoid him. But with feelings of lust in mind, he transformed himself into a horse and Arion was his son from her.
    * The story behind the Walls of Troy is interesting. Once, Poseidon and Apollo had offended Zeus. For this act, they were sent to King Laomedon of Troy. He ordered them to build huge walls around the city and promised them a reward after the completion of the construction. The king did not go by what he had said. In revenge of breaking the promise, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy.
    * Greek art portrays Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by a hippocampus or by horses. The chariot is shown to be able to ride on the sea. The Greek art associated Poseidon with his symbols namely the dolphins and three-pronged fish spears.
    * According to Iliad, an ancient Greek epic poem, Poseidon favored the Greeks and was active in the battle against the Trojan forces. In the Odyssey, another ancient Greek piece of poetry, Poseidon hated Odysseus because Odysseus was supposed to have blinded the God's son.

These interesting facts about Poseidon reflect his true personality. He is an important figure in Greek mythology and has been depicted in Greek art and literature. Poseidon remains to be one of the notable names in the Greek world of myths.

By Manali Oak : Buzzle.com