7: Poseidon and Sea-Gods

Question 1

Overview of Poseidon

Answer 1

• Poseidon aka Neptune
• depicted with a trident, 3 prongeed fork resembling a fisherman’s spear
• trident represents what was once a thunderbold

Question 2

Who were the 3 Nereids

Answer 2

• Thetis
• Galatea
• Amphitrite

Question 3

Who are the Gods of the Deep

Answer 3

Pontus = Sea
* produced by Gaia

Oceanus (Okeanos) = Ocean
* 1 of 12 titans
* Oceanus + Tethys = 3000 Oceanids
-Oceanus: river encircling Gaia

Question 4

Gaia + who and who is Nereus

Answer 4

• Gaia + Pontus: countless monsters that are the mixture of human and animal
• Nereus: the wise old man of the sea and son of Gaia and Pontus. Gift of prophecy and able to change shape at will.

Question 5

Who are the Old Man of the Sea

Answer 5

Nereus and Proteus

Question 6

Who is Proteus

Answer 6

• another old man of the sea
• attendant of Poseidon, sometimes his son and is confused with Triton
• Protean: “taking on different forms”, “variable”
• In Homer’s Odyssey 4: Menelaus encounters Proteus and wrestles him for info

Question 7

Who are the Nereids

Answer 7

• Daughters of Nereus and Doris
• -id: descendant of
• 50 Nereids
• 3 important Nereids: Thetis, Galatea, Amphitrite

Question 8

Story of Peleus and Thetis

Answer 8

• Propechy given to Thetís that he is destined to bear son mightier than father
• Peleus was a mortal who had to wrestle and capture Thetis, who changes shape at will
• They have a demi-God son named Achilles

Question 9

Galatea and Polyphemus

Answer 9

• From Ovid’s Metamorphoses
• Polyphemus is a child of Poseidon who had unrequited love for Galatea who is a Nereid but Galatea rejects him.
• Acis is Polyphemus’ rival, who is the son of Faunus and Symaethis
• Acis is buried under a boulder and becomes a river god

Question 10

Thaumas and Electra

Answer 10

• Thaumas: child of Pontus and Gaia
• Electra: oceanid
• Thaumas + Electra have:
  -Iris who is the messenger of Hera and name means rainbow
  -Harpies = “snatchers”: originally strong winds but later, half woman half bird. More violent

Question 11

Phorcys and Ceto

Answer 11

• Both children of Pontus and Gaia
• Cetacean: reating to whales, dolphins, etc…
• Have 2 set of triples
  -first set: The 3 Graeae
  -second set: The 3 Gorgons

Question 12

The 3 Graeae

Answer 12

• 1st set of triplets of Phorcys and Ceto
• “The Old (Gray) Ones
• personification of old age
• gray haired from birth
• share 1 eye and 1 tooth between them

Question 13

The 3 Gorgons

Answer 13

• 2nd set of tripletes from Phorcys and Ceto
• Most important is Medusa
• Apotropaic: turn away anything evil, analogous to Gargoyl

Question 14

Who is Medusa

Answer 14

• one of the 3 Gorgons
• only mortal sister
• serpent haired
• enormous tusks
• wide eyed and can turn all who look at her into stone

Question 15

Poseidon Genealogy and divine functions

Answer 15

• Son of Cronus and Rhea
• Divine Functions:
  -The Sea: “Earth-holder”
  -Earthquakes: “Earth-shaker”, produced tsunamis

Question 16

Where is the Temple of Poseidon

Answer 16

• Cape Sounion, Greece
• Lord Byron’s Graffito (graffiti) on temple

Question 17

Poseidon and Amphitrite

Answer 17

• Poseidon marries Amphitrite (nereid) and has a son named Triton, a merman who is the trumpeter of the sea. Blows conch shell to calm seas.

Question 18

Historical Origins of Poseidon

Answer 18

• I.-E. connections: first part of name: Posis = husband. Husband of Da (earth mother)
• I-E god of fresh water: first part of name: Potamos = river, Posis = drink
  -IE peoples encounter the sea

Question 19

Origin of Pegasus

Answer 19

Poseidon gets Medusa pregnant and the hero, Perseus, beheads her and from her corpose sprang a winged horse, Pegasus

Question 20

Epithet of Poseidon

Answer 20

• God of horse riding in IE peoples
• Hippios = Horsey
• Horses drown in his honor
• Medusa + Poseidon = Pegasus
• Poseidon pursues Demeter in Arcadia and Demeter transformes into a mare, Poseidon into a stallion. They have an offspring of a magical hrose, Arion
  -horse headed Demeter statue

Question 21

Who is Scylla and her transformation origin

Answer 21

Daughter of sea god Phorcys.
2 versions
1. Poseidon tries to seduce her and Amphitrite transforms her into a monster –> lower half is ringed with raging dogs
2. From Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Glaucus falls in love with Scylla and asks sorceress Circe for aid. Circe is in love with Glaucus so she transforms Scylla

Question 22

Scylla’s hangout and Charybdis

Answer 22

• Straits of Messina, between Siciliy and Italy
• Charybdis: is the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia
• Straits of Messine has a voracious whirlpool that sucks down and spews up water 3x a day
• “Caught between Scylla and Charybdis” in Homer’s Odyssey: means to be caught between a rock and a hard place (two unpleasant decisions)

Question 23

Significance of Water

Answer 23

• Greeks as Sailors in the Mediterranean
  -Cf. Minoan Thalassocracy
  -Cf. Odysseus, Jason, Theseus and later, Athenian Naval Supermacy
• Importance of Poseidon: Aegeus is the father of Theseus. Eponym (origin) for Aegean Sea. Poseidon was said to be the true father of Theseus.
• Sea dieties not fully anthropogenic, part monster. Symbolizes safe passage across the sea

Question 24

Who is Theseus

Answer 24

• great national hero of Athens through Aegeus, the Athenian King
• Poseidon was said to be the true father of Theseus