Under the Sea...

Whew, it's been a long time! Sorry, guys, I did not mean to neglect the mythological world for so long, but work has been crazy.

But it's finally truly summer, and last weekend the family went to the beach for the first time of the season. (Blessed as we are to live in West Michigan, where the summers are hot and humid, and a myriad of lovely beaches are just an hour away, our family has always been part fish.) The night before that, Finding Nemo was on TV, and the song "Beyond the Sea" came on my Frank Sinatra Pandora channel. (Love that song. So classy.) At last, I had to conclude: Poseidon is stalking me.

Actually, I'm surprised (and fortunate) that a rip tide did not swallow me in Lake Michigan for practically skipping over this very-important Olympian--I mean, I gabbed on and on about Zeus and Hades, but Poseidon scarcely got a word in edgewise there. Granted, Lake Michigan is fresh water, so maybe it was outside the sea-god's jurisdiction, but...

Allow me to rectify this.

Poseidon is the middle child of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Hades. The three of them being the most powerful of the gods, they are generally referred to as a trio since their powers represent the three aspects of the world besides the terrestrial earth itself (air, sea, and underground). When the three were divvying up the world after the Titan War, Poseidon was fairly satisfied with his lot, because he feels perfectly at home in the sea and gets a certain degree of autonomy from Zeus. The sea was very important to the Greeks, given that the country is composed mainly of coast and hundreds of tiny islands, so Poseidon was widely revered, and there are many statues and temples dedicated to him. (The Romans, on the other hand, were afraid of the sea and had a comparatively pitiful navy, so Neptune was generally avoided rather than invoked.)

The God of the Sea--sometimes called "Earthshaker" and "Stormbringer" because he is responsible for earthquakes and hurricanes--lives in a spectacular underwater palace decorated with shells, sunken treasure, and countless pearls. He usually appears as a bearded man holding a Trident, his three-pronged spear and symbol of power.
He is married to a mermaid named Amphitrite, but much like his younger brother he is not what you'd call husband of the year. Some famous heroes, such as Theseus (slayer of the Minotaur), Orion (the hunter), and more recently the plucky young Percy Jackson, are his children. Strangely enough, the Cyclopes, the one-eyed giants who work in Poseidon's underwater forges, are his children too--sometimes children of gods and nature spirits turn out a little...messed up.

This explains Poseidon's less-than-favorable involvement in The Odyssey. He is famous for his attempts to thwart the hero Odysseus in his journey through the Mediterranean, enraged that the mortal blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. Zeus, however, approved of Odysseus' action and protected him, because Polyphemus had broken the strict code of hospitality by betraying his own guest. This only added to the friction between Zeus and Poseidon.

Poseidon and Zeus, like many brothers who are close in age, are known for their rivalry. It's always a competition with them--who can have the most spectacular disasters, who can sleep with the most ladies... Both are known for their fiery tempers and obstinacy, but Poseidon I imagine to be a little less stern than his brother, a little more friendly. Poseidon, much like the sea itself, is a complicated and ever-changing god, sometimes cruel and vengeful, an unstoppable force, and sometimes benevolent and helpful.

Even more famous than his rivalry with Zeus, however, is his bitter enmity with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The two of them are polar opposites, so their competition is truly a battle of philosophies: reason versus emotion, logic versus passion. Athena never allows her emotional reactions to get in the way of what needs to be done, and can make any sacrifice necessary to win, but Poseidon's strength and weakness lies in his capacity to feel. This epic, allegorical struggle between head and heart is evident in The Odyssey: Odysseus, being very clever, is taken under Athena's wing, while Poseidon constantly tries to delay his journey home.

But how did such a bitter rivalry begin, you ask? Well, how did the Capulets become so angry with the Montagues? Actually, the competition began when a great city in Greece was trying to decide on a godly patron, Poseidon or Athena. The two gods gave the city gifts--Poseidon, an intricate salt water fountain; Athena, the olive tree. Seeing how useful the olive tree would be (in fact, olive oil is what made Ancient Greece the richest civilzation of its time), the citizens triumphantly chose Athena as their protector, and named their city--Athens--after her.

This did not sit well with Poseidon, obviously. Later, in retaliation, he and his girlfriend Medusa snuck into Athena's temple as though it were a Lover's Lane. When Athena caught them, because she couldn't do anything directly to Poseidon, she cursed Medusa and her sisters by turning them into hideous beings, the Gorgons. Medusa became so ugly that all who looked on her would turn to stone.

Despite their differences, Poseidon and Athena did collaborate peacefully on one occasion, to make something truly spectacular: the chariot. Poseidon created horses out of the sea foam (and is therefore referred to as the Father of Horses), and Athena, always the inventor, created the chariot. A perfect combination!

To conclude, I've always liked Poseidon. Like the sea, he's sometimes a little hard to read, sometimes dangerous, sometimes friendly, essentially benevolent, and more deserving of respect than fear. I actually think the Greeks were on the right track with this view of the ocean--it is so vast and so powerful, and when humans fail to respect nature as they should and admit that it is more powerful than themselves, it can really bite them in the butt. So, go enjoy your summer, and remember to give the water some proper respect, or else Poseidon might send a rip tide after you for your impudence. Happy swimming!

Enjoy your week,
~Meg