For this reason, Poseidon hated the Trojans and sent a sea monster to torment them. However, Laomedon refused to pay Poseidon. Poseidon and Apollo served the Trojan king, Laomedon, for whom they had built the walls surrounding Troy.Poseidon conspired with Hera and Athena to teach him a lesson but with the help of Thetis and Briareus, Zeus overpowered his challengers. Poseidon had a very impulsive character and he couldn’t put up with Zeus’ intimidation and arrogant behavior. Poseidon came into conflict with a variety of gods.While according to others, the three brothers played a game of dice to decide who would get which part.When their father was defeated, the kingdom was divided into thirds: Zeus got the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea.Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on the island of Rhodes and, when Zeus and Poseidon were powerful enough, they destroyed Cronus and saved their brothers and sisters.Rhea pretended to have given birth to a young horse, which was devoured by Cronus instead. According to folklore, Rhea managed to hide Poseidon from his father’s rage by concealing him in a flock of lambs.In myths, after Poseidon’s birth, he was swallowed whole by Cronus, just like his brothers and sisters, so that no one would be powerful enough to take the Cronus’ throne.Cronus was the Titan of time and the ages, as well as the father of the Olympian Gods.He was at Mount Olympus more often than his palace. It was located on the seafloor and made of gems and coral. In Greek mythology, the palace of Poseidon was in the depths of the sea near Aegae in Euboea.It stands to reason that, because of his influence on the waters, he was associated with navigation. The ancient Greeks also called him the “Savior of Sailors”.The famous Trevi Fountain in Rome has a sculpture of a winged Hippocampus alongside Poseidon.Poseidon often rode his chariot with a Hippocampus, a Greek creature combining two of Poseidon’s greatest animals – the horse and fish.Poseidon himself fathered many horses, the best-known being the winged horse Pegasus by the Gorgon, Medusa. The bull, fish, horse and dolphin were his sacred animals and symbols.According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Poseidon’s trident was crafted by the three Cyclopes.He could strike the ground with his trident to produce an earthquake and this earned him the nickname “Earth-shaker.” He was thought to be the cause of such disasters whenever he was enraged. Poseidon had a three-pointed trident in his hand, which was his most recognizable emblem.
He was also seen as being physically fit, befitting the tile of a god.
See the fact file below for more information on Poseidon or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Poseidon worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. Zeus and Hades were his brothers, and Hestia, Demeter and Hera were his sisters. He was one of five children of the Greek gods Cronus and Rhea (Titaness, Mother of the Gods). The name Poseidon means either “Husband of the Earth” or “Lord of the Earth.” Plato also said that it meant “knower of many things.” He was feared by ancient Greeks as the provoker of earthquakes and worshipped as the creator of horses. Poseidon was the Olympian God of the Sea. Download the Poseidon Facts & Worksheets.