54 Poseidon Facts That Are Sea-riously Cool

Here at Kidadl, we absolutely love ancient history!

Whether it was the Romans or the Greeks, ancient civilizations had the most incredible and fascinating mythology. If you want to share some of the world's amazing history with your family, why not take a look at these interesting Facts About Apollo or Zodiac Facts with them?

But if you're looking for a really incredible history lesson, why not dive into the world of gods and monsters, heroes and villains, with this article about the Greek God Poseidon.

The ancient Greek God of the Sea is one of the most impressive figures in mythology. Splitting his time between Mount Olympus and a bejewelled underwater palace, he had the power of the sea and earth.

But he was moody and could be cruel to those who displeased him, as well as helpful to the sailors who prayed to him.

This comprehensive collection of Poseidon facts will astound the whole family, and are sure to ignite a passion for history in even the most disinterested of children!

Fun Facts About Poseidon

Find out everything you need to know about the famous God with these short but interesting facts about Poseidon.

1. Poseidon is a figure of ancient Greek mythology- he was the Greek God of the sea.

2. Poseidon was also the god of earthquakes, storms and horses.

3. The symbol of Poseidon is the large three-pronged spear he carries, called a Trident.

4. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Poseidon’s trident was created by the three Cyclopes, one-eyed giants called Arges, Brontes and Steropes.

5. When he was angry, Poseidon would strike the ground with his trident to cause an earthquake and so he earned the nickname “Earth-shaker.”

6. Poseidon's counterpart in ancient Roman mythology was Neptune.

7. Poseidon is one of the Twelve Olympians, alongside Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes and either Hestia or Dionysus (sometimes the Greeks didn't agree).  

8. The twelve Gods were called Olympians because they were said to live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.

9. Poseidon is commonly considered one of the most bad-tempered of the Gods; he could be temperamental, petty, greedy and vengeful.

10. Poseidon was worshipped as a major God in the city of Athens; he was second only in importance to the goddess Athena.

11. In Corinth and many cities of Magna Graecia, coastal areas of Southern Italy that were largely populated by Greek settlers, he was the chief God of the city or 'polis'.

12. Whilst we can't say for certain, it is thought that the name Poseidon means either “husband of the earth” or “lord of the earth."

13. Poseidon's powers were impressive: he could command the sea and the creatures that lived within it; create rain, storms and hurricanes; and create earthquakes and tidal waves.

14. Poseidon's powers were strictly limited to these areas though. If he strayed outside his role as God of the sea and into another God's territory, he had little power and could be punished the ruling God.

15. Poseidon was immortal, meaning he could not be killed.

Statues Of Poseidon

This Greek God of the Sea and famous earth shaker was extremely important in Greek mythology and beyond, and so lots of statues have been created in his honor that feature him in poses that inspire awe and fear, and demonstrate his power. Find out more with these amazing statue facts.

16. The National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece, is home to The Poseidon of Melos, a statue of Poseidon that dates all the way back to the Hellenistic Period, the period of Greek history between the death of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E. and the rise of Augustus in Rome in 31 B.C.E.

17. The Poseidon of Melos was discovered in 1877 on the island of Melos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.

18. The Poseidon of Melos is made of marble and is 2.35 meters tall.

19. The Poseidon of Melos was discovered in several pieces which have been reassembled, but parts of his nose, beard and hair are still missing.

20. There is a dolphin behind Poseidon which represents his position of God of the Sea, but likely also supports the weight of the statue.  

21. The Artemision Bronze, also kept at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, is thought to portray either Poseidon or Zeus.

22. Poseidon features on the Marble Metopes of the Parthenon, Part of the Parthenon Marbles, that date from approximately 447-438 BC. The fourteen metopes of the Eastern wall, which used to reside above the main entrance of the Parthenon, show the final stages of the battle between the giants and the Olympian gods Zeus, Hera and Poseidon.

23. Statues of the God Poseidon can be found in countries all over the world.

Poseidon, God Of The Sea

From creating whirlpools with his trident to guiding sailors to safety, learn more about the God Poseidon, who ruled over the sea, with this bite-size fact file all about his ocean powers.

24. Poseidon was said to live in a golden palace under the sea, made of coral, jewels and gemstones, instead of on Mount Olympus with the other gods.

25. Poseidon could use his powerful trident to raise new land up from beneath the sea or make existing land sink down below the waters.

26. When Poseidon was feeling generous, he could be very helpful to humans—he could protect sailors, calm the seas, guide ships through treacherous waters to safety or fill their nets with fish.

27. Poseidon could also make life very difficult for sailors if he felt offended or ignored - he could use his trident to create crashing waves or swirling whirlpools, create storms and cause shipwrecks.

28. Sailors would pray to Poseidon, the God of the Sea, to ensure a safe journey, and many would even drown horses as a sacrifice to please him.

Poseidon And Horses

When the Greek God Poseidon wasn't ruling the sea, he was happily ruling horses. Find out more with this fascinating collection of Poseidon facts that explain his amazing relationship with the equine animals.

29. Poseidon was also the God of horses, and otherwise known as Poseidon Hippios.

30. According to legend, Poseidon was in love with Demeter but she did not return his feelings.

Instead, she asked Poseidon to create the most beautiful creature the world had ever seen in the hope of distracting him. Poseidon was kept busy and ultimately, after numerous failed attempts, he created the very first horse. Legend says that by the time he had successfully created the horse, Poseidon had lost interest in chasing the affections of Demeter!

31. Poseidon is also known as the tamer of horses.

32. Poseidon was said to be the father of two horses, Pegasus, a divine winged horse and Arion, a magical horse who was later owned by Hercules.

33. Poseidon rode the waves in a golden chariot drawn by hippocamps, sea horses who were half horse and half fish.

Poseidon Family Tree

Ancient Greek mythology is known for being complicated - many of the gods and goddesses are related. From Poseidon's wives (there were a lot!) to his parents, Cronus and Rhea, to his many, many children, here are the Poseidon family tree facts you need to know.

34. Poseidon was the second son of Cronus and Rhea.

35. Poseidon's brothers and sisters were Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Zeus and Hades.

36. Poseidon was married to Amphitrite, a sea goddess, and they had a son called Triton, who was a merman.

37. The exact number of Poseidon's children is not known, but it could be up to 200!

38. As well as mortals, Poseidon was also the father of gods, animals and monsters.

39. Some of Poseidon's most famous children are:

Theseus: A brave founding hero for the Athenians.

Polyphemus: The giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa, he was also a cyclops. He was blinded by Odysseus.

Atlas: According to Plato, he was the eldest son (out of 10 children) of Poseidon and a mortal woman called Clieto, and hebecame the first King of Atlantis.

Agenor and Belus: Twin brothers born to Poseidon and Libya, the daughter of Epaphus, King of Egypt.

Antaeus: Another giant who was invincible while he was in contact with his mother, but who was eventually defeated by Heracles.

Charybdis: A sea monster, who swallowed vast amounts of water and then burped them out, creating huge whirlpools that destroyed passing ships.

Story Of Poseidon

The myths about Poseidon, God of the Ocean, are rather weird and wonderful! From being swallowed by his Father to his spiteful grudges and hard-fought competitions, the stories of his exploits will amaze the whole family.

Birth Stories

40. In most accounts of the Poseidon story, his Father Cronus believed that when they were born, his children would overthrow him, as he had overthrown his own father.

So after Poseidon, and his siblings Demeter, Hestia, Hera and Hades were born, he ate them all to stop the prophecy from coming true.

Poseidon and his brothers and sisters were later saved by their younger brother Zeus. Poseidon, along with Zeus and Hades, defeated Cronus and ruled the world between them - Poseidon as the God of the Sea, and Zeus and Hades as the Gods of the Sky and Underworld.

41. In some versions of the story, Poseidon is not swallowed by his father, Cronus; instead, he is saved by his mother, Rhea, after she hid him in a flock of lambs.

Poseidon And Medusa

42. Although he was married to the goddess Amphitrite, Poseidon is said to have had many love affairs, with mortals, goddesses and nymphs.

43. Poseidon was said to be in love with Medusa, who was a beautiful woman.

When Athena discovered the two of them in her temple, she turned Medusa into a Gorgon, a hideous monster with snakes for hair, who could turn people to stone by looking at them in the eye. When the hero Perseus eventually defeated Medusa by chopping off her head, Pegasus emerged from her neck.

Poseidon And Athena's Great Competition

44. Poseidon and Athena had a competition to decide who would rule the City of Athens.

Each would give the King of Athens, Cecrops, one gift and the God that gave the preferred gift would become the patron of the city. Athena offered the Athenians an olive tree, and Poseidon struck the ground with his trident so that a spring of water appeared.

Because he was the God of the sea, the water was salty and was no use to the Athenians, but the olive tree that Athena presented could provide wood, food and oil.

So Cecrops chose Athena. Enraged by his loss, Poseidon sent a huge flood to the Attic Plain to punish Cecrops and the Athenians for not choosing him as their patron.

Poseidon And Apollo's Punishment

45. Poseidon and Apollo were caught plotting against Zeus.

As punishment, they were stripped of their powers and sent to serve King Laomedon of Troy, who forced them to build huge walls all around the city. He promised to reward them for their work, but when the walls were finally complete, he refused to live up to his promise.

Poseidon was so furious, he sent a sea monster to attack Troy, which was later defeated by Heracles.

Poseidon In The Odyssey

46. Homer, the famous poet, wrote two major ancient Greek epic poems, Iliad and Odyssey.

Odyssey follows the journey of Odysseus as he fights to return home to his kingdom of Ithica. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus happened to land on an island inhabited by Polyphemus, the Cyclops and son of Poseidon.

Polyphemus began eating members of the crew, so Odysseus and his remaining men devised a plan and blinded him, meaning that they could escape.

However, this act earned the vengeful wrath of Poseidon, who focuses his spiteful attention on Odysseus and continually tries to thwart his journey back to Ithica, sending a storm to wreck his ship and luring him into the path of his sea monster child, Charybdis.

Poseidon And Amphitrite

47. When Poseidon fell in love with the sea nymph Amphitrite, her father did not approve and sent her away to the Atlas Mountains.

But Poseidon was determined and sent his messenger Delphinus, the king of the dolphins, to find her and win her heart. When he discovered Amphitrite, he promised that, if she married Poseidon, tranquility would come to the sea. She agreed, but Poseidon did not keep his promise!

Poseidon In Pop Culture

The God Poseidon has not stayed trapped in Greek mythology and has been a character in many different contemporary books and movies - and quite rightly so! Find out more with these Poseidon facts.

48. Poseidon has a small role in Disney's 1997 animated feature film, Hercules.

49. In Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series of novels and movies, Percy Jackson is the son of mortal woman Sally Jackson and the God Poseidon.

50. Poseidon appears in the DC Comics universe. In his storyline, Superhero Aquaman defeats Poseidon's son Triton in a battle and as punishment, Poseidon blinds Aquaman.

51. The power of Poseidon has been used as inspiration for several disaster films set at sea, including The Poseidon Adventure and Poseidon, where a giant wave sinks a luxury cruise liner.

52. King Neptune, or Poseidon, is a recurring character on animated TV cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants.

53. The king in Disney's animated feature film The Little Mermaid is presumably Poseidon's son - he is called Triton and carries a magical trident, that can be used for good or in anger.

54. Poseidon has made appearances in a variety of popular video games, including the God of War and Assassin’s Creed series'.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 54 Poseidon Facts That Are Sea-riously Cool, then why not take a look at Roman Armor Fact File, or Fun Facts For Kids?