All 41 Uses of
Poseidon
in
The Odyssey
- …even among his loved ones—then every god took pity,
all except Poseidon.p. 78.2 *Poseidon = Greek mythology: the god of the sea
- But now
Poseidon had gone to visit the Ethiopians worlds away,
Ethiopians off at the farthest limits of mankind,
a people split in two, one part where the Sungod sets
and part where the Sungod rises.†p. 78.3
- There Poseidon went
to receive an offering, bulls and rams by the hundred—far
away at the feast the Sea-lord sat and took his pleasure.†p. 78.4
- No, it's the Earth-Shaker, Poseidon, unappeased,
forever fuming against him for the Cyclops
whose giant eye he blinded: godlike Polyphemus,
towering over all the Cyclops' clans in power.†p. 79.9
- The nymph Thoosa bore him, daughter of Phorcys,
lord of the barren salt sea—she met Poseidon
once in his vaulted caves and they made love.†p. 80.0
- Lord Poseidon, I trust, will let his anger go.†
p. 80.2
- As the sun sprang up, leaving the brilliant waters in its wake,
climbing the bronze sky to shower light on immortal gods
and mortal men across the plowlands ripe with grain—
the ship pulled into Pylos, Neleus' storied citadel,
where the people lined the beaches,
sacrificing sleek black bulls to Poseidon,
god of the sea-blue mane who shakes the earth.†p. 107.4
- He gave them a share of innards, poured some wine
in a golden cup and, lifting it warmly toward Athena,
daughter of Zeus whose shield is storm and thunder,
greeted the goddess now with an invitation:
"Say a prayer to lord Poseidon, stranger,
his is the feast you've found on your arrival.†p. 108.9
- At once she prayed intensely to Poseidon:
"Hear me, Sea-lord, you who embrace the earth—
don't deny our wishes, bring our prayers to pass!†p. 109.3
- And last, Poseidon, grant Telemachus and myself
safe passage home, the mission accomplished
that sped us here in our rapid black ship.†p. 109.5
- Many thighs of bulls we offered Poseidon there—
thank god we'd crossed that endless reach of sea.†p. 113.1
- Nestor, noble charioteer, began the celebration:
"Quickly, my children, carry out my wishes now
so I may please the gods, Athena first of all—
she came to me at Poseidon's flowing feast,
Athena in all her glory!†p. 120.9
- Proteus of Egypt does,
the immortal Old Man of the Sea who never lies,
who sounds the deep in all its depths, Poseidon's servant.
He's my father, they say, he gave me life.p. 136.7Poseidon = Greek mythology: the god of the sea
- First Poseidon drove him onto the cliffs of Gyrae,
looming cliffs, then saved him from the breakers—
he'd have escaped his doom, too, despite Athena's hate,
if he hadn't flung that brazen boast, the mad blind fool.†p. 140.4
- Poseidon heard that frantic vaunt
and the god grasped his trident in both his massive hands
and struck the Gyraean headland, hacked the rock in two,
and the giant stump stood fast but the jagged spur
where Ajax perched at first, the raving madman—
toppling into the sea, it plunged him down, down
in the vast, seething depths.†p. 140.5
- But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake, saw him—
just returning home from his Ethiopian friends,
from miles away on the Solymi mountain-range
he spied Odysseus sailing down the sea
and it made his fury boil even more.†p. 161.2
- But just as great Odysseus thrashed things out,
Poseidon god of the earthquake launched a colossal wave,
terrible, murderous, arching over him, pounding down on him,
hard as a windstorm blasting piles of dry parched chaff,
scattering flying husks—so the long planks of his boat
were scattered far and wide.†p. 163.8
- There's our assembly, round Poseidon's royal precinct,
built of quarried slabs planted deep in the earth.†p. 176.9
- Gifts of Poseidon,
ah what ships they are—
quick as a bird, quick as a darting thought!†p. 180.7
- First came Nausithous, son of the earthquake god
Poseidon and Periboea, the lovely, matchless beauty,
the youngest daughter of iron-willed Eurymedon,
king of the overweening Giants years ago.†p. 181.4
- Poseidon god of the earthquake came, and Hermes came,
the running god of luck, and the Archer, lord Apollo,
while modesty kept each goddess to her mansion.†p. 201.8
- A peal of laughter broke from the deathless ones
but not Poseidon, not a smile from him; he kept on
begging the famous Smith to loose the god of war,
pleading, his words flying, "Let him go!†p. 202.5
- Nausithous used to say
that lord Poseidon was vexed with us because
we escorted all mankind and never came to grief.†p. 209.6
- Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship,
he drove it against the rocks at your island's far cape,
he dashed it against a cliff as the winds rode us in.†p. 220.5
- You'd better pray to your father, Lord Poseidon.'†
p. 224.5
- Come here, Odysseus, let me give you a guest-gift
and urge Poseidon the earthquake god to speed you home.†p. 227.8
- But at that he bellowed out to lord Poseidon,
thrusting his arms to the starry skies, and prayed, 'Hear me—
Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who rocks the earth!†p. 228.1
- But at that he bellowed out to lord Poseidon,
thrusting his arms to the starry skies, and prayed, 'Hear me—
Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who rocks the earth!†p. 228.1
- So he prayed
and the god of the sea-blue mane, Poseidon, heard his prayer.†p. 228.4
- And here is your sign—
unmistakable, clear, so clear you cannot miss it:
When another traveler falls in with you and calls
that weight across your shoulder a fan to winnow grain,
then plant your bladed, balanced oar in the earth
and sacrifice fine beasts to the lord god of the sea,
Poseidon—a ram, a bull and a ramping wild boar—
then journey home and render noble offerings up
to the deathless gods who rule the vaulting skies,
to all the gods in order.†p. 253.8
- Now home you go, and restrain yourself, I say,
never breathe your lover's name but know—
I am Poseidon, god who rocks the earth!'†p. 257.7
- Wrecked in the ships when lord Poseidon roused
some punishing blast of stormwinds, gust on gust?†p. 262.5
- The field marshal's ghost replied at once:
'Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, mastermind of war,
I was not wrecked in the ships when lord Poseidon
roused some punishing blast of stormwinds, gust on gust,
nor did ranks of enemies mow me down on land—
Aegisthus hatched my doom and my destruction,
he killed me, he with my own accursed wife ...
he invited me to his palace, sat me down to feast
then cut me down as a man cuts down some ox at the trough!†p. 262.7
- But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake, never once
forgetting the first threats he leveled at the hero,
probed almighty Zeus to learn his plans in full:
"Zeus, Father, I will lose all my honor now
among the immortals, now there are mortal men
who show me no respect—Phaeacians, too,
born of my own loins!†p. 290.6
- He used to say Poseidon was vexed with us because
we escorted all mankind and never came to grief.†p. 292.2
- As for Poseidon,
sacrifice twelve bulls to the god at once—
the pick of the herds.†p. 292.5
- So all of Phaeacia's island lords and captains,
milling round the altar, lifted prayers
to Poseidon, master of the sea ...
That very moment
great Odysseus woke from sleep on native ground at last—
he'd been away for years—but failed to know the land
for the goddess Pallas Athena, Zeus's daughter,
showered mist over all, so under cover
she might change his appearance head to foot
as she told him every peril he'd meet at home—
keep him from being known by wife, townsmen, friends,
till the suitors paid the price for all their outrage.†p. 292.7
- But I could not bring myself to fight my Father's brother,
Poseidon, quaking with anger at you, still enraged
because you blinded the Cyclops, his dear son.†p. 297.7
- Joy, warm as the joy that shipwrecked sailors feel
when they catch sight of land—Poseidon has struck
their well-rigged ship on the open sea with gale winds
and crushing walls of waves, and only a few escape, swimming,
struggling out of the frothing surf to reach the shore,
their bodies crusted with salt but buoyed up with joy
as they plant their feet on solid ground again,
spared a deadly fate.†p. 463.2
- And here is my sign,
he told me, clear, so clear I cannot miss it,
and I will share it with you now ...
When another traveler falls in with me and calls
that weight across my shoulder a fan to winnow grain,
then, he told me, I must plant my oar in the earth
and sacrifice fine beasts to the lord god of the sea,
Poseidon—a ram, a bull and a ramping wild boar—
then journey home and render noble offerings up
to the deathless gods who rule the vaulting skies,
to all the gods in order.†p. 464.7
- Wrecked in the ships when lord Poseidon roused
some punishing blast of gales and heavy breakers?†p. 471.9
Definition:
Greek mythology: the god of the sea and earthquakes