This is why Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes.īased on Zeus' having rescued his siblings from the belly of their father Kronos and on the deal that he made with the Titans who eventually sided with him (which is the majority of the Titan population, by the way), starting with his personal bodyguard the four winged children of Pallas and Styx, namely Zelos, Kratos, Bia and Nike and on his leadership in the war which led to Kronos' defeat, it would seem that it had already been decided that Zeus would be king of the gods and ruler over the entire universe.Īs for the family estate which they inherited from the first Titan generation-consisting mainly of the realms of Earth, Sky, Sea and Underworld-Zeus, Poseidon and Haides first decided that the Earth would be the domain of all three in common so that each of them would have some control over it from whichever realm one ended up with. Interestingly, the three brothers shared dominion over the earth. Armed with these weapons the gods overcame the Titans, shut them up in Tartarus, and appointed the Hundred-handers their guards but they themselves cast lots for the sovereignty, and to Zeus was allotted the dominion of the sky, to Poseidon the dominion of the sea, and to Pluto the dominion in Hades. And the Cyclopes then gave Zeus thunder and lightning and a thunderbolt, and on Pluto they bestowed a helmet and on Poseidon a trident. So he slew their jailoress Campe, and loosed their bonds. They fought for ten years, and Earth prophesied victory to Zeus if he should have as allies those who had been hurled down to Tartarus. I verily, when the lots were shaken, won for my portion the grey sea to be my habitation for ever, and Hades won the murky darkness, while Zeus won the broad heaven amid the air and the clouds but the earth and high Olympus remain yet common to us all.Īccording to Pseudo-Apollodorus, the three brothers drew lots to decide their dominions:īut when Zeus was full-grown, he took Metis, daughter of Ocean, to help him, and she gave Cronus a drug to swallow, which forced him to disgorge first the stone and then the children whom he had swallowed, and with their aid Zeus waged the war against Cronus and the Titans. And in three-fold wise are all things divided, and unto each hath been apportioned his own domain. For three brethren are we, begotten of Cronos, and born of Rhea,-Zeus, and myself, and the third is Hades, that is lord of the dead below. “Out upon it, verily strong though he be he hath spoken overweeningly, if in sooth by force and in mine own despite he will restrain me that am of like honour with himself. However, in the Iliad, it says this (emphasis mine again): The myths and legends surrounding Zeus and Poseidon, the king and queen of the Greek godsĭiscover the legends and myths surrounding the gods Zeus and Poseidon.There is some disagreement on this issue.Īccording to Theogony, lines 881-885 (emphasis mine):īut when the blessed gods completed their toil and made settlement of honors for the Titans by brute force, they urged wide-seeing Olympian Zeus in accord with the advice of Gaia to be king and lord, and he apportioned provinces to them well. Zeus was the king of the Olympians, who ruled over the mythical world of Mount Olympus and earth. ![]() Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and the god of the sea and many myths tell of their sibling rivalry. Both of these powerful gods are featured in the stories and legends of classical Greek mythology. ![]() Who were Zeus and Poseidon? Zeus was the king of the gods and ruler of the home of the gods on the summit of Mount Olympus. Poseidon was the god of the sea, storms and earthquakes, he was called the 'Earth-Shaker'. Although Poseidon was one of the gods of Mount Olympus, he spent most of his time in his watery realm. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were the three sons of the Titans Cronus and and his wife, Rhea. The brothers were victorious in the in the War with the Titans and divided up their dominions. ![]() They threw lots and Zeus became ruler of the sky or heavens, Hades of the Underworld and Poseidon was given dominion over all water, both fresh and salt. Zeus became god of the sky and the heavens and Poseidon the ruler of the sea and waters.They drew lots to decide the realms and domains they would rule.Together, with other siblings the vanquished their predecessors, the Titans.Hades was the eldest, Poseidon the middle brother and Zeus was the youngest They were brothers and shared the same family and heritage.Picture of Poseidon (Roman counterpart Neptune)Ī comparison of the two gods provides a fast overview of the differences, and the similarities, between the two Olympian gods: The Olympians agreed that the earth itself would be ruled jointly, with Zeus as king.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |