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D'Aulaire, Edgar Parin, and Ingri Parin D'Aulaire. Classical and World Mythology. Evanston, Nextext, 2000. “Poseidon”: 14-15, Poseidon was Zeus’ brother, and lord of the sea. He was a moody God, and many called him the Earthshaker, because the ground would tremble when he stuck the ground with his trident. When Poseidon took over the sea, the previous ruler of the sea, Nereus kindly gave Poseidon, Amphitrite. Amphitrite was Nereus’ daughter and now the queen of the sea. Poseidon and Amphitrite lived in a palace at the very bottom of the sea. Poseidon and his wife gave birth to one child, Triton. Instead of legs, Triton had a fishtail. Poseidon loved to race, and was rarely home. He had a horse, in the shape of breaking waves.
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He was a creature of Poseidon’s niece, Athena. Odysseus wasn’t a child of Athena, but he was heroic, and was an iconic figure that ended the Greek War against the Trojans. Athena was horrified at the Greeks behavior and delayed their homecoming by tossing the ships with the stormy winds. After a while, Odysseus’ ships saw a wooded island, with smoke from fires, breaking out to the horizon. The weary Odysseus and his men walked onto the shores, and came upon a large cave with sheep pens in front of it. The men of Odysseus wanted to grab things from the cave and run out to the sea for their getaway, but Odysseus wanted to see what the host would offer him. Little did Odysseus know that the owner of the cave was Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus. Polyphemus tended his flock of sheep in the island, where the Cyclopes lived. Unknowing that men were in his cave, Polyphemus rolled a boulder over the entrance of the cave. The men were trapped, and told Polyphemus that their ship got blown off course. Odysseus additionally lied that Poseidon shattered their vessel, to protect the men still in the ship. Unfortunately, being Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus had no fear of Gods. He ate 2 men in the morning and at
One of the myths was, Polyphemus was in love with a sea nymph named Galateia, a sicilian nereid who had cheated on him with a man named Acis. When Polyphemus discovered this he crushed Acis under a rock. Another myth was the story of Odysseus. This story was when Polyphemus had captured Odysseus one of victorious greek leaders and twelve of his crew members when they were sailing for home from the trojan war. They became captured when they arrived to an unknown island of cyclopes. Odysseus and his men came upon the cave of Polyphemus, and went inside in hopes to steal food while Polyphemus was away tending his flock. Curiosity got the best of Odysseus as he wanted to see what a cyclops looked like. Odysseus and his men hid in the cave waiting for Polyphemus to come back.
The sea served as an object that could stop Odysseus from getting where he needed to be. Modern day soldiers have many obstacles that they must overcome. These obstacles can be many things such as drug or alcohol use if they are offered some, and they must overcome the fear they face if they see someone in their unit be killed. The men being killed can also relate with Odysseus when his some of his men were eaten by the cyclops Polyphemus when they entered his home (a cave). Later Odysseus and what was left of his man took a wooden stake and drove it into the eye of Polyphemus to be able to escape from his cave. Little did they know that Poseidon (god of the sea) was the father of Polyphemus, he told his father of the terrible thing Odysseus had done and Poseidon caused Odysseus to have a rough journey
Odysseus and some of his men went to investigate to see what these Cyclops were like. Unfortunately, they stumbled upon a Cyclops that had no intention of being nice. His name was Polyphemus who was the son of Poseidon. He took Odysseus’s men and ate them every night and would keep Odysseus and his men hostage. Odysseus made a clever escape and blinded the Cyclops. When Odysseus finally made it back on the ship with the remaining men that went along with him, Odysseus got a little too angry and shouted from the ship to Polyphemus and insulted him. Polyphemus prayed to the god, Poseidon and cursed Odysseus. This was on page 77, lines 526-533, book
Throughout the story of The Odyssey, Odysseus is both punished for his pride and rewarded for his ingenuity. When he lingers in the cave of Polyphemus, Odysseus ends up losing six of his men to the cyclops even though he boastfully attests that “He (Polyphemus) thought to tempt me, but he could not cheat a knowing man like me” (85). As a result, when Odysseus reveals his identity as they are sailing away from the island, Polyphemus pleads with his father Poseidon to punish the crew and to “vouchsafe no coming home to this Odysseus, spoiler of cities,…let him come, in evil plight, with loss of all his crew, on vessel of a stranger, and may he at his home find trouble” (89). This curse comes true, as Odysseus is the lone survivor of Poseidon’s storm and meets trouble with the suitors as soon as he returns to Ithaca. However, while Odysseus is punished for his pride, he is able to learn from his mistakes, and is accordingly rewarded for his ingenuity and cunning. By stating that his name is “Noman” and by getting Polyphemus drunk, he and his men are able to escape the cave, and when he disguises himself in Ithaca, he is able to successfully defeat all of the suitors and take back his home and city as
Like Jacob, Odysseus connived, manipulated, and deceived. On his journey home from the Trojan War, Odysseus uses his trickster ways to get himself out of trouble. One famous tail was his encounter with the one-eyed Cyclopes Polyphemous. Odysseus and his crew landed on the land of they Cyclopes. They made themselves at home, eating the cheese and goats of the Cyclopes, fully expecting him to be hospitable. Instead, Cyclops began eating then men as though they were animals themselves. Odysseus and his men were trapped in the cave and Polyphemous rolled a stone over the entrance so no one could exit. Odysseus connived a plan and gave the Cyclopes some wine. When he got drunk and passed out, Odysseus poked out the eye of Polyphemous and completely blinds him. Odysseus and his men escape the cave by clinging to the bellies of sheep (Odyssey, Ch. 9). He also disguised himself as a veteran of a Trojan war to Eumaios, a loyal servant, and as a beggar to his wife and son.
Polyphemus ate four men of Odysseus' crew and in return, Odysseus and his remaining crew administered justice: 'Seizing the olive pole, they drove its sharpened end into the Cyclops' eye'; (pg. 135). In doing this, they were able to escape and they set sail. Odysseus, carried away in his pride, announced his identity to Polyphemus. When he had heard Odysseus' name, Polyphemus called upon his father, Poseidon, to adminis... ... middle of paper ... ...
Like David who is favoured by God, Odysseus is favoured by some of the gods and goddesses who reside on Mount Olympos. Zeus, the king, however, feels neutral and will help according to what he sees fit. When Odysseus and his crew realizes they are trapped and are bound to be eaten by the Cyclops, the son of Laertes has the idea of having the big brute drink wine till he is passes out and then drive a burning stake into his eye, blinding him. Of course it would’ve been easier to just kill Polyphemos, but then no one would be able to move the hefty boulder blocking the entrance. So afterwards, all the men clung onto the sheep and rams, hanging from their underbelly, and waited until they would be released into the pasture. With four men eaten, but everyone else free including Odysseus, he hollers from his boat, “‘Zeus and the other gods have paid you back!’” (Odyssey. l. 536) and starts this shouting contest between them. From this, Odysseus tells him his real name. Polyphemos is rather shocked by this knowledge because a prophecy had warned him about this blinding event, expecting someone who was a good-looking giant, and continues to call Odysseus a tiny coward for tricking instead of fighting him. What’s different between Polyphemos and Goliath, other than the fact that one is a mythical being and the other just abnormally enormous in height, is that a god favoured the former of the two. Ever since the Trojan War, some of the other Olympians, especially Poseidon, have been making Odysseus’ journey home a devastating hardship. Polyphemos, as son of the earthquake god, prays to Poseidon that Odysseus return home with a broken spirit after several
Poseidon is a god of many names. He is most famous as the god of the sea. The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved him and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish spears.
To start, within the course of The Odyssey, Odysseus displays hubris through many of his actions. The most prominent instance in which Odysseus shows hubris is while he and his men are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’ men ask him to stop before Polyphemus would “get the range and lob a boulder” (436). But Odysseus shows hubris by saying that if they were to meet again, Odysseus would “take your life” and “hurl you down to hell!” (462; 463). Polyphemus, now extremely angry with Odysseus, prays to his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus “never see his home” again, and after which, throws a mountain towards the sound of Odysseus’ voice. (470). Because of Odysseus’ hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men.
In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus fails as a leader by prioritizing his reputation over his crew’s safety after defeating the cyclops Polyphemus. In the story, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, travels to Troy to fight against the Trojans. On his journey back to Ithaca, a string of damaging incidents lead him to a mysterious island, which he later discovers is inhabited by the murderous cyclops Polyphemus. His crew manages to escape the cyclops, but not before Polyphemus kills several of Odysseus’s crew. Odysseus escapes and could have sailed away peacefully, but he calls out to Polyphemus to suggest that “if anyone, any mortal man, asks you how you got your eye put out, tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it,” (IX, 500-502). This prompts Polyphemus to lob a rock, nearly destroying Odysseus's ship. It is odd that this was
Poseidon is the god of both fresh and salt water, and Horses. Some of Poseidon’s powers were the ability to change form, cause earthquakes, floods, and droughts. The Greeks worshiped Poseidon because they thought he controlled the oceans and rivers. Sailors would especially worship him because they wanted good weather while they were sailing. Some of Poseidon’s sacred animals and plants are: the Cretan bull, horses, dolphins, fish, other marine animals, hippocampi, pine trees, and wild celery. Some of Poseidon’s symbols are the trident, a boulder encrusted with sea creatures, and a wreath of wild celery. It is important to know about Poseidon because learning about the Greek
After the incident with the bag of winds it is reasonable for Odysseus to have trust issues, but when it is a matter of life and death, Odysseus is witless. After being punished by Zeus because some of his crew ate Helios’ cattle Odysseus drifts in the ocean until he lands on Calypso’s island. 7 years pass and Odysseus can finally leave after he crafts a ship, after he leaves and sails for a bit, Poseidon sees it as a time to get revenge for his son Polyphemus. Poseidon completely wrecks Odysseus’ ship when he is close to the land of the Phaeacians. A goddess named Ino sees this and offers Odysseus help.
Before letting him leave the island, Circe tells Odysseus that he must face Scylla, a sea monster, and Charybdis, a whirlpool. Circe says, “Better by far to lose six men and keep you ship” (274). Odysseus is told beforehand that no ship could pass unscathed, but he chooses to not to tell his crew. He knowingly sacrifices his crewmembers’ lives and has no qualms about it, which shows his inner selfishness. He makes sure to protect his own life, but he sees his crew as disposable. Homer characterizes Odysseus this way in order to convey his views about humanity: humans are instinctively selfish. Odysseus also carelessley kills his remaining crew when he taunts the Cyclops. After hearing Odysseus’s name, Polyphemus prays to Poseidon and asks that Odysseus “never reaches home” but if he is destined to return, make sure he returns “a broken man—all shipmates lost, alone in a strangers ship” (228). If Odysseus had never told Polyphemus his name, he and his crew might have made it home more quickly and safely. Instead, his hubris causes an inescapable curse. Odysseus cannot bear the thought of forfeiting his fame, which leads to even more hardship on his quest to return home. Homer uses Odysseus to demonstrate the danger of egotistical
Poseidon was so furious with King Laomedon when he was denied payment for building the walls of Troy that the vengeful god that he sent a sea-monster to destroy the countryside as punishment. In addition to his reputation as a fighter, however, Poseidon was also a legendary lover. From his love affair with Medusa and Amphitrite to his escapades with the goddess Demeter, Poseidon proved that he could at times rival his notoriously promiscuous brother Zeus. He may not have been as powerful as his brother but definitely could have almost any lady he wanted. He was also best known for his sudden earthquakes he created and destroyed many cities with it. One thing is for sure, the people who lived back when the gods ruled were very afraid of the all mighty god of water, Poseidon.
Have you ever wondered where tsunamis and other oceanic disasters come from? It all starts with Poseidon; he is the god of the sea. He was known for his wrath and anger. He could be fairly generous but acted quite the opposite in situations that angered him. Many, many years ago, a minotaur by the name of Lamperos was boasting about his horns to the other minotaurs while feasting on apples and ale. His horns were as strong as a thousand oaks and as long as the ancient bridges of greece. Lamperos’ horns were so shiny and glossy that they caught the light of the moon and reflected its radiant beams, “My horns are so strong, I bet I could take on any of t\you and not break a sweat,” Lamperos bellowed. The other minotaurs accepted the challenge