POSEIDON (Hocreldap), one of the deities of the Greek Olympus.
The attributes of the Itouutn Neptune. or Neptinnnua, are nearly the same as those of the Greek Poseidon. Poseidon was the son of Kudos and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Hera, and appears to have been one of the ancient divinities of Greece ; although, accord ing to Derodottis (ii. 10), he was not originally n Oreek deity, but was introduced from Libya. Poseidon was the god of the water in general, of the sea, the rivers, and the fountains ; but he was more particularly regarded as the god of the sea, which ho acquired as his share in the division of the dominions of his father 'Crones. His wife was Amphitrite, and their son Triton.
Poseidon is said to have produced the horse in his content with Athene for the right of naming the city of Athens. It is difficult to give a reason for the connection of Neptune with the horse; but it is evident from several smasages in the Greek writers that he was regarded as a kind of equestrian deity, as well as the god of the sea. (Aristoph., 4 Knights,' L 449.) Poseidon had A magnificent palace beneath the sea at sEgie IL,' xiii. 20). The animals offered to him in sacrifice were usually black bulls, rains, and boar pigs.
Poseidon was not originally a god of the Doric race. Ile was principally worshipped by the Ionians, who were in most places A maritime people. In those Dorian cities, however, which had Acquired a love for foreign commerce, we find that the worship of Poseidon pre veiled extensively ; as, for instance, at Ttenarum, whence it was carried to Terentum, at Cyrene, in sEgine, and more particularly on tho Corinthian isthmus, and at. Traiscn, from which place the worship of this god was transmitted to Posidonia hi Italy. (311iller's vol. i., p. 417, 419, tr.) The etymology of the names Poseidon and Neptunus is doubtful. Poseidon is written in Doric Creek, Potcidan (Rarsaiam), of which we have another example in the name of I'otithea, written Poteidaia (11ereaelle) in the inscription, now in the British Museum, on those Athenians who fell before (this city. The name, according to some
writers, contains the same root, in the first syllable, as we find in words and worasar. Neptunus is derived by Cicero from nando Nat. Deor.,' U. 20); and by Varro from euptu, because this god covers (obnabit) the earth with the sea (' De Ling. Lat.,' iv. 10); but neither of these derivations has the least show of probablity. We may compare the form of the word Nept-unus or -umnns, with Port-umuus, Vert umnus, And the word alumnus; but the meaning or origin of the root !visit or Nee seems uncertain. It may perhaps be connected with the same root as is contained in the Greek virsres The statues of Poseidon resembled in many respects those of Zeus; but the figure of the former was more angular, and there was less of repose and thoughtfulness in the countenance. The Greek sculptors gave A certain degree of roughness to the statues of Poseidon, which appears to have been regarded as appropriate to the god of the ocean. His hair was usually somewhat in disorder, and the whole of his figure was represented as exceedingly powerful and muscular. Hence the " chest of Poseidon " (aTlprom noowsdwyos, II.,' v. 479) is the poetic expression for this characteristic of the deity, which is illustrated by the noble fragment from the pediment of the Parthenon in the British Museum. He was usually fully draped. His right hand held the trident; and he was frequently represented accompanied by Amphitrite, or surrounded by Nereids, Tritons, dolphins, and other marine personages and objects. (Miiller, ' Archiiologic Kunst,' § 354-56 ; der Alton Kunst?) l'OSITIVE. [Neossrve Quaierrriss.]