In Greek myths, Poseidon's wrongdoings include brutal revenge (drowning sailors, causing earthquakes), being a serial rapist (Medusa in Athena's temple, his sister Demeter), engaging in petty conflicts (losing to Athena for Athens, then punishing the city), and showing extreme anger, especially against Odysseus for blinding his Cyclops son, leading to long-suffering for the hero. He's seen as chaotic and destructive, reflecting nature's fury, not pure evil like some gods.
Yes, many Greek gods had male lovers, with the norm being bisexuality, though figures like Zeus (with Ganymede), Apollo (with Hyacinthus), Hermes, Dionysus, and the hero Heracles are famous examples, often involved in pederastic relationships or deep bonds that modern interpretation calls homosexual or bisexual. While gods like Ares, Hades, and Hephaestus had fewer or no male lovers, same-sex relationships were common across the pantheon, with Zeus often cited as the prime example of a powerful god with male paramours.
Poseidon is known among the Gods bad temper, his violent nature, and his mood swings. In addition to the seas, he is also associated with earthquakes and horses in many myths, and is usually portrayed holding a trident or fishing sphere.
After the fight, Poseidon sent a monstrous flood to the Attic plain to punish the Athenians for not choosing him. In similar competitions with other deities in different cities, he causes devastating floods when he loses.
Poseidon played a major role in Homer's Odyssey, cursing the Greek hero Odysseus: Odysseus blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, who was Poseidon's son. Polyphemus prayed to Poseidon, begging for revenge. Poseidon cursed Odysseus to wander the seas for ten years, preventing him from returning home to Ithaca.
= 26 nymph lovers. Nerites: Sea-god, male lover of Poseidon, transformed into a shellfish after a dispute. Confirmed lover.
In Ovid, Poseidon rapes Medusa in Athena's temple. In McMullan, Poseidon lures her there under false pretences with the end goal of making romantic advances. In both, Medusa is an innocent victim, and in both Athena is unconcerned with Medusa's lack of complicity and punishes her, not Poseidon.
Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her; he did so while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon.
After being taken to Mount Olympus, Ganymede became Zeus' young lover and cupbearer (serving the ambrosia and nectar served at the gods' feasts), replacing Hebe, goddess of youth, who had held the honored cupbearer position.
By all accounts Poseidon was not specifically evil but rather just casually cruel. He frequently fought with his brother.
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Poseidon then tells Percy of the war he is having in his underwater kingdom, and gives him a birthday present: a sand dollar as well as labeling Percy as his favorite son.
Poseidon's strength was further demonstrated throughout his fight with Kojiro Sasaki with each and every one of his swings capable of impaling and annihilating Kojiro. Poseidon managed to break Kojiro's divine weapon in two effortlessly and was even strong enough to crush his own arm.
Apollo: The God of Bisexuality.
As New Testament Scholar Daniel Kirk has pointed out, Christians today would do well by the tradition of the apostles and our current witness in the world to recognize that theological abstractions aside, God has already clearly embraced LGBTQ+ people into full communion, and it is now the church's responsibility to ...
The Birth and Origins of Dionysus
However, Hera, Zeus' wife, manipulated Semele into demanding Zeus reveal himself in his divine form. Unable to withstand his divine radiance, Semele perished, but Zeus managed to save their unborn child by sewing him into his thigh.
One day Apollo saw Coronis and became enamoured of her. He lay with her in her home, and consequently she became pregnant. One time when Apollo was away performing his godly duties, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. Going against her father's warnings, she slept with him in secret.
Bruce Lincoln argues that the myth is a description of the loss of Persephone's virginity, where her epithet koure signifies "a girl of initiatory age", and where Hades is the male oppressor forcing himself onto a young girl for the first time.
But of the six females, three - Athena, Artemis and Hestia - are dedicated virgins, steadfast in their refusal to marry; while one- Zeus' consort Hera - is what might be called a semi-virgin, since she is able to renew her virginity annually by bathing in a sacred spring at Canathus, near Argos.
Rick Riordan said if two demigods have a child, the child would be mortal. This makes no sense when you consider the fact that if two 1/2 black 1/2 white people have a child, the child would most likely also be 1/2 black 1/2 white.
Danaë and Zeus, in the form of golden rain, had sexual relations. Danaë became pregnant and had a son named Perseus. There are many paintings depicting Danaë and this myth of the golden rain.
Medusa's real name before she was cursed was actually Medousa, which means "guardian" in Greek. She was a beautiful maiden with long, golden hair and was a priestess in the temple of Athena. However, she caught the attention of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and they had a secret affair in the temple.
Content warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault. A Medusa tattoo is often interpreted as representing strength, power, and female empowerment. More specifically, some people get a Medusa tattoo to indicate that they are a survivor of sexual violence and to symbolize their own empowerment.
Poseidon's Affairs
The product of this union was the divine horse, Arion. On another occasion, Poseidon seduced the gorgeous maiden, Medusa, in one of Athena's temples. Naturally, the virgin goddess was enraged that her temple was so defiled.
She was finally beheaded by the heroic Perseus, who used a mirror to avoid her gaze. He beheaded her in her sleep. Eventually Medusa's head was given to Athena, who placed it on her shield.