A popular day trip from Athens, Greece, is to head to the Aegean Sea and visit the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
The remains of this ancient temple are surrounded by water on three sides and supposedly the site where Aegean, the King of Athens, jumped off the ledge to his death. (Hence the name of the body of water).
While in the ruins, look for the engraving ‘Lord Byron’, the name of an English poet.
Cape Sounion is about 70 kilometers southeast of Athens.
Who was Poseidon?
Here is a quick introduction to one of the main gods of Greece, Poseidon.
Poseidon’s appearance : Poseidon is an older, bearded man, usually depicted with seashells and other marine species. Poseidon often has a trident. If it does not have any attributes, it can sometimes be confused with statues of Zeus, which is also presented similarly in art. It is no surprise; they are brothers.
Poseidon’s symbol or attribute: the three-pointed trident. It is associated with horses, seen in the crashing of the waves on the shore. It is also believed to be the force behind earthquakes, a strange expansion of the power of a sea god, but possibly due to the association between earthquakes and tsunamis in Greece. Some scholars believe that he was first a god of the earth and earthquakes and only later did he take on the role of god of the sea.
Top Temple Sites to Visit: The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion still draws a large number of visitors to the cliffside site overlooking the sea. His statue also dominates one of the galleries of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. The strengths of Poseidon: he is a creative god, designing all the creatures of the sea. He can control the waves and ocean conditions.
Poseidon’s weaknesses: bellicose, although not as much as Ares; moody and unpredictable.
Spouse: Amphitrite, a goddess of the sea.
Parents: Kronos, god of time, and Rea, goddess of the earth. Brother of the gods Zeus and Hades.
Children – Many, second only to Zeus in the number of illicit links. With his wife, Amphitrite, he fathered a half-fish son, Triton. The differences include Medusa, with whom he fathered Pegasus, the flying horse, and Demeter, his sister, with whom he fathered a horse, Arion.
The Basic Story: Poseidon and Athena were in a competition for the love of the people of the area around the Acropolis. It was decided that the deity who created the most useful item would win the right to name the city after them. Poseidon created horses (some versions say it is a salt water spring), but Athena created the incredibly useful olive tree, so the capital of Greece is Athens, not Poseidonia.
Interesting fact: Poseidon is often compared to or combined with the Roman god of the sea, Neptune. In addition to creating horses, he is also credited with creating the zebra, which is believed to be one of his earliest experiments in equine engineering.
Poseidon appears prominently in the books and movies “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”, where he is the father of Percy Jackson. It appears in most of the films related to the Greek gods and goddesses.
Poseidon’s predecessor was the Titan Oceanus. Some images mistaken for Poseidon may represent Oceanus instead.
Other names: Poseidon is similar to the Roman god Neptune. Common misspellings are Poseidon, Posiden, Poseidon. Some believe that the original spelling of his name was Poteidon and that he was originally the husband of a more powerful ancient Minoan goddess known as Potnia the Lady.
Poseidon in literature: Poseidon is a favorite of poets, both ancient and more modern. It can be mentioned directly or by allusion to its myths or appearance. A well-known modern poem is “Ithaca” by CP Cavafy, which mentions Poseidon. Homer’s “Odyssey” mentions Poseidon frequently, as Odysseus’ implacable enemy. Even his patroness, the goddess Athena, cannot fully protect him from Poseidon’s wrath.
More facts about Greek gods and goddesses
- The 12 Olympians: Gods and Goddesses
- Greek Gods and Goddesses – Temple Sites
- The Titans
- Aphrodite
- Apollo
- Ares
- Centaurs
- Cyclops
- Demeter
- Dionysus
- Eros
- Gaia
- Helios
- Hephaestus
- Hera
- Hercules
- Hermes
- Kronos
- The Kraken
- Bread
- Pandora
- Persephone
- Perseus
- Rhea
- Selene
Plan your trip to Greece
Book your Athens day trips here.
