ATTRIBUTES

In Classical times, Poseidon is portrayed similarly to Zeus. He is a powerful, mature male who bears a trident. He was often described as less predictable and more violent than his brother, as one might expect of a sea god. Unexpectedly for a sea god, Poseidon was associated with earthquakes, bulls, and horses. To some extent, all theories of his origins have tried to address these unusual attributes.

NATURE MYTHOLOGY

As we might expect, the early nature mythologists interpreted by analogy. For them, the trident is simply another symbol of lightning, so Poseidon, like his brother Zeus, is actually a sky god (!). The boom of thunder explains his association with earthquakes, and his association with horses results because whitecaps look like the flashing manes of horses.

NEAR EASTERN ORIGIN

An older theory saw Poseidon as a Near Eastern import. By this view his name derives from a Western Semitic word meaning "master" and is cognate to Adonis, a well-known dieing and reviving god. Thus he was originally of secondary importance to the female Twin Goddesses, as evidenced by the Linear B reference to "Poseidon and the Ladies." His ascent to preeminence is the result of patrifocal influence, first in the Middle East and then in the Indo-European sphere.

INDO-EUROPEAN ORIGIN

Although there can be no denying that Poseidon does have certain affinities with Near Eastern Gods,a better etymology for the god's name is found in Indo-European. His name means "the husband of Dan." Da(n) is an important Indo-European goddess; she is an earth-goddess, but is especially associated with rivers and the fertile bottomlands along their shores -- land ideal for grazing of the horses that were central to Indo-European culture. By this theory Poseidon was originally a fresh-water fertility god, perhaps sometimes conceived of in horse form. [Poseidon mates with Demeter (whose name means "The Mother Da") in the form of a horse.] When the inland-dwelling Indo-Europeans encountered salt water, they transformed a freshwater god into a sea god. [This transformation clearly occured in Scandinavian tradition, so there is evidence of the possibility.]

ATTRIBUTES In Classical times, Poseidon is portrayed similarly to Zeus. He is a powerful, mature male who bears a trident. He was often described as less predictable and more violent than his brother, as one might expect of a sea god. Unexpectedly for a sea god, Poseidon was associated with earthquakes, bulls, and horses. To some extent, all theories of his origins have tried to address these unusual attributes.	NATURE MYTHOLOGY As we might expect, the early nature mythologists interpreted by analogy. For them, the trident is simply another symbol of lightning, so Poseidon, like his brother Zeus, is actually a sky god (!). The boom of thunder explains his association with earthquakes, and his association with horses results because whitecaps look like the flashing manes of horses.
NEAR EASTERN ORIGIN An older theory saw Poseidon as a Near Eastern import. By this view his name derives from a Western Semitic word meaning "master" and is cognate to Adonis, a well-known dieing and reviving god. Thus he was originally of secondary importance to the female Twin Goddesses, as evidenced by the Linear B reference to "Poseidon and the Ladies." His ascent to preeminence is the result of patrifocal influence, first in the Middle East and then in the Indo-European sphere.	INDO-EUROPEAN ORIGIN Although there can be no denying that Poseidon does have certain affinities with Near Eastern Gods,a better etymology for the god's name is found in Indo-European. His name means "the husband of Dan." Da(n) is an important Indo-European goddess; she is an earth-goddess, but is especially associated with rivers and the fertile bottomlands along their shores -- land ideal for grazing of the horses that were central to Indo-European culture. By this theory Poseidon was originally a fresh-water fertility god, perhaps sometimes conceived of in horse form. [Poseidon mates with Demeter (whose name means "The Mother Da") in the form of a horse.] When the inland-dwelling Indo-Europeans encountered salt water, they transformed a freshwater god into a sea god. [This transformation clearly occured in Scandinavian tradition, so there is evidence of the possibility.]