Lovers
His wife was Amphitrite.
Poseidon fell in love with Pelops, a beautiful youth, son of Tantalus. He took Pelops up to Olympus and made him his lover, even before Zeus did the same with Ganymede. To thank Pelops for his love, Poseidon later gave him a winged chariot, to use in the race against Oenomaus for the hand of Hippodamia.
Poseidon once pursued Demeter. She turned herself into a mare; and he became a stallion and captured her.
Their child was a horse, Arion.
Poseidon had an affair with Alope, his granddaughter through Cercyon, begetting Hippothoon.
Cercyon had his daughter buried alive but Poseidon turned her into the spring, Alope, near Eleusis.
Poseidon rescued Amymone from a lecherous satyr and then fathered a child, Nauplius, by her.
A mortal woman named Tyro was married to Cretheus (with whom she had one son, Aeson) but loved Enipeus, a river god.
She pursued Enipeus, who refused her advances.
One day, Poseidon, filled with lust for Tyro, disguised himself as Enipeus and from their union was born Pelias and Neleus, twin boys.
With Medusa, Poseidon had sexual intercourse on the floor of a temple to Athena.
Medusa was changed into a monster and gave birth to Chrysaor and Pegasus.
After raping Caeneus, Poseidon fulfilled her request and changed her into a man.
Other Stories
Athena became the patron goddess of the city of Athens, in a competition with Poseidon.
They agreed that each would give the Athenians one gift and the Athenians would choose whichever gift they preferred. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a spring sprung up; the water was salty and not very useful, whereas Athena offered them an olive tree.
The Athenians (or their king, Cecrops) accepted the olive tree and along with it Athena as their patron, for the olive tree brought wood, oil and food.
This is thought to remember a clash between the inhabitants during Mycenaean times and newer immigrants.
It is interesting to note that Athens at its height was a significant sea power, at one point defeating the Persian fleet at Salamis Island in a sea battle.
Poseidon and Apollo, having offended Zeus, were sent to serve King Laomedon.
He had them build huge walls around the city and promised to reward them well, a promise he then refused to fulfill.
In vengeance, before the Trojan War, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy (it was later killed by Heracles).
Poseidon is best known for his hatred of Odysseus, preventing his return home to Ithaca for many years.
Consorts/Children
- With Aethra
- Theseus
- With Alope
- Hippothoon
- With Amphitrite
- Rhode
- Triton
- With Amymone
- Nauplius
- With Canace
- Aloeus
- With Celaeno
- Lycus
- With Chione
- Eumolpus
- With Chloris
- Poriclymenus
- With Demeter
- Despina
- With Europa
- Euphemus
- With Euryale
- Orion
- With Eurynome
- Adrastus
- With Gaia
- Antaeus
- Charybdis
- With Halia
- Rhode
- With Hippothoe
- Taphius
- Libya (No Children)
- With Lybie
- Lamia
- With Melia
- Amycus
- With Medusa
- Pegasus
- Chrysaor
- With Periboea
- Nausithous
- With Thoosa
- Polyphemus
- With Tyro
- Neleus
- Pelias
- Unknown mother
- Aon
- Briareus
- Byzas
- Cercyon
- Cycnus
- Evadne
- Lamia
- Lotis
- Rhodus
- Sinis
- Taras