New underworld queen images on Photobucket

queen of the underworld

WiCkEdWiTcHy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:06:00 MDT

queen of the underworld - Queen_of_the_Underworld_by_archclan.jpg

Underworld Queen

skgang — Wed, 4 Jul 2012 18:13:00 MDT

Underworld Queen - UnderworldQueen.jpg

Queen of the Underworld

thecharmed-thepowerofthree — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:36:00 MDT

Queen of the Underworld - Charmed419_833.jpg

Queen of the Underworld Banner

SinGinSenSatiOn — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:04:00 MDT

Queen of the Underworld Banner - QueenoftheUnderworld.jpg

Queen of Underworld (coloured)

gwenlhw — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:03:00 MDT

Queen of Underworld (coloured) - QueenofUnderworldedited.jpg

Queen of Underworld

gwenlhw — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:16:00 MDT

Queen of Underworld - QueenofUnderworld.jpg

Queen Eliza

david254_photo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:59:00 MDT

Queen Eliza - ElizaVamp.png

Patricia (underworld queen)

wingedcourage — Sat, 9 May 2009 10:25:00 MDT

Patricia (underworld queen) - Patriciaunderworldqueen.png

Underworld Queen

lezbostudtrista — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 10:11:00 MDT

Underworld Queen - UnderworldQueen.png

The Queen of the Underworld

lordpunisher_69 — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:20:00 MDT

The Queen of the Underworld - a74846374c7d5aaa187a261e721d8ce5.jpg

Queen of the Underworld

ajr51594 — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:24:00 MDT

Queen of the Underworld - queenoftheunderworldII.jpg

queen of underworld

ladypersephone_freyja33 — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:03:00 MDT

queen of underworld - persephone.jpg

underworld queen

reed_1991 — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:33:00 MDT

underworld queen - 2d2ce73f2681e6d1429977c9fe9ffb.gif

Zania Queen of the underworld

ChristianaKouzman — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:26:00 MDT

Zania Queen of the underworld - Zaniawithframeandsigjpeg.jpg

Queen of the Underworld

drwende — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:17:00 MDT

Queen of the Underworld - catvisas001.jpg

Holly Queen of the underworld

filmbuff625 — Sat, 9 May 2009 12:01:00 MDT

Holly Queen of the underworld - unhappyhollu.jpg

The King and Queen of the Underworld

death30 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:16:00 MST

The King and Queen of the Underworld - DarkWarriorsCouple.jpg

Persephone

eighteighteast — Sat, 9 May 2009 21:21:00 MDT

Persephone - persephone.png

Queen of the Underworld

Devon Queen of the Underworld

alienzippo — Sat, 9 May 2009 14:23:00 MDT

Devon Queen of the Underworld - PB030161.jpg

Airienchantess of the underworld -queen's blade

marie_antoinette07 — Sat, 7 Jan 2012 18:56:00 MST

Airienchantess of the underworld -queen's blade - 6ae8f9ee.jpg

Lilith Queen of the underworld

Nefertari_2009 — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:51:00 MDT

Lilith Queen of the underworld - warriorangel.jpg

Underworld queen Kiri

kiricollection — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:37:00 MDT

Underworld queen Kiri - 781d861c1317ed_flip99.png

Persephone Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld

nymphetamineBOY892 — Thu, 7 Feb 2013 21:19:00 MST

Persephone Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld - PersephoneGoddessofSpringandQueenoftheUnderworld_zps3f7ee755.png

queen of the underworld

WiCkEdWiTcHy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:19:00 MDT

queen of the underworld - bloodcheif_ascension_art_by_adi_gra.jpg

queen of heaven and the underworld

gardeninsite — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:41:00 MDT

queen of heaven and the underworld - c7a1.jpg

Mictecacihuatl the Aztec queen of the underworld

SkyEyesDark — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:48:00 MST

Mictecacihuatl the Aztec queen of the underworld - MictecacihuatltheAztecqueenoftheund.png

UNDERWORLD QUEEN OF THE DAMNED AND INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

tinkerbelle19871 — Sat, 9 May 2009 10:56:00 MDT

UNDERWORLD QUEEN OF THE DAMNED AND INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE - UNDERWORLDANDQUEENOFTHEDAMNED.jpg

Necrolai Queen of the underworld

Louis_Lane — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:28:00 MST

Necrolai Queen of the underworld - NECROLAI1.jpg

Mictecacihuatl queen of the underworld

fatalignorance — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:52:00 MDT

Mictecacihuatl queen of the underworld - mictecacihuatl.jpg

Dark King and Queen of the Egyptian Underworld

Ravencrazies — Sat, 9 May 2009 11:59:00 MDT

Dark King and Queen of the Egyptian Underworld - 3a771a6f.jpg

Dark King and Queen of the Egyptian Underworld

Ravencrazies — Sat, 9 May 2009 11:59:00 MDT

Dark King and Queen of the Egyptian Underworld - 1856706e.jpg

IMG_6936.jpg

vraby — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:00 MST

IMG_6936.jpg

The Queen of the Underworld and Mother Nature

a demon queen gets married

sneolelodan — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:57:00 MDT

a demon queen gets married - demonqueenmarry.jpg

King and Queen

Suzume27 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:15:00 MDT

King and Queen - HxP.jpg

Hades and Persephone King and Queen of the Underworld

Persephone

Aphrodite_029 — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:46:00 MDT

Persephone - QueenPersephone.jpg

wife of Hade Queen of the Underworld n daughter of Demeter and Zeus goddess of Springtime

WingedWolv.gif

willowstar6792 — Sun, 5 Dec 2010 18:23:00 MST

WingedWolv.gif

Queen of the underworld and soon 2 be mated with falcon

Griffin and Kairos

zerosgirl1315 — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:10:00 MDT

Griffin and Kairos - King_and_Queen_of_Underworld_by_lil.jpg

Miras Queen of the Underworld

Madam_Valkyrie — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:06:00 MDT

Miras Queen of the Underworld - dfsdfsdf.jpg

Momma Beauty Queen of the underworld

hoomz — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:17:00 MDT

Momma Beauty Queen of the underworld - b2b3.jpg

Mauti

SilenceofDead — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:17:00 MDT

Mauti - Mauti.jpg

The demigoddess Mauti daughter of the Queen of the underworld

PersephonexHades

xXiNsAnE_wHiSpErXx — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:07:00 MDT

PersephonexHades - aaabean.jpg

Persephone and her husband Hades King and Queen of the Underworld

Vampire Moon Goddess

rockerchick1975 — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:24:00 MDT

Vampire Moon Goddess - VampireMoon.jpg

The dark Queen Of The Underworld

Queen Skeleton

FoToNo — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 09:40:00 MST

Queen Skeleton - QueenSkeleton.png

Rules a region of The Underworld called Carcass Canyon with her husband and daughter

underworldqueenbyaikaxx-d3l2k33

TsukikoAzura — Sun, 9 Dec 2012 02:00:00 MST

underworldqueenbyaikaxx-d3l2k33 - underworld_queen_by_aikaxx-d3l2k33-1.jpg

Tiffany Vampire Queen

selenas_bff_inu — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:37:00 MDT

Tiffany Vampire Queen - 18OurBattleHalloweenBashTiffanyscos.png

Hey when your best friend is Queen of Darkness and your other best friend is Queen of the Underworld being Queen of the Vampires has its props

Lamia

kmd6126 — Mon, 3 Aug 2009 13:47:00 MDT

Lamia - Lamia.gif

Dark Queen of the underworld married to Lord Leon King of the Dark Side

Evil Ariel

AlianGirlAriel — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:28:00 MDT

Evil Ariel - EvilAriel.jpg

My name is Ariel as in ARL

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gothbarbie3 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:39:00 MST

101_2773.jpg

Queen of the underworld shrouded in ballerina panties and shadow

Two royals of different places

yukikittychan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:42:00 MDT

Two royals of different places - Copyofroyal.jpg

Scarlet Queen of the Underworld and Noir-Yuki Princess of Darkness

Persephone - olympian springtime goddess amp queen of underworld

cierlo — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:16:00 MDT

Persephone - olympian springtime goddess amp queen of underworld - persephone1.jpg

Persephone - olympian springtime goddess amp queen of underworld

cierlo — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:16:00 MDT

Persephone - olympian springtime goddess amp queen of underworld - persephone.jpg

IMG_6304.jpg

vraby — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:50:00 MST

IMG_6304.jpg

Pandora returns to the party in her second costume - as the Queen of the Underworld Appropriately Charon is visible in the background

Persephone

bookwormandfamous — Fri, 7 Dec 2012 06:08:00 MST

Persephone - fotoflexer_photo-16.jpg

Queen of the UnderworldQueen of the Underworld and a daughter of Demeter and Zeus She became the consort of Hades when he became the deity who governed the underworld Also goddess of spring time

Work in progress

bataviakitten — Fri, 6 Aug 2010 21:30:00 MDT

Work in progress - photo2.jpg

My fantasy genre work in progress based on the mythological concept of Persephone of the Underworld aka Iron Queen

Brunvorst

FoToNo — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 09:40:00 MST

Brunvorst - DemonPrinceBrunvorst.png

A demon prince who abducts Angela to become his queen He has an entire court of demons loyal to him Although a demon of The Underworld he is an honorable gentleman and once he gives his word always keeps it

Tammy as Queen of the Underworld

selenas_bff_inu — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:37:00 MDT

Tammy as Queen of the Underworld - 13OurBattleHalloweenBashTammyscostu.png

Second to Prom the Halloween Bash is the biggest dance at West Ridge High It takes the place of a Homecoming Dance And instead of the Homecoming Queen and King it's the Pumpkin Queen and King The ones with the best costume win

Carol Christmas

KimbaAladi — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:30:00 MDT

Carol Christmas - 0a7186.png

The spirit of Christmas carols and wife to DJ Jack She also appears to those she deems worthy of her blessings She and Jack thoroughly enjoy The Nightmare Before Christmas as it represents their relationship the union of Halloween and Christmas Just as Jack is Hades she is in actuality the dead mortal aspect of Persephone daughter of Demeter and queen of the Underworld Because of this she is also able to harness the icy winds of Hades She is also privy to the dimensional wall-breaking tendencies of her husband

Queen Amidala (Star Wars Guild) Kate Beckensale in Van Helsing Kate Beckensale in Underworld Me My Brother We stood there for three minutes as people took photos so this would probably the most popular of all the photos on the day

TheBizzaroWorld — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:00:00 MDT

Queen Amidala (Star Wars Guild) Kate Beckensale in Van Helsing Kate Beckensale in Underworld Me My Brother We stood there for three minutes as people took photos so this would probably the most popular of all the photos on the day - Supanova28_10012.jpg

ISHTAR

yvonneyoung_2007 — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:42:00 MST

ISHTAR - Ishtar1.jpg

Ishtar is the multilayered Babylonian creator goddess the source of all life and embodiment of the power of nature She is the giver of plenty a lawgiver a judge the goddess of time as well as the goddess of love and war Her name means giver of light and derives from her role as queen of heaven She is the planet Venus as both morning and evening star and her girdle is the zodiacal belt Ishtar descends to the underworld and restores the vegetation god Tammuuz to life and thus restores fertility to the earth As she descends she removes a veil at each gate While she is undergound all life on earth is depressed and nothing comes to life Ishtar is a multifaceted powerful symbol of a forthright mode of being that is unafraid to venture into the depths of the underworld She represents the creative feminine active and strong

Reconstruction of the Queen of the Night relief

Mesopotamian_Collections — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:21:00 MDT

Reconstruction of the Queen of the Night relief - IMG_1642.jpg

Text taken from the British Museum website: Old Babylonian 1800-1750 BC From southern Iraq This large plaque is made of baked straw-tempered clay modelled in high relief The figure of the curvaceous naked woman was originally painted red She wears the horned headdress characteristic of a Mesopotamian deity and holds a rod and ring of justice symbols of her divinity Her long multi-coloured wings hang downwards indicating that she is a goddess of the Underworld Her legs end in the talons of a bird of prey similar to those of the two owls that flank her The background was originally painted black suggesting that she was associated with the night She stands on the backs of two lions and a scale pattern indicates mountains The figure could be an aspect of the goddess Ishtar Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love and war or Ishtar's sister and rival the goddess Ereshkigal who ruled over the Underworld or the demoness Lilitu known in the Bible as Lilith The plaque probably stood in a shrine The same goddess appears on small crude mould-made plaques from Babylonia from about 1850 to 1750 BC Thermoluminescence tests confirm that the 'Queen of the Night' relief was made between 1765 and 45 BC

Relief of the Queen of the Night

Mesopotamian_Collections — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:18:00 MDT

Relief of the Queen of the Night - IMG_1372.jpg

Black Butler

BarbieAnimeLover18 — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:53:00 MST

Black Butler - Ciel-Sebati-black-butler-30822602-1600-1200.jpg

Just a stone's throw away from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its young master Ciel Phantomhive On the night of Ciel Phantomhive's tenth birthday a fire engulfed his manor The boy was missing for a month before returning with a mysterious black clad butler Sebastian The servant is actually a demon that had entered into a contract with Ciel promising the boy to help him achieve revenge on the arsonists in exchange for his soul Sebastian Michealis an exceptionally loyal butler is ever at Ciel's side ready to carry out his young master's wishes As the Queen's guard dog and standing at the top of the British underworld the young boy must face many difficulties along the way Black Butler is set in the Victorian era and carries with it the typical eloquence of its time

Melaina

merud34 — Sun, 9 May 2010 20:36:00 MDT

Melaina - melaina.jpg

Melaina (The Black One) is the under-earth or chthonic aspect of the Greek Great Goddess said to bring nightmares Different goddesses are called by Her name n nAphrodite Melaenis represents a dark aspect of the goddess of love as Underworld deity though some say She is called Black because love-making often takes place at night n nThe Underworld goddess Melinoe was considered the daughter of Persephone (Kore) and Hades Queen and King of the Underworld She was called Chthonia Of the Lower World a name also applied to Demeter She was said to be half dark and half light (like Hel) from Her dark father Hades and Her mother who represented light She walked the earth after dark bringing fear and night terrors As Persephone is considered to be a form of Demeter as Death Goddess so Melinoe should probably be seen as another Underworld aspect of the Greek Great Goddess n nMelaina is also the epithet of Demeter Herself as an Underworld goddess and in this respect is called Chthonia A cave on Mount Elaius near the Attican town of Phigalia was sacred to Her In Her long search for Her abducted daughter Kore Demeter turned Herself into a mare to escape the attentions of Poseidon But Poseidon found Her and as a stallion He raped Her She then gave birth to a daughter called Despoena the Mistress after which She wore black and shut Herself in the cave n nHer statue in the cave near Phigalia showed Her as a seated woman with a horse's head snakes and monsters growing from Her hair In one hand She held a dolphin in the other a dove In this form She was called Mare-Headed Demeter n nThis card in a reading indicates supressed anger or fears Nightmares may haunt you and if so they should be taken as a warning or heads-up indicating some buried issues need attention n nAlternate names: Melaena Melaenis Melinoe

levels

TRLR_2008 — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:59:00 MDT

levels - underworld_logo-1.jpg

Level: n nChapter 1: India nLvl 1: Indian Forest of the Crocidile nLvl 2: Outerskirts of the River nLvl 3: Temple of Alcivarian Secrets nLvl 4: Indian Cistern n nChapter 2: Siberia nLvl 5: The Mountains nLvl 6: Death Hall nLvl 7: Hall of the Great n nChapter 3: Brazil nLvl 8: Amazonian Jungle Ganges nLvl 9: The Temple of Queen Amazon nLvl 10: Tomb of the Snake nLvl 11: Sanctuary of Death nLvl 12: The 8 rooms of Terror n nChapter 4: Europe nLvl 13: London Train Station nLvl 14: England Sky-Scrapers nLvl 15: Parisian Mob nLvl 16: The Unknown Tomb of Diana n nChapter 5: Africa nLvl 17: African Waterfalls nLvl 18: Tomb of the Holy Grail nLvl 19: Madagascar (spelling) n nChapter 6: Avalon nLvl 20: Ruins of Puan nLvl 21: Forest of Dreams nLvl 22: Lush Catacombs of Ush nLvl 23: Folly of Amelia n nChapter 7: Asia Minor nLvl 24: Palace Midas (revisted) nLvl 25: The Grail Grounds

HATHOR

yvonneyoung_2007 — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:42:00 MST

HATHOR - Hathor1ac.jpg

HATHOR A nourishing great mother goddess is the Egpytian mother of all gods and goddesses Usually portrayed as a cow she is a sky goddess the queen of the heavens: the sun emerges from her womb and the moon from her breast She is the goddess of love mirth beauty and sensual pleasure as well as the protectress of all women In her other guise shown here she is lady of the night and queen of the underworld With her lion's head Hathor assumes the role of destroyer and giver of death In her leopard skin she is the goddess of fate and fortune and typifies the ferocity and swiftness of this animal a night prowler and watcher Hathor is a strong embodiment of the many sides of existence Creator sustainer destroyer she encompasses all Hathor reminds us that we too must acknowledge all parts of ourselves that what we might call destructive is sometimes necessary to allow our creativity and compassion to flourish

Untitled

odhran1 — Sat, 9 May 2009 14:39:00 MDT

Untitled - art009.jpg

117 x 93 cm n nThis piece is a set of the 16 royal playing cards - Kings Queens Jacks and Aces all as interacting characters from Greek mythology I have used the myths to visually link all the characters together so the piece is full of interating stories So we have medusa Queen of Clubs roaring at Perseus who protects himself from her glare with the sheild Athena (who stands behind him) gave her Hera is reaching down to the card below her where her husband Zeus is disguised as a swan who rapes Leda Aphrodite rises out of her shell while Adonis her lover is killed by a wild boar set apon him by the jealous Persephone who eats the forbidden pomegranite than binds her to Pluto God of Hades the underworld for half the year Each set of royal are connected ie hearts are Aphrodite - Queen Adonis- King (her lover) and Eros- Jack (her child) - Clubs are all wicked characters etc All the aces are places where the Gods go ie the idyllic Elysian Fields for hearts Hades for clubs Mount Olympus for Diamonds and Greece for Spades They are all A5 size mounted in Black n nClementine Keith-Roach

Hades

salsa88 — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:37:00 MDT

Hades - Hades.jpg

Hades (also known as Aides) is Zeus' brother and ruler of the Underworld and the dead He was also called Pluto - God of Wealth - because the precious metals buried deep in the earth were in his kingdom Another reason that the people called him Pluto is because they did not like to pronounce the dreaded name of Hades or Aides n nThe name Pluto was used by both the Greeks and the Romans and it translates into Latin as Dis - Rich The Romans also substituted Orcus and Tartarus as synonymous to Pluto Although he was an Olympian he spent most of the time in his dark castle in the Underworld This Lord of Hell who was formidable in battle proved his ferociousness in the famous battle of the Olympians versus the Titans which established the rule of Zeus n nBecause of his dark and morbid personality he was not especially liked by neither the gods nor the mortals His character is described as fierce and inexorable and by far of all the gods he was most hated by mortals He was not however an evil god for although he was stern cruel and unpitying still he was just Hades ruled the Underworld and therefore most often associated with death and was feared by men but he was not Death itself - The actual embodiment of Death was another god Thanatos n(Thanatos was the Greek personification of death who dwells in the lower world In Homer's Iliad he appears as the brother of Hypnos (sleep) The Greek writer Hesiod makes these two spirits the sons of Nyx but they had no father In the theater Thanatos was sometimes introduced as a character His attributes are an inversed torch wreath or butterfly) n n(Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology He is the son of Nyx and Erebus and the twin of Thanatos (death) Both he and his brother live in the underworld He gave Endymion the power of sleeping with open eyes so he could see his beloved the moon goddess Selene Hypnos is portrayed as a naked young man with wings attached to his temples or as a bearded man with wings attached to his shoulders) n nHades is always represented as a stern dark bearded man with tightly closed lips a crown on his head a sceptre and a key in hand to show how carefully he guards those who enter his domains and how vain are their hopes to escape No temples were dedicated to him and his statues are very rare n nBlack animals such as sheep were sacrificed to him and it is believed that at one time even human sacrifices were offered The person who offered the sacrifice had to turn away his face Every hundred years festivals were held in his honor called the Secular Games n nHades ruled the dead assisted by demons over whom he had complete authority He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave or if someone tried to steal his prey from him Very few people ever visited the Underworld and were permitted to leave - In Homer's Iliad we are told that Heracles (Hercules) was forbidden by Hades to enter his kingdom but the great Greek hero wounded Hades with an arrow and attained victory n nBesides Heracles few other living persons ventured to the Underworld: Er Achilles Odysseus Aeneas and Theseus are among those heroes who descended to Hades while they were still living None of them was especially pleased with what they witnessed in the realm of the dead In particular the Trojan War hero Achilles whom Odysseus met in Hades (although some believe that Achilles dwells in the Isles of the Blest) said: n nDo not speak soothingly to me of death glorious Odysseus I should choose to serve as the hireling of another rather than to be lord over the dead that have perished n(Achilles' soul to Odysseus Homer Odyssey 11488) n nHades Abducts Persephone n nThe wife of Hades and queen of the Underworld was Persephone daughter of Zeus and Demeter (She was also called Kore Greek for 'daughter') n nPersephone did not marry Hades willingly but was abducted by him one day while picking flowers with her friends Even Zeus was powerless to get her out of the Underworld when her mother Demeter asked him to act on her behalf n nEventually a deal was made with the messenger god Hermes acting as the mediator - Persephone would spend half the year with her mother the goddess of the harvest The Greeks believed that while Persephone was with Hades her mother missed her so much that she withdrew her gifts from the world and winter came In the spring when Persephone rejoined her mother Demeter would make things grow again n nAccording to some Persephone eventually became as cruel as her husband n nHades' weapon was a two-pronged fork which he used to shatter anything that was in his way or not to his liking much like Poseidon did with his trident This ensign of his power was a staff with which he drove the shades of the dead into the lower world n nHis identifying possessions were the famed helmet given to him by the Cyclopes which made anyone who wore it invisible Hades was known to sometimes loan his helmet of invisibility to both gods and men His dark chariot drawn by four coal-black horses always made for a fearsome and impressive sight His other ordinary attributes are the Key of Hades and Cerberus the three-headed dog n nLike his brother Zeus and other ancient gods Hades wasn't the most faithful of husbands He pursued and loved the nymph Mintho and to punish her for this his jealous wife Persephone turned Mintho into the plant called mint Likewise the nymph Leuce who was also ravished by him was metamorphosed by nHades into a white poplar tree after her death n nIn works of art Hades resembles his brothers Zeus and Poseidon except that his hair falls over his forehead and his appearance is portrayed as dark and gloomy The god of the Underworld was one scary dude n nHere's a cool myth about Hades involving Sisyphus the poor mortal who was sentenced to roll a large rock up a hill only to have it roll back over him just as he reached the top n nKing Sisyphus is best known for being punished in the Underworld by rolling a stone with his hands and head in an effort to heave it over the top of a hill but no matter how hard he pushes just as he gets near the top the stone rebounds backward again and again How did this horrid fate come about n nWell Sisyphus had a big mouth One day the river god Asopus came by looking for his daughter Aegina who had gone missing When Asopus asked Sisyphus if he knew where his daughter was the tattle-tale King replied that he knew that Zeus had fallen in love with her and had carried her away Zeus and Aegina were to be found in the wooded valley down below walking arm in arm he said n nNeedless to say this made Asopus very angry Zeus had carelessly left his feared thunderbolts hanging from a tree while he romanced Aegina so when Asopus came rushing at him with a club the unarmed king of the Olympians ran away startled Escaping Zeus turned himself into a rock and Asopus ran by him n nAfter changing back into his real form and retrieving his hanging weapons Zeus then hurled a thunderbolt at the charging Asopus who walked with a limp ever since from his wounded leg n nEnraged at the way in which Sisyphus betrayed the divine secret to Asopus Zeus ordered his brother Hades feared king of the Underworld to arrest the king and to severely punish him Hades appeared before Sisyphus and commanded him to come with him King Sisyphus refused saying that it was Hermes who guided the souls to the Underworld not Hades and besides it wasn't his time to die yet So there n nTalk about nerve He then asked the astonished Hades what he carried in his bag Hades told him that they were handcuffs Seeing that Sisyphus was puzzled he explained that handcuffs were steel bracelets chained together which had been invented by the skilled god of the forge Hephaestus n nShow me how they work asked sly Sisyphus But as Hades was modeling the handcuffs Sisyphus snapped them shut He fastened his dog's collar around the neck of the god and made fun of him in his helplessness n nHey these handcuffs really work Hades he tormented his captive n nHades was not amused He pleaded threatened and stormed at Sisyphus but for an entire month he was kept prisoner Finally Ares the cruel god of war seeing that his battles had become farces because nobody died came to Sisyphus and threatened to strangle him unless he released Hadesand if that didn't work then he would cut off his head and hide it n nGrudgingly Sisyphus unchained Hades and off they went to Tartarus and the Underworld On arrival Sisyphus pleaded his case with Persephone Queen of the Underworld claiming that he didn't belong there because he wasn't dead and besides he hadn't been properly ferried to the Underworld by Charon the nboatman Persephone told him to leave but to come back the next day properly buried with a coin under his tongue n nYeah right Sisyphus laughed as he left the Underworld with no intent on returning for a long time An infuriated Hades the next day sent Hermes to fetch the rascal Hermes informed King Sisyphus that he had seen the Three Fates cutting his thread of life and that his existence on earth was over n nOnce they reached the Underworld the Judges of the Dead devised a unique and torturous ordeal to punish him - they ordered Sisyphus to push a real heavy rock practically immovable over the top of the hill in Tartarus To make sure nthat he got the point the rock was shaped exactly like the one into which Zeus had changed when he hid from Asopus n nThe bad news was the rock would roll back over the poor man just as he would get to the top and he would have to start all over again Sisyphus was doomed to endure this forever What a drag

Demeter

MercuriusTJ — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:55:00 MDT

Demeter - DemeterII.jpg

Demeter is the great Olympian Goddess of Agriculture Grain and Bread the prime sustenance of mankind She also presided over the foremost of the Mystery Cults which promised its intiates the path to a blessed afterlife Demeter is depicted as a mature woman often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and and a torch nIn Greek mythology Demeter was the most generous of the great Olympian goddesses The Greek goddess Demeter was an ancient goddess beloved for her service to mankind in giving them the gift of the harvest the reward for cultivation of the soil n nAlso known as the Roman goddess Ceres Demeter was the goddess of the harvest and was credited with teaching humans how to grow preserve and prepare grain Demeter was thought to be responsible for the fertility of the land n nShe was the only one of the Greek goddesses who was involved on a day-to-day basis in the lives of the common folk While others occasionally dabbled in human affairs when it suited their personal interests or came to the aid of special mortals they favored the goddess Demeter was truly the nurturer of mankind n nDemeter also was the only one of the Greek goddesses who could truly empathize with the human experience of suffering and grief having experienced it fully herself nThe goddess Demeter is best known for her fierce defense of her daughter Persephone who was also known as the child Kore (or Cora) Persephone's father was Zeus the mighty ruler of the Olympians The goddess Demeter had been one of his early consorts long before his marriage to Hera n n Persephone was an obedient cheerful girl who had a happy childhood playing with her cousins Artemis and Athena Reaching adolescence she was carefree and spirited often dancing playfully and picking wildflowers in the meadow near her home n nPersephone's youthful beauty drew the attention of Hades the god of the underworld and he could not help falling in love with her One day as Persephone reached over to pick a flower the earth opened and the arm of Hades reached up from the underworld n nAnd so Hades abducted her dragging her back to his kingdom n nHearing Persephone's screams the goddess Demeter rushes to the meadow but cannot find Persephone Carrying a torch Demeter traveled the world day and night never eating or resting searching futilely for her daughter nPoseidon god of the sea noticed the goddess Demeter as she traveled and pursued her with amorous intent Then Demeter tried to fool him by changing herself into a mare and hiding herself in the middle of a herd of horses but he was not fooled Poseidon saw through Demeter's disguise turned himself into a stallion and took her at his will n nWhen Demeter continued her journey in search of her daughter she met an old and poor man who was gathering firewood who invited her to return to his home to eat supper with his family and to rest on her journey When she told him that she was searching for her daughter he wished her success and told her that he understood her suffering since his son lay dying at home Demeter goddess of compasion changed her mind and went with the kindly man stopping only once to gather some poppies by the path Entering his humble home Demeter went straight away to the boy's bedside and kissed the boy lovingly on the cheek Immediately the pallor left his face and his breathing eased as Demeter's love had restored the son to full health nAlthough it was the custom of the Greek goddesses and gods to become very vindictive toward anyone who failed to honor them in a dignified fashion Demeter was such a kind goddess that she seldom utilized this privilege One of the few times was when she stopped on her travels to quench her thirst by drinking from a spring and heard a man named Ascaelabus laughing at the sound of her gulping the fresh water Embarrassed and angry at the man for being so rude Demeter turned him into a lizard n n Resuming her search she soon encountered Hecate goddess of the crossroads who advised her to speak with Helio goddess of the sun reasoning that since she had been riding her chariot (the sun) through the sky that day she had surely seen what had happened to Persephone Helio told the goddess Demeter what she had seen and that Persephone was now ensconced as Hades' wife and Queen of the Underworld She also gave her the shocking news that Zeus himself had sanctioned the marriage giving Hades permission to abduct Persephone nUnderstandably the goddess Demeter felt betrayed Renouncing her divine duties that included bringing fertility to the land Demeter left Mount Olympus swearing that the earth would remain barren until her daughter was returned to her She took refuge in the city of Eleusis Disguised as an old woman the goddess Demeter was met the city rulers two young daughters at the well and they liking her immensely invited her to return to their home to meet their mother There she met their mother who was cuddling her infant son This must have stirred Demeter's longing for her abducted daughter horribly Demeter became profoundly depressed almost catatonic eyes gazing off into the distance and unwilling or unable to even speak n n Everyone tried to all that they knew to cheer their guest but it was to no avail Eventually one of the household servants a middle-aged maid named Baubo came and sat in front of Demeter and started talking mostly making humorous comments (most likely of the male-bashing sort) some of them quite risque Encouraged when she saw the beginnings of a smile forming on Demeter's grief stricken face Baubo hiked up her skirt and mooned the goddess Demeter responded with a deep belly laugh that brought her out of the deep depression Her good nature now restored Demeter was soon hired to work as a nursemaid to the infant son of the city's ruler nCaring for him lovingly feeding him on the nectar and ambrosia of the gods Demeter grew very attached to the young Demophoon and decided to make him immortal But just as Demeter was holding his feet over the fire (the ritual which would transform him into an Olympian god Demophoon's mother entered the room n nMistakenly believing that Demeter was about to burn her son she began to scream The goddess Demeter then dropped her disguise revealing the beautiful goddess that she truly was and berated the mother for her stupidity in stopping the ritual that would have given her son immortality n nIn addition Demeter demanded that a temple be built in her honor This was done and the goddess Demeter remained there sitting alone in the darkness once again depressed and grieving for her lost daughter n nAll this time with the goddess Demeter refusing to function the land grew barren and the harvests ceased the earth saw a winter that did not end Zeus finally opens his eyes to what was happening and sent messengers to apologize and coax the goddess Demeter to return n nDemeter however remained adamant that she would not return until Persephone was rescued Finally Zeus gave in and sent Hermes to command Hades to release Persephone nPersephone upon hearing the news rejoiced for she had missed her mother sorely As she was leaving Hades offered her a pomegranate to eat Persephone had refused all food while she had been in the underworld and was surely hungry n nAlthough she undoubtedly knew that those who ate anything in the underworld were not allowed to return to the earth Persephone accepted Hades' gift eating only the seeds Hermes borrowed Hades chariot and stallions and flew Persephone home to her mother as Zeus had ordered n nDemeter was not pleased that Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds and would have to return to the underworld for four months during each year but was otherwise overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter n nHappily Demeter resumed her divine duties and restored the fertility of the earth Each year the goddess Demeter longs for her absent daughter and withdraws her favors from the earth for a period we know as winter but Persephone returns each spring to end her desolation nOnce Persephone was safely returned albeit for only a third of a year the Greek goddess Demeter decided to reside in her temple in Eleusis where she had enjoyed the welcome and support of her friends during her long search for Persephone n n There she developed the Eleusian mysteries a series of profound religious ceremonies that taught her initiates how to live joyfully and how to die without fear nThe story of Greek goddess Demeter illustrates the tremendous capacity of a woman to love and nurture within her own family and the world at large n nIt also reminds us to stand firm for what is good and right even in the face of adversity when powerful forces are aligned against us T n nhe goddess Demeter's message also reminds us of the seasons of a woman's life that even though there are times of great sorrow there is also great joy to be found

Zeus

salsa88 — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:38:00 MDT

Zeus - Zeus.jpg

Zeus the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea he was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there Being the supreme ruler he upheld law justice and morals and this made him the spiritual leader of both gods and men Zeus was a celestial god and originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek tribes These people came southward from the Balkans circa 2100 BCE He has always been associated as being a weather god as his main attribute is the thunderbolt he controlled thunder lightning and rain Theocritus wrote circa 265 BCE: sometimes Zeus is clear sometimes he rains He is also known to have caused thunderstorms n nIn Homer's epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms against his enemies The name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios meaning bright His other attributes as well as lightning were the scepter the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia) n nBefore the abolition of monarchies Zeus was protector of the king and his family Once the age of Greek kings faded into democracy he became chief judge and peacemaker but most importantly civic god He brought peace in place of violence Hesiod (circa 700 BCE) describes Zeus as the lord of justice Zeus was also known as Kosmetas (orderer) Soter (savior) Polieos (overseer of the polis -city) and also Eleutherios (guarantor of political freedoms) His duties in this role were to maintain the laws protect suppliants to summon festivals and to give prophecies (his oldest and most famous oracle was at Dodona in Epirus -northwestern Greece) As the supreme deity Zeus oversaw the conduct of civilized life But the father of gods and men as Homer calls him has many mythological tales n nHis most famous was told by Hesiod in his Theogony of how Zeus usurped the kingdom of the immortals from his father This mythological tale of Zeus' struggle against the Titans (Titanomachy) had been caused by Cronus after he had been warned that one of his children would depose him Cronus knowing the consequences as he had overthrown his father Uranus To prevent this from happening Cronus swallowed his newborn children Hestia Demeter Hera Hades and Poseidon but his wife Rhea (who was also his sister) and Gaia her mother wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes in place of the infant Zeus Cronus thinking it was the newborn baby swallowed the stone Meanwhile Rhea had her baby taken to Crete and there in a cave on Mount Dicte the divine goat Amaltheia suckled and raised the infant Zeus n nWhen Zeus had grown into a young man he returned to his fathers domain and with the help of Gaia compelled Cronus to regurgitate the five children he had previously swallowed (in some versions Zeus received help from Metis who gave Cronus an emetic potion which made him vomit up Zeus' brothers and sisters) However Zeus led the revolt against his father and the dynasty of the Titans defeated and then banished them Once Zeus had control he and his brothers divided the universe between them: Zeus gaining the heavens Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld Zeus had to defend his heavenly kingdom The three separate assaults were from the offspring of Gaia: they were the Gigantes Typhon (Zeus fought them with his thunder-bolt and aegis) and the twin brothers who were called the Aloadae The latter tried to gain access to the heavens by stacking Mount Ossa on top of Mount Olympus and Mount Pelion on top of Mount Ossa but the twins still failed in their attempt to overthrow Zeus As he did with the Titans Zeus banished them all to Tartarus which is the lowest region on earth lower than the underworld n nAccording to legend Metis the goddess of prudence was the first love of Zeus At first she tried in vain to escape his advances but in the end succumbed to his endeavor and from their union Athena was conceived Gaia warned Zeus that Metis would bear a daughter whose son would overthrow him On hearing this Zeus swallowed Metis the reason for this was to continue to carry the child through to the birth himself Hera (his wife and sister) was outraged and very jealous of her husband's affair also of his ability to give birth without female participation To spite Zeus she gave birth to Hephaestus parthenogenetically (without being fertilized) and it was Hephaestus who when the time came split open the head of Zeus from which Athena emerged fully armed n nZeus had many offspring his wife Hera bore him Ares Hephaestus Hebe and Eileithyia but Zeus had numerous liaisons with both goddesses and mortals He either raped them or used devious means to seduce the unsuspecting maidens His union with Leto (meaning the hidden one) brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis Once again Hera showed her jealousy by forcing Leto to roam the earth in search of a place to give birth as Hera had stopped her from gaining shelter on terra-firma or at sea The only place she could go was to the isle of Delos in the middle of the Aegean the reason being that Delos was as legend states a floating island One legend says that Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione n nBesides deities he also fathered many mortals In some of his human liaisons Zeus used devious disguises When he seduced the Spartan queen Leda he transformed himself into a beautiful swan and from the egg which Leda produced two sets of twins were born: Castor and Polydeuces and Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy He visited princess Danae as a shower of gold and from this union the hero Perseus was born He abducted the Phoenician princess Europa disguised as a bull then carried her on his back to the island of Crete where she bore three sons: Minos Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon Zeus also took as a lover the Trojan prince Ganymede He was abducted by an eagle sent by Zeus (some legends believe it was Zeus disguised as an eagle) The prince was taken to Mount Olympus where he became Zeus' cup-bearer Zeus also used his charm and unprecedented power to seduce those he wanted so when Zeus promised Semele that he would reveal himself in all his splendor in order to seduce her the union produced Dionysus but she was destroyed when Zeus appeared as thunder and lightening Themis the goddess of justice bore the three Horae goddesses of the seasons to Zeus and also the three Moirae known as the Fates When Zeus had an affair with Mnemosyne he coupled with her for nine consecutive nights which produced nine daughters who became known as the Muses They entertained their father and the other gods as a celestial choir on Mount Olympus They became deities of intellectual pursuits Also the three Charites or Graces were born from Zeus and Eurynome From all his children Zeus gave man all he needed to live life in an ordered and moral way n nZeus had many Temples and festivals in his honor the most famous of his sanctuaries being Olympia the magnificent Temple of Zeus which held the gold and ivory statue of the enthroned Zeus sculpted by Phidias and hailed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Also the Olympic Games were held in his honor The Nemean Games which were held every two years were to honor Zeus There were numerous festivals throughout Greece: in Athens they celebrated the marriage of Zeus and Hera with the Theogamia (or Gamelia) The celebrations were many: in all Zeus had more than 150 epithets each one being celebrated in his honor

Babylonian World Map 600-500 BCE

derekuz — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:01:00 MDT

Babylonian World Map 600-500 BCE - Babylonian-World-Map.jpg

(1) The Babylonian map of the worldnnBM 92687 Babylonian map of the world in the British Museum London It is the earliest extant map The clay tablet is 122 cms tall The map was composed in Babylonia and is the only Babylonian map drawn on an international scale It is a Neo-Babylonian (Persian Period circa 500 BCE) copy of an original dating to the Sargonid Period circa late eighth or seventh century BCE The clay tablet is a drawing and textual description of the Babylonian cosmos It is oriented to the north-west (It is uncertain whether the accompanying cuneiform text was composed together with the map) It is the only known map of the world dating from the Neo-Babylonian Period All other maps have a purely local focusnnIt depicts a bird's-eye view of the world and shows a flat round world with the city of Babylon in the centre (Circa 500 BCE Babylon was still a flourishing city and regarded as the centre (ie the hub) of the world In the third millennium BCE Nippur was considered to be the city at the centre of the world) It is likely that the Sumerians made the city of Nippur the centre of the universe (a Sumerian Rome) from about 2300 BCE (just prior to the Ur III Period) Political supremacy was regarded as conditional on the possession of Nippur With the rise to political supremacy of the Babylonian kings from the early 2nd-millennium onwards it was possible for Babylon to claim the central position and replace Nippur as the centre of the universennThe map depicts the world as two concentric circles with triangular areas radiating from the outer circle The area within the inner circle represents the central continent where Babylon and Assyria are located The area between the two circles is the earthly (cosmic) ocean The area beyond the outer circle consists of the triangular areas which are the uncharted regions The continent on the map contains various geometric shapes representing places and topographic features The place names include the countries of Assyria (indicated north-east of Babylon) Urartu (Armenia) (indicated north of Assyria) the land of Habban (South Yemen) (indicated south-west of Babylon) and the city of Babylon The topographic features include a mountain a swamp and a channel (The mountains are located at the top in the north) Babylon is represented by a large rectangle encompassing almost half the width of the central continent Assyria is represented as a small oval (Various nameless places are also indicated by ovals) The Euphrates River which originates in the mountains at the top of the map runs through Babylon and flows into the marshes at the bottom of the map The continent is surrounded by the circle of salty ocean The map schematically portrays the entire kingdom of Babylonia The text contains the names of countries and cities but on the reverse side the text is largely concerned with a description of the seven unnamed outer regions (islands) which are depicted in the form of equal triangles rising beyond the encircling earthly (cosmic) oceannnThe text (on both sides of the tablet) shows that the map attempts to depict the entire world The emphasis on distant places in the text accompanying the map indicates that the likely purpose of the map was to locate and describe distant regions The text of the reverse of the tablet describe the seven islands in detail (From the paucity of the information given it is evident that the Babylonians knew little about these islands Mostly the description given is mostly about their various degrees of brightness) From the text on the reverse of the tablet and the inscriptions on the map itself it can be determined that the first island lay in the south-east the second island lay in the south-west and so on so that the sequence of the islands is somewhat analogous with the hands of a modern clock The descriptions of the first and second outer regions are not preservednnOther textual sources describe he earthly ocean as being enclosed by a double range of mountains those to the east and those to the west (the sunrise and sunset range respectivelynnThe map has a definite orientation - it is inclined The orientation is such that that the northwest is at the top Thus the Babylonian system of orientation did not follow the perpendicular plane - north west south and east - of our Western cardinal points The Babylonian system of orientation was based upon the prevalent winds The northwest wind was sent from the goddess Ishtar and was a favourable wind nnFor a detailed early discussion of the Babylonian world map see From Cosmos Picture to the World Map by Eckhard Unger (Imago Mundi Volume 2 1937 Pages 1-7)nn nn(2) The levels of the Babylonian universennThe vertical levels of the (generalised) Mesopotamian universe are indicated as:nnRegion Above the Heaven of Anu (See: The Etana Epic Section B 30-43) (Open space implied by The Etana Epic)nnUpper Heaven (High Heaven) of Anu (Highest Region of the Universe)nnMiddle Heaven (Intermediate High Heaven) of IgiginnLower Heaven of the (Visible) Sky (Stars Planets Sun and Moon)nnThe Atmosphere (Either not specifically listed (not considered a separate level of the universe) or identified as Part of Visible Sky (Lower Heaven) or Separate Geographical Level) nnUpper Earth (Humankind The Level of the Earth's Surface (Dry Land and Sea))nnMiddle Earth Apsu of Ea (EnkiEa) (Cosmic Subterranean Water)nnLower Earth Underworld of Nergal (King) and Erekigal (Queen) (Realm of the Dead) (Lowest Region of the Universe)nnThe existing accounts of Mesopotamian cosmology are rather limited Unfortunately they are also conflicting For a detailed discussion of Mesopotamian cosmology including the Babylonian world map see Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography by Wayne Horowitz (1998)

Babylonian_World_Mapm.jpg

derekuz — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:01:00 MDT

Babylonian_World_Mapm.jpg

Poseidon

salsa88 — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:32:00 MDT

Poseidon - Poseidon.jpg

Poseidon was the ruler of the sea a powerful god in Greek mythology who was often called the Earth-shaker His father was the Titan Cronus who at the time was ruler of the Universe and his mother was Rhea Cronus was a paranoid ruler because it had been prophesized that one of his own sons would dethrone him just as Cronus had done to his father UranusThus Cronus would swallow the children whom Rhea bore him He figured that it was the safest way to ensure that none of his offspring overthrew himOne by one the children were swallowed by Cronus: first Hestia then Demeter Hera Hades and Poseidon (Some mythographers claim that Rhea tricked Cronus by presenting a foal instead of the baby Poseidon for consumption but most agree that Poseidon had been swallowed like the rest of his siblings)Needless to say this constant swallowing of her children enraged Rhea She bore her third son Zeus in the middle of the night and gave him for safekeeping to Gaea (Mother Earth) She fooled Cronus into believing he had swallowed his new son by substituting a rock wrapped in baby blanketsWhen Zeus grew up and with the help of Gaea and his mother Rhea he slipped Cronus a potion that made the Titan disgorge the swallowed children Being gods they were unharmed albeit a tad dazed and confused With Zeus serving as their leader Poseidon Hades Hestia Demeter and Hera waged war against the Titans for supremacy of the UniverseAssisted by the Cyclops (they gave Zeus his thunderbolts Poseidon his trident and Hades his helmet of invisibility) and the Hecatoncheires (the Hundred-handed-ones) the siblings fought a terrible war that lasted ten years In the end they were victorious banishing their vanquished foes to the deepest depths of the Underworld called Tartarus This dark and woeful place is as far beneath the earth as heaven is above the earth Around Tartarus runs a fence of bronze with gates of bronze which Poseidon fixed in such as way as to offer no escape and there the Titans were forever confinedAfter Zeus with his brothers and sisters defeated the Titans anddethroned Cronus the three brothers drew lots out of a helmet todetermine which one of the three realms each would rule Zeus won the heavens and thus became the supreme ruler Hades got the Underworld and Poseidon got the sea The Earth remained common to all threePoseidon was very powerful second only to Zeus himself Equal to Zeus in dignity though not in power he was reputed to be a surly and quarrelsome figurePoseidon at once got busy constructing a magnificent palace beneath the sea off Aegae in Euboea Splendid white chariot horses with brazen hooves and golden manes lived in the palace's spacious stables and an awesome golden chariot was always ready to transport the sea god about At the approach of Poseidon's chariot storms and foul weather would cease and sea monsters would rise from the depths playfully frisking around it like friendly dolphinsAs wonderful as his underwater palace was Poseidon still spent much of his time participating in the festivities in Olympus with the other godsPoseidons wife was Amphitrite granddaughter of the titan Oceanus At first Poseidon courted Thetis the Nereid because she was beautiful and was already accustomed to the sea-depths But when the respected Titan Themis prophesized that any son born to Thetis would be greater than his father wisely he backed off and looked elsewhere for a wifeNext he approached Amphitrite another Nereid who wanted nothing to do with Poseidon For whatever reason she was turned-off by the god of the sea and fled to the Atlas Mountains in order to escape his advancesNot to be denied Poseidon sent messengers all over the earth to look for her Eventually after much wandering a man named Delphinus located Amphitrite and was so convincing in pleading Poseidon's case and his love for her that at last she yielded and agreed to the marriage Delphinus himself organized the entire wedding and a splendid party it wasThe union of Poseidon and Amphitrite produced three children: Triton Rhode and Benthesicyme But like his brother Zeus Poseidon wasn't a very faithful husband and engaged in numerous affairs with goddesses nymphs and even mortalsUnderstandably jealous Amphitrite punished many of her husband's lovers just like Hera did to her husband Zeus' women She was particularly upset with Poseidon's infatuation with Scylla gorgeous daughter of Phorcys and was determined to punish her indiscretion Amphitrite threw magical herbs into Scylla's bathing pool and when the woman took her bath at once she transformed into a barking monster with six heads and twelve feetPoseidon was never fully satisfied with his share of the world and once even conspired with other Olympians to dethrone Zeus But his plot was discovered and in punishment Zeus exiled him to earth There he was to build the walls of Troy for king Laomedon He was helped by Apollo who was also banished from Olympus at that timeThe two Olympian gods assumed the likeness of men and undertook to fortify Troy for wages Apollo was able to move the heaviest of stones with just the sound of his lyre But when they had fortified it and the task was completed the foolish king Laomedon would not pay their wages Therefore Apollo sent a pestilence and Poseidon sent a Sea-monster which snatched away the people of the plainThe oracles foretold deliverance from these calamities if Laomedon would expose the maiden Hesione to be devoured by Poseidon's Sea-monster Not knowing what else to do the king followed the oracles' advice and fastened her to the rocks near the sea but at the last moment the greatest Greek hero Heracles (Hercules) saved her and she married TelamonGetting stiffed for his wages was also the chief reason why Poseidon was on the Greek side during the Trojan WarMany more Sea-monsters were unleashed by Poseidon to exactvengeance: Poseidon sent a Sea-monster against the Teucriansbecause Hierax a righteous man was devoted to Demeter and would not honor Poseidon When Queen Cassiopeia boasted of being better than the Nereids the water nymphs became angry and asked Poseidon to intervene The wrathful god sent a flood and yet another Sea-monster to invade the land Andromeda was exposed as a prey to this monster only to be rescued by the hero Perseus Poseidon also sent a bull from the sea and the horses of Hippolytus were startled entangling their master in the reins dragging him to a horrible deathAnother time Poseidon competed with the great Athena - goddess of wisdom war and the crafts - over who would gain patronage of the famous city state called Athens Poseidon struck the side of the Acropolis and a fountain spurted forth its water much to the amazement of the people However the water was salty which proved no use to the populace Athena presented the people with the first olive tree which was used for food oil and provided wood to burn in the winter The gods and goddesses had assembled to pass judgment with the males voting for the god of the sea and the females choosing Athena's olive tree Since the women outnumbered the men by one Athena's gift was judged to be the most useful and Athena was awarded the city which forever after carried her name - Athens Known for his anger and not being the best of sports Poseidonproceeded to sent huge waves to flood the area in a mean-spiritedparting gesture To appease Poseidon's wrath the women of Athens were deprived of their vote and the men forbidden to bear their mothers names In the shrine of Erechtheus there remained preserved a long time an olive tree and a pool of salt water which had been set there by Poseidon and Athena as tokens when they contended for the city Another dispute arose between Poseidon and Athena over the city of Troezen but Zeus nipped it in the bud by declaring that it was to be shared equally between the two an arrangement loathed by both parties Quarrelsome Poseidon thus engaged in disputes with: Zeus over the island of Aegina Dionysus over the island of Naxos Helios the sun god over the area of Corinth (Poseidon was upset because he received the Isthmus of Corinth only while Helios got the prestigious Acropolis of Corinth) Hera wife of Zeus got into it with Poseidon over Argolis and that one got real ugly with accusations flying all over the place and Poseidon claiming that the Olympians were biased against him Poseidon's argument with Hera was referred for arbitration to a panel of three River-gods who made a decision in favor of Hera Outraged Poseidon vowed revenge on them Zeus had forbidden him to bring on floods as he had done in Athens so the sea god did the exact opposite -- He dried up the streams of his three judges (Inachus Cephissus and Asterion) and they never again flowed in the summer But Poseidon could be compassionate Anymone was a Danaid (nymph of nature) who was greatly distressed by these droughts and taking pity on her Poseidon caused the Argive river of Lerna to perpetually flow bringing Anymone much-needed relief Poseidon liked to boast that he created the first horse and it wasaccepted that he instituted horse-racing He even claimed to haveconstructed the first horse bridle although Athena begs to differ on thatthe two rarely got along at first even though eventually they reconciled and worked on some common causes Like Zeus it took many years for Poseidon to mature and not always act belligerently Although Poseidon is adored for giving men the first horse his primary importance was as Lord of the Sea At his command winds rose and the most violent of storms began but when he drove in his golden chariot over the water the storms subsided and tranquil peace followed his wheels Ancient sailors and warriors would pray and offer tributes to the great Poseidon prior to undertaking a sea journey In turn Poseidon could be cruel and hostile to those who displeased him such as the hero of the Trojan War Odysseus who suffered great tribulations at the hands of Poseidon while embarked on his Odyssey back home Both the bull and the horse are associated with Poseidon but the bull is associated with many other gods as well so the horse can be considered his animalHe was always depicted carrying or using his distinguishing weapon the trident a three-pronged spear which he used to shatter and shake anything he pleased much like his brother Zeus used his thunderbolts That's why he was commonly referred to as the Earth Shaker The trident his symbol was the gift of the Cyclopes who had fought with the Olympians versus the TitansHe was always accompanied by his son Triton who was half man half fish Triton would blow on his seashell to announce Poseidon's arrival