In the Greek religion, Poseidon was said to hold the Isthmus of Corinth in special regard probably as it was an important sea route. For this reason, it made sense that one god looked after all these waterways which encircled the earth (even if many rivers and springs had their own specific personifications in mythology). Poseidon is most often described by both Homer and Hesiod as 'deep sounding Earth-shaker', the 'dark-haired one' and 'encircler of the earth.' The latter title reminds that many ancients believed that all waterways were connected and that the land floated on water. In revenge for the blinding of his son Polyphemus, he cursed Odysseus to wander the sea for ten years. Poseidon also features in Homer's Odyssey as the nemesis of Odysseus. However, he does also give aid to the Trojan hero Aeneas in order to escape from the fearsome Achilles. The god is a major protagonist in the Trojan War of Homer's Iliad, where he supports the Greeks and gives them either encouragement with rousing speeches, often in disguise as various Achaean personalities, or actually leads them in battle with flashing sword. Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) In Hesiod & Homer Both Scylla and Charybdis would menace mariners who passed the Straits of Messina between Sicily and mainland Italy. Perhaps justifiably jealous of all these affairs, Poseidon's infatuation with Scylla, the daughter of the sea god Phorcys, led Amphitrite to cast some magic herbs in the girl's bath which turned her into a raging monster with twelve feet and six heads. Most notable are Theseus (with Aithra), Polyphemus the Cyclops (whom Odysseus famously encountered on his lengthy return from the Trojan War), Orion the hunter (with the daughter of Minos), the flying horse Pegasus (after the rape of Medusa), the wild horse Arion, and Charybdis (with Gaia), the ship-eating sea monster which created terrible whirlpools. However, as with the other divinities, Poseidon fathered many other offspring with various partners. Two other children were Rhode and Benthesicyme. The god's most famous son with Amphitrite was Triton, who was half-man, half-fish. The god was particularly revered at Corinth & was the focus of the Panhellenic Isthmian games.
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