Chapter 2: The Olympians
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
♠ Homer, Odyssey 11.305-20
And after her I saw Iphimedeia, wife of Aloeus, who declared that she had lain with Poseidon. She bore two sons, but short of life were they, godlike Otus, and far-famed Ephialtes—men whom the earth, the giver of grain, reared as the tallest, and far the comeliest, after the famous Orion. For at nine years they were nine cubits in breadth and in height nine fathoms. Yea, and they threatened to raise the din of furious war against the immortals in Olympus. They were fain to pile Ossa on Olympus, and Pelion, with its waving forests, on Ossa, that so heaven might be scaled. And this they would have accomplished, if they had reached the measure of manhood; but the son of Zeus, whom fair-haired Leto bore, slew them both before the down blossomed beneath their temples and covered their chins with a full growth of beard. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Odyssey 11.235-57
Then verily the first that I saw was high-born Tyro, who said that she was the daughter of noble Salmoneus, and declared herself to be the wife of Cretheus, son of Aeolus. She became enamoured of the river, divine Enipeus, who is far the fairest of rivers that send forth their streams upon the earth, and she was wont to resort to the fair waters of Enipeus. But the Enfolder and Shaker of the earth took his form, and lay with her at the mouths of the eddying river. And the dark wave stood about them like a mountain, vaulted-over, and hid the god and the mortal woman. And he loosed her maiden girdle, and shed sleep upon her. But when the god had ended his work of love, he clasped her hand, and spoke, and addressed her: “‘Be glad, woman, in our love, and as the year goes on its course thou shalt bear glorious children, for not weak are the embraces of a god. These do thou tend and rear. But now go to thy house, and hold thy peace, and tell no man; but know that I am Poseidon, the shaker of the earth.’ “So saying, he plunged beneath the surging sea. But she conceived and bore Pelias and Neleus, who both became strong servants of great Zeus; and Pelias dwelt in spacious Iolcus, and was rich in flocks, and the other dwelt in sandy Pylos. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Odyssey 7.56-62
Nausithous at the first was born from the earth-shaker Poseidon and Periboea, the comeliest of women, youngest daughter of great-hearted Eurymedon, who once was king over the insolent Giants. But he brought destruction on his froward people, and was himself destroyed. But with Periboea lay Poseidon and begat a son, great-hearted Nausithous, who ruled over the Phaeacians. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Odysssey 5.422-23
or lest some god may even send forth upon me some great monster from out the sea—and many such does glorious Amphitrite breed. For I know that the glorious Earth-shaker is filled with wrath against me. Greek Text
♠ Pherekydes 3F4 – Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker 1, p. 60, ed. F. Jacoby, 2d ed. Leiden 1957.
SCHOL. APOLL. RHOD. IV 1091: Since Diktys and Polydektes were sons of Androthoe, daughter of Perikastor and Peristhenes son of Damastor son of Nauplios son of Poseidon and Amymone, as Pherekydes says in the first book. (Transl. Silvio Curtis) Greek Text
♠ Aischylos, Amymone pp. 131-32 R – Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta 3, pp. 131-32 ed. S. L. Radt. Göttingen 1985.
♠ Hesiod, Ehoiai (Catalogue of Women) fr 223 MW – Fragmenta Hesiodea, p. 111, ed. R. Merkelbach and M. L. West. Oxford 1967.
Boutes was, they say, a son of Poseidon, as Hesiod states in the Catalogue. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Pindar, Olympian 6.28-30
and I must go today, in good time, to Pitana, beside the ford of Eurotas. Pitana, who, it is said, lay with Poseidon son of Cronus, [30] and bore a child, violet-haired Evadne. Greek Text
♠ Hesiod, Ehoiai (Catalogue of Women) fr 148 MW – Fragmenta Hesiodea, pp. 72-73, ed. R. Merkelbach and M. L. West. Oxford 1967.
♠ Hesiod, Ehoiai (Catalogue of Women) fr 149 MW – Fragmenta Hesiodea, p. 73, ed. R. Merkelbach and M. L. West. Oxford 1967.
♠ Pherekydes 3F52 – Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker 1, p. 76, ed. F. Jacoby, 2d ed. Leiden 1957.
Artemis slew Orion in Delos. They say that this son of Earth was enormous in his body. But Pherekydes says that he was the son of Poseidon and Euryale. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Bakchylides 17.33-36
but I too [Theseus] was borne by the daughter of rich Pittheus, who coupled with the sea-god Poseidon. Greek Text
♠ Hesiod, Aspis (Shield of Herakles) 182 = Homer, Iliad 1.265
Theseus, the son of Aegeus, like the deathless gods. Greek Text = Greek Text
♠ Theognis 1233 – Iambi et Elegi Graeci 1, p. 234, ed. M.L. West. Oxford 1971.
and the son of Aigeus, great Theseus, perished. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Homer, Iliad 21.441-57
Fool, how witless is the heart thou hast! Neither rememberest thou all the woes that we twain alone of all the gods endured at Ilios, what time we came at the bidding of Zeus and served the lordly Laomedon for a year’s space at a fixed wage, and he was our taskmaster and laid on us his commands. I verily built for the Trojans round about their city a wall, wide and exceeding fair, that the city might never be broken; and thou, Phoebus, didst herd the sleek kine of shambling gait amid the spurs of wooded Ida, the many-ridged. But when at length the glad seasons were bringing to its end the term of our hire, then did dread Laomedon defraud us twain of all hire, and send us away with a threatening word. He threatened that he would bind together our feet and our hands above, and would sell us into isles that lie afar. Aye, and he made as if he would lop off with the bronze the ears of us both. So we twain fared aback with angry hearts, wroth for the hire he promised but gave us not. Greek Text
♠ Scholion A at Homer, Iliad 1.399 – Scholia Graeca in Homeri Iliadem 1, p. 51, ed. W. Dindorf and E. Maass. Oxford 1875.
♠ Pindar, Isthmean 8.27-29
All this was remembered even by the assembly of the blessed gods, when Zeus and splendid Poseidon contended for marriage with Thetis, each of them wanting her to be his lovely bride; for desire possessed them. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 7.445-53
And among them Poseidon, the Shaker of Earth, was first to speak: “Father Zeus, is there now anyone of mortals on the face of the boundless earth, that will any more declare to the immortals his mind and counsel? Seest thou not that now again the long-haired Achaeans have builded them a wall to defend their ships, and about it have drawn a trench, but gave not glorious hecatombs to the gods? Of a surety shall the fame thereof reach as far as the dawn spreadeth, and men will forget the wall that I and Phoebus Apollo built with toil for the warrior Laomedon.” Greek Text
♠ Homer, Odyssey 13.149-64
But now I am minded to smite the fair ship of the Phaeacians, as she comes back from his convoy on the misty deep, that hereafter they may desist and cease from giving convoy to men, and to fling a great mountain about their city.” Then Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, answered him and said: “Lazy one, hear what seems best in my sight. When all the people are looking forth from the city upon her as she speeds on her way, then do thou turn her to stone hard by the land—a stone in the shape of a swift ship, that all men may marvel; and do thou fling a great mountain about their city.” Now when Poseidon, the earth-shaker, heard this he went his way to Scheria, where the Phaeacians dwell, and there he waited. And she drew close to shore, the seafaring ship, speeding swiftly on her way. Then near her came the Earth-shaker and turned her to stone, and rooted her fast beneath by a blow of the flat of his hand, and then he was gone. Greek Text
♠ Pindar, Olympian 9.29-31
For how could Heracles have wielded his club against the trident, when Poseidon took his stand to guard Pylos, and pressed him hard. Greek Text
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
Edited by Elena Bianchelli, Senior Lecturer of Classical Languages and Culture, Univ. of Georgia, August 2020
1,059 total views, 1 views today