Fellow Hellenists? Poseidon would be ruler of the earth realm, as I understand it?

[Buddha Dharma]

I think Poseidon would be considered the deity that keeps the entire earth realm, and not only the land and sea as literal concepts? Yes? No?

Since it is said Zeus keeps the heavenly realms or celestial- and Hades keeps the departed/nether realms, whatever their destiny may be.

I've often pondered this question to myself. If that makes Poseidon the ruler of this entire sphere of things?

 

[syo]

no. the earth realm isn't ruled by any god. the earth realm is ''open'' to all gods.

 

[Jainarayan]

Poseidon also controls earthquakes. One of his epithets is Earth-shaker. In the contest with Athena over winning the city of Athens (obviously Athena won), Poseidon's gift was a fountain in the shape of horses. He split the earth with his trident and the fountain came out. I think it's safe to say he has a grest measure of control over the land.

 

[syo]

Poseidon also controls earthquakes. One of his epithets is Earth-shaker. In the contest with Athena over winning the city of Athens (obviously Athena won), Poseidon's gift was a fountain in the shape of horses. He split the earth with his trident and the fountain came out. I think it's safe to say he has a grest measure of control over the land.

the earth realm is open for all gods to act upon it. when a god(s) wants to act on earth, they don't ask poseidon's permission. poseidon doesn't rule/control the earth.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

the earth realm is open for all gods to act upon it. when a god(s) wants to act on earth, they don't ask poseidon's permission. poseidon doesn't rule/control the earth.

Now that I think about it, you're right that the gods seem to act upon the earth as they please. I only wondered the possibility because of the dividing of the three realms story. You think it literally means the earth and sea elements Poseidon rules then?

That only seems questionable because it is actually realms that Zeus and Hades order.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

You know I prefer not to complicate discussions where I don't have to, but another possible indication that Poseidon may indeed rule the earth realm in the broad sense is that he was the high god of the Mycenaeans: List of Mycenaean deities - Wikipedia

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

"Homer and Hesiod suggest that Poseidon became lord of the sea following the defeat of his father Kronos, when the world was divided by lot among his three sons; Zeus was given the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea, with the Earth and Mount Olympus belonging to all three.[2][27]"

You can take it as you wish. There's no hard and fast rules with these things.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

You can take it as you wish. There's no hard and fast rules with these things.

Well that is indeed true

 

[syo]

Zeus' realm is the sky (above earth), Poseidon's realm is the sea (on the surface of earth), and Hades' realm is the underworld (inside earth). earth belongs to all of them.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

Zeus' realm is the sky (above earth), Poseidon's realm is the sea (on the surface of earth), and Hades' realm is the underworld (inside earth). earth belongs to all of them.

You don't see the view as going beyond the earth then, as some philosophers did? They talked about Zeus in absolutely glorified terms. See: Cleanthes Hymn to Zeus.

 

[syo]

You don't see the view as going beyond the earth then, as some philosophers did? They talked about Zeus in absolutely glorified terms. See: Cleanthes Hymn to Zeus.

what goes beyond the earth? all gods are universal, and their powers extent to the whole universe, not just earth.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Gods are generally multi-competent. They may be associated with a particular field simply because someone asked for their help and got it. On one Greek island, Poseidon had a healing sanctuary: someone had prayed to him, as the chief local god, and been healed, so others followed suit. Normally one thinks of Asklepios as the healing god, but in Epidauros they called on him for victory in war as well.

Poseidon's name shows that his worship was learned from the original inhabitants by the immigrant Greeks in the Bronze Age. He was Potei-daon, "husband of Da" i.e. of Da Mater, or Demeter; Da is definitely not Greek. In Arcadia, he largely kept that identity. But the Greeks, migrating down from the upper Balkans, needed divine aid when they took to the sea, and Poseidon somehow got adopted!