| Poseidon |
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Lord of the seas, Earthshaker, lord of horses. A protector of seafarers, and later spacefarers Poseidon was a friendly and helpful god when venerated, but had a vengeful streak if he felt he was being ignored. Not enough offerings? Expect earthquakes as he smote the ground with his trident, tidalwaves, and shipwrecks. The middle brother of Hades and Zeus, he often worked closest with Apollo and was the previous caretaker of the oracle at Delphi before his nephew took it over. His fondness for horses has never conclusively been explained, but sailors in surface navies of old called the breaking white spray of waves 'white horses' inhis honour, and of course, to let him know they were thinking of him to keep him placated. |  |
Common History
It is commonly held that Zeus rescued or freed Poseidon as well as his siblings, Hera, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia from some form of imprisonment or captivity.
It is also suggested that Poseidon became lord of the sea following the defeat of his father Kronos, when Kobol was divided by lot among his three sons; Zeus was given the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea. Poseidon was protector of seafarers and sailors. After extra-solar flight, this ritual carried over to the Colonial Fleets. Poseidon was a major civic god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance, while in Corinth and many other cities he was the chief god of the polis.
In his benign aspect, Poseidon was seen as creating new islands and offering calm seas. When offended or ignored, he supposedly struck the ground with his trident and caused chaotic springs, earthquakes, drownings and shipwrecks. Poseidon was one of the caretakers of the oracle at Delphi before Apollo took it over. Apollo and Poseidon worked closely in many realms: in colonization, for example, Delphic Apollo provided the authorization to go out and settle, while Poseidon watched over the colonists on their way, and provided the lustral water for the foundation-sacrifice. Poseidon is perhaps one of the most amorous of the Gods, accumulating perhaps 80 or more lovers and consorts as well as issuing 125 or more children from these encounters.
Related Colony
- Picon - With the colony's long history as base for the Colonial Fleet, it's perhaps not surprising that they took Poseidon as their patron. Sails, be they on water or through space, urn to him to grant his protection to themselves and their vessels. There was a major shrine in Marlin City, just outside the walls of Crandall, that was destroyed by the Cylons during the second war, but the main centre of worship was at Fleet HQ itself, in Perkinston, which was nuked into glass during the initial bombardment.
Common Rituals
Sailors often prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice, and again once safely ashore again in thanks for a safe voyage. Sacrifices tend to be small tokens, of fragments of cargo that are burnt at port temples, or in some cases even onboard. This practice has carried over into the space-going fleet, with navigation officers and crew being the most likely to be followers.
Cults and Sects
- Horses of Poseidon - Found mostly amongst ship's officers and crew in surface navies, the Horses are a deeply supersticious bunch who make sacrifices to their God before every voyage to ask for his protection, and after each in thanks for their survival. Traditionally the usual sacrifice was an actual horse, purchased locally, but those who have taken the sect to the stars prefer effegies of the animal that can be burnt in their ship's chapels. If it was felt, part way through a voyage, that they needed to show their dedication again, perhaps when running beforea big storm, then with no horses to drown, a crew member would often be sanctified and then thrown overboard. Usually one that wasn't a member of the cult, but sometimes they couldn't be that choosy. Members of this sect as distinguishable by a tattoo of a stalion rampant over their heart.
- The Trident - Ever been on holiday at the beach, got into trouble, and been rescued by a lifeguard? Chances are they were a member of this sect. Obsessed with the idea that those who drown are taken from Poseidon by Hades, these women and men will put themselves into almost any danger to save lives at sea, or along waterways. Founded on Scorpia, where university students would go to celebrate away from class, they quickly spread to other worlds, and won quick support from the Colonial Government for their bravery and selflessness. Religious life is centred around their station, the boathouse or hut from which they keep watch on their assigned stretch of water, and members are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to rush to the aid of those in need.
Hymn
Hear, Neptune, ruler of the sea profound,
Whose liquid grasp begirts the solid ground;
Who, at the bottom of the stormy main,
Dark and deep-bosom'd, hold'st thy wat'ry reign;
Thy awful hand the brazen trident bears,
And ocean's utmost bound, thy will reveres:
Thee I invoke, whose steeds the foam divide,
From whose dark locks the briny waters glide;
Whose voice loud founding thro' the roaring deep,
Drives all its billows, in a raging heap;
When fiercely riding thro' the boiling sea,
Thy hoarse command the trembling waves obey.
Earth shaking, dark-hair'd God, the liquid plains
(The third division) Fate to thee ordains,
'Tis thine, cærulian dæmon, to survey
Well pleas'd the monsters of the ocean play,
Confirm earth's basis, and with prosp'rous gales
Waft ships along, and swell the spacious sails;
Add gentle Peace, and fair-hair'd Health beside,
And pour abundance in a blameless tide.