One of the most famous ancient Roman gods, especially revered and majestic, was Neptune - the god of the sea and all kinds of water flows. All sources, rivers and lakes were under his jurisdiction, only by his desire he was able to cause the most devastating earthquakes, to raise and hide entire islands in the depths of the sea. Before the advent of Neptune, the titan Oceanus owned the sea kingdom, who with great reluctance gave his royal scepter to a young and ambitious successor, although he sincerely admired his virtues.
Identity of the Lord of the Seas
Being the second son of the father of the gods - the titan Kron - and the titanide Rhea, he was also a brother to Jupiter, Juno, Ceres, Vesta and Pluto. It was Jupiter, who, distributing the kingdoms between the brothers, ordered Neptune to be the only king of the ocean and rule all the waters on the surface of the Earth. However, the imperious god Neptune was not satisfied with his share and constantly encroached on other people's possessions. An attempt to overthrow his brother ended for Neptune with expulsion from Olympus to Earth and a sentence to erect the walls of Troy with his own hands. On the return of failure notleft him, and Neptune is defeated in the famous competition with Minerva for the right to name the most beautiful city of Athens. His gift to the inhabitants of the city - a horse of noble blood, a symbol of war and poverty - turned out to be less useful for them than the olive tree of Minerva - a symbol of we alth, peace and prosperity. The violent nature and indefatigable temperament possessed by the god Neptune, his sense of leadership constantly forced the lord of the water element to be drawn into all sorts of disputes, which were far from always crowned with success.
Neptune's personal life and lovers
Most of his life, Neptune lived not on Olympus, but in the coral caves of his sea kingdom, which he ruled fairly, strictly, sometimes, even cruelly. One of his words was enough for a terrible storm to rise on the sea, a wave to make it immediately subside. He easily made the waves roar furiously, in a minute returning the calm ripples to the sea. The queen of the seas, Amphitrite, was the faithful wife of Neptune, personifying the sea calmness flooded with the sun. At first she was afraid of her stubborn boyfriend, gracefully and quickly eluding him, but then, when he sent a message with a dolphin, inviting her to share the throne with him and become his wife, she agreed. In gratitude, the god Neptune raised the dolphin to heaven, dedicating a new constellation to it. His next lover was the goddess Ceres, who also did not immediately accept the courtship of the god of the seas. Turning into a mare, she hid from him by all means, but Neptune was difficult to deceive, he followed her in the guise of a horse. The fruit of thislove was the beautiful winged horse Arion, who could win any race. The next time the victim of his love was the earthly girl Teofana. Fearing that no one else would fall in love with the young beauty, Neptune turns her into a sheep and looks after her in the form of a ram. Theophan gives birth to a beautiful lamb with golden wool, it is for his rune that Jason and his Argonauts will subsequently go. Another love of the king of the seas will be Medusa Gorgon - even at a time when she was young and beautiful. The Roman god also marries her. Then, when drops of blood fall into the sea from her severed head, he will create a graceful Pegasus from them.
Neptune. Pictures
The god of the entire water element was revered mainly by people associated with the sea, or those who went on sea voyages. He was also considered the patron saint of horses and riders. In ancient Greek mythology, he was identified with Poseidon.
Usually, the god Neptune was depicted as a majestic, athletic middle-aged man with a trident in his hand, his beard and hair fluttering in the wind, and his head was crowned with a wreath of seaweed. He often rides the waves in his golden chariot drawn by white golden-maned horses, surrounded by various sea monsters.
A huge number of altars and temples were dedicated to Neptune throughout Italy and Greece. Sports competitions were even held in his honor. Today, the name of this great god is the most distant - the eighth planet of the solar system.
