Homeric Hymn 22: To Poseidon
A 7-line invocation to Poseidon as mover of the earth and fruitless sea, lord of Helicon and Aegae, tamer of horses and saviour of ships — asking the dark-haired god to protect those who voyage.
About the Poem
The twenty-second Homeric Hymn is a complete 7-line invocation to Poseidon, the great god of sea and earthquakes. The hymn presents his full range: god of the sea, earth-shaker (seismic deity), lord of the sanctuary at Helicon (the mountain sacred to the Muses, where Poseidon also had a cult), and ruler of Aegae (either the Achaean city or the sea off Euboea, both associated with his cult).
The closing epithet pair — “tamer of horses” and “saviour of ships” — captures Poseidon’s two great domains: horses and the sea. In Thessaly and Elis his horse-breeding aspect was dominant; in Corinth, Athens, and the islands his maritime aspect prevailed. The final plea, “be kindly in heart and help those who voyage in ships,” reflects the constant anxiety of seafarers in the ancient Mediterranean.
Complete Text
Greek (Homeric)
Ἀμφὶ Ποσειδάωνα, θεὸν μέγαν, ἄρχομ’ ἀείδειν, γαίης κινητῆρα καὶ ἀτρυγέτοιο θαλάσσης, πόντιον, ὃς κατ’ Ἑλικῶνά τε μέδεα νωμᾶι καὶ Αἰγάς εὐρείας. διχόμοιρον δέ τοι, ἔννοσίγαιε, θεοὶ γέρας ὤπασαν, ἵππων τε δμητῆρα θέμεσθαι καὶ σωτῆρα νεῶν. χαῖρε, Ποσείδαον, γαιήοχε, κυανοχαῖτα ἄναξ· εὐμενὲς δ’ ἐπιτάρροθος ἔσθι.
(Full Greek text at Perseus Digital Library, link below.)
English (Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914 — public domain)
[1] I begin to sing about Poseidon, the great god, mover of the earth and fruitless sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Helicon and wide Aegae. A two-fold office the gods allotted you, O Shaker of the Earth, to be a tamer of horses and a saviour of ships!
Hail, Poseidon, Holder of the Earth, dark-haired lord! O blessed one, be kindly in heart and help those who voyage in ships!
The Division of the World
The phrase “a two-fold office the gods allotted you” (διχόμοιρον γέρας ὤπασαν) alludes to the primal division of the cosmos described in the Iliad (XV.187–193): when Cronos’ sons divided the world by lot, Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea. All three share the earth and Olympus in common. Poseidon’s “two-fold” office — horses and ships — represents his mastery over the two great transportation systems of antiquity.
“Fruitless sea” (ἀτρύγετος θάλασσα) — the sea that bears no crops — is one of Homer’s most characteristic epithets for the ocean, emphasizing its alien otherness from the fertile land.
“Dark-haired” (κυανοχαίτης) — Poseidon’s standard Homeric epithet, suggesting the deep blue-black color of the deep sea.
Poseidon and Horses
The connection between Poseidon and horses — seemingly odd for a sea god — has deep mythological roots. He created the first horse by striking rock with his trident in his contest with Athena for Athens. He fathered Arion (the divine horse), and the horse Pegasus is sometimes given a sea-father. The connection may reflect ancient associations between the thundering sea and the thunder of horse hooves, or the horse as an animal of ancient coastal/island cultures.
Citations
- Evelyn-White, H. G. (trans.). Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Loeb Classical Library 57. Harvard University Press, 1914. Public domain. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html
- Homer, Iliad XV.187–193 (the division of the cosmos). Perseus Digital Library. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134:book=15:card=187
- Callimachus, Hymn to Poseidon — now lost; known only from references.
- Perseus Digital Library, Homeric Hymns (Greek text): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0137:hymn=22