Over time, the Romans adopted many of Poseidon’s traits into the mythology of Neptune, which is why the gods seem so similar. A pantheon is a set of gods from the same religion.
When you study Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are basically the founders of the pantheon, along with their sisters Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.
Unlike other cultures, the Greeks based their gods on people, so they had lively tales about their exploits and vivid descriptions. Because they were so interesting, the Romans adopted these stories for their own mythology.
Many artistic depictions of the two gods, like sculptures and paintings, are named after both of them.
Like the sea, Poseidon and Neptune are depicted as being a bit moody, so they’re prone to anger. When they’re mad, they unleash their fury through storms or natural disasters.
Poseidon made the horse to impress his sister Demeter, an Earth goddess, after he fell in love with her. He modeled the horse off the waves of the ocean, making it the most beautiful creature he could envision. However, it failed to impress Demeter. [10] X Research source Neptune fathered the first horses, including the flying horse Pegasus. Their mother was the gorgon Medusa. According to myth, Neptune assaulted Medusa in the goddess Minerva’s temple and impregnated her. [11] X Research source
Neptune may originate from the Etruscan or Latium peoples who originally settled in Italy. The Etruscans had a water god named “Nepthuns” that may have originally inspired Neptune. [13] X Research source
In Roman myth, the top 3 gods are typically Jupiter, Mars, and Minerva. Jupiter is the Roman version of Zeus, while Mars is the Roman version of Ares, the Greek god of war. To Romans, war and conquest were important, not sea travel. [15] X Research source Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, victory, law, and justice. She’s based on the Greek goddess Athena. [16] X Research source Although Neptune doesn’t have a lot of temples, he did have shrines near freshwater sources. [17] X Research source
Poseidon also had children with multiple other goddesses, including the cyclops Polyphemus, whom Odysseus kills at the beginning of The Odyssey. Triton is probably the most well-known child of Poseidon, and he’s also sometimes attributed to Neptune. He’s also a sea god and acted as his father’s messenger. [20] X Research source
On the other hand, Neptune was originally based on the Etruscan god Nethuns, as discussed above. [22] X Research source Sometimes Neptune’s origin is depicted a little closer to Poseidon’s. In that version, he and his siblings are all swallowed by their father Saturn because he fears his children will overthrow him. Their mother Ops saves Jupiter by giving Saturn a stone to swallow instead, and the stone makes him throw up the children. Then, the children team up to overthrow Saturn. [23] X Research source
Neptune started adopting Poseidon’s characteristics around 399 BCE. [26] X Research source
Neptunalia mostly consisted of drinking and partying. [28] X Research source
All of the planets—and Pluto—in the Milky Way besides Earth are named after Roman gods. Early astronomers didn’t view Earth as a planet because they perceived it as the center of the universe.
