Do we like them?

Do we like Poseidon?

A character from Greek mythology (the Olympian gods) (Ancient Greece)

Our score: 4 out of 10. Sailors need him and horse lovers can thank him. But he is a moody, grudge-holding god who sends storms and monsters when he's slighted, so we'd back him warily and from the shore.

Poseidon is the son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and the brother of Zeus and Hades. After the brothers overthrew the Titans, the sea fell to him, while Zeus took the sky and Hades the underworld. He is one of the twelve Olympians, and his symbol is the trident. He is said to use it to stir up storms, calm the waves and shatter rocks, which is why he is also the god of earthquakes.

His temper matches his realm: sometimes calm, often violent. When the Trojan king Laomedon refused to pay him for building the walls of Troy, Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravage the land. He later helped the Greeks against Troy out of the same vengeful streak. He also lost a contest with Athena to become Athens' patron deity.

He isn't all bad. Sailors and fishing towns depend on his favour, he is honoured as the father of horses, and he sired heroes such as Theseus. But he is petty, quick to punish and not very faithful to his wife Amphitrite. That makes him a powerful ally you wouldn't want to disappoint, and that's why he scores 4 out of 10.