he drew lots with Zeus and Hades to decide who would rule over what part of the world. Poseidon's prize was to become the god of the sea, and therefore he was widely worshipped by seamen. Poseidon was the secondmost powerful of the gods, second only to Zeus. He was very quarrelsome, greedy, and had many disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities. Poseidon was known for creating the horse. Poseidon's weapon and symbol is the trident, which can shake the earth and shatter any object. He was well-liked by some, but not all. AEGIR Aegir is the god of the sea. He is also known as Hler. Aegir was often called the ruler of the sea in the Poetic Edda. He was a personification of the ocean, be it good or evil. He caused storms with his anger, and the Skalds (Viking poets) said a ship went into "Aegir's wide jaws" when it wrecked. Aegir was often said to have been crowned with seaweed and always surrounded by nixies and mermaids while in his hall. Aegir's wife (and sister) was Ran. Ran and Aegir had nine daughters who were the waves; all of their names are poetic names for waves. Aegir brewed ale for the gods. Every winter the gods would drink beer at Aegir's home. He was, therefore, famed for his hospitality. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light, instead of lighting a fire. Gold is therefore called Aegir's fire. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling themselves. Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would sometimes surface to destroy ships. Early Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, possibly connected with Aegir. DIRECT COMPARISON Aegir and Poseidon, both being the gods of the sea in their respective mythologies, had some other similarities. Both of them were feared by sailors. This goes back to the thesis that one of the main functions for myths was to explain the unexplainable. Since both of these societies were sea-going, these gods must have been very important. Th...
