Dozens of myths surround the sea and throughout history its mysteries have led to the worship of aquatic gods.
In ancient Greece, the god Poseidon dominated the seas and oceans, exercising his power to create storms and earthquakes, and also to calm the water at will.
The Lord of the Seas is depicted with a trident and a chariot drawn by hippocamps, fish-tailed horses.
Legend has it that Poseidon and Athena were in dispute over patronage of the city of Athens, to which they had to make an offering. Thus, the sea god offered up a salt water well, whilst Athena gave it an olive tree, and was ultimately victorious.
Irate over his defeat, Poseidon flooded the region as a punishment and in this way managed to ensure that Athenians have worshipped him ever since.
OTHER SEA GODS. In Roman mythology it is the god Neptune who holds the title of lord of the seas, whilst in Nordic culture Njörd, the god of fertile land, the sea coast and navigation, was worshipped.
There are multiple myths surrounding the oceans, from Egyptian culture, in which people adored Sobek, represented as an enormous crocodile, to Asia, where perhaps the most remarkable deites were Susanoo in Japan and Gonggong in China, and even the Mayan culture, which worshipped Chaac, associated to water and rain.
Fearing storms and tempests, sailors would decorate their boats and make sacrifices in order to prevent shipwrecks and reach their destinations safe and sound. All to keep the gods on their side!