Poseidon
The Archer As Poseidon
Compare the characters in the pictures below and you will see a slight difference. In the first character, two creases at the base of the thumb seem to form an arrow tail. But in the second character there are not two lines at the base of the thumb but three. By moving the thumb slightly another crease appears. Could this be how the storyteller depicted Poseidon, the brother of Zeus, with his three-pronged spear? (21)
Illustration 17: Two-pronged arrow tail
Illustration 18: Three-pronged trident
Poseidon As A Ram
Poseidon also falls for a maiden goddess and decides, in the family way, to abduct her. Naturally, this involves transforming himself into an animal.The maiden is so beautiful she has many suitors. Jealous Poseidon turns her into a ewe so his love rivals won't fancy her anymore. But it doesn't put Poseidon off, he transforms himself into a ram and couples with her. (21 and 22) Simply by moving your thumb and fingers slightly, you can turn the man-like figure into a long-faced creature resembling a ram.
Illustration 19: Ram character in the palm
Try this with your own left hand. The tip of your thumb needs to touch the base of your middle/ring finger. The thumb creases which form the horns of the bull, now sit either side of a triangular shape in the centre of your palm. Giving the creature a long ram-like face. Notice how all the lines of the palm are featured in this character - horns, face, front legs and tail.
Ram With A Golden Fleece
What is even more remarkable is that you can give the ram a golden fleece. Poseidon in the form of a ram became Aries, the ram with the golden fleece, in the Graeco-Roman zodiac. In another famous myth, the ram's golden fleece was sought by Jason and the Argonauts. (24)
Illustration 19: Ram's golden fleece
In the hand symbol, the side of the ram, where its fleece would be, happens to be the shiniest part of the hand. Illustration 19 was created simply by dabbing some hand sanitiser on to this part of the hand and shining a lamp on it. Look how well the gold shines. They may not have had hand sanitiser in the Stone Age but animal fat, spit or even just water creates the same effect. They wouldn't have had electric lamps. But they would probably have been sat around a fire telling the stories. Did the creator of the hand symbols use the light of a fire to add special effects?
Flying Horse With Wings Of Fire
As well as god of the sea, Poseidon is also the god of horses. (25) And father of Pegasus, the famous winged horse. (26) Illustration 20 shows a winged horse emerging from the Poseidon character.
Illustration 20: Flying horse emerges from Poseidon
To give Pegasus his fiery mane and fiery wings, simply form the horse character while holding your hand in front of a campfire. Illustration 21 shows Pegasus with his mane and wings of fire. Illustration 22 is a Photoshop mock-up showing the same idea.
Illustration 21: Fiery wings and mane video
Illustration 22: Photoshopped fiery wing
References
21. Pindar, Olympian, Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien, Olympian 1[40] Perseus Digital Library https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DO.
then it was that the god of the splendid trident seized you, his mind overcome with desire, and carried you away on his team of golden horses to the highest home of widely-honored Zeus, to which at a later time Ganymede came also, [45] to perform the same service for Zeus.
22. Poseidion Loves 2, Theoi Project https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/PoseidonLoves2.html
THEOPHANE A princess of the Bisaltes tribe of Thrake (north of Greece) who was transformed by her lover Poseidon into a ewe to hide her from her many suitors. The god assumed the form of a ram and coupled with her. From this union was born Khrysomallos the golden-fleeced ram.
23. Greek Myths And Legends website https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/signs-of-the-zodiac.html
Aries The Ram. In Greek mythology the Golden Ram was the offspring of Poseidon and Theophane, a woman who the god had transformed into a sheep. The Golden Ram had special abilities for as well as being able to talk it could also fly
24. Golden Fleece Myth, Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge https://golden-fleece.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/myth/
The story of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece comes down to us chiefly through the epic poem the Argonautica by Apollonios of Rhodes.
25. Poseidon, Britannica Encyclopaedia https://www.britannica.com/topic/Poseidon
Poseidon, in ancient Greek religion, god of the sea (and of water generally), earthquakes, and horses.
26. Pegasus, World History Encyclopaedia https://www.worldhistory.org/Pegasus/
Pegasus (or Pegasos) is a winged-horse from Greek mythology which was fathered by Poseidon and was born from the severed neck of the gorgon Medusa, slain by Perseus. At the same time and in the same way, Chryasor was also born. Poseidon gave Pegasus to his son Bellerophon who put Pegasus to good use in his famous battle with the Chimaera.