Editing Poseidon (section)

===Boeotian myths===
The myth of Poseidon appearing as a horse and mating with Demeter was not localized in Arcadia. At [[Haliartos]] in [[Boeotia]] near [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] Poseidon appears as stallion. He mates with [[Erinys]] near the spring of ''Tilpousa'' and she gives birth to the faboulous horse [[Arion (horse)|Arion]].<ref name=Hard/> At Tilpusa we have a very old cult of the chthonic deities ''Erinys'' and Poseidon. The water-god Poseidon<ref name=Farnellwatergod >Farnell CultsIII,53 [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56574/page/53/mode/2up Farnell CultsIII, 53]</ref> appears as a horse which seems to represent the water-spirit <ref name=Grimm/> and ''Erinys'' is probably the personification of a revenging earth-spirit.<ref name=Erinys>Nilsson "Geschichte", Vol I, p.100-101</ref><ref name=Bowra/> From earlier times at [[Delphi]] Poseidon was joined in a religious union with the earth-goddess [[Gaia|Ge]]. She is represented as a snake which is a form of the earth-spirit.<ref name=Farnellwatergod/>

In the [[Theogony]] of [[Hesiod]] Poseidon once slept with the monstrous [[Medousa]] near the mountain [[Mount Helicon|Helikon]]. She conceived the winged horse [[Pegasus]] who sprang out of her body when Perseus cut off her head. Pegasus stuck the ground with his hoof and created the famous spring [[Hippocrene]] near Helikon.<ref name=Hard/> 
 
[[Praxidice|Praxidicai]] were female deities of judicial punishment worshipped in the region of Haliartos in the historical times. Ttheir origin is probably the same with ''Erinys''. Their images depicted only the heads of the goddesses probably a representation of the earth goddess emerging from the ground.<ref name=Farnell/> [[Praxidice]] is and epithet of [[Persephone]] in the [[Orphism (religion)|Orphic Hymn]]. Persephone is sometimes depicted with her head emerging from the ground.<ref>Burkert, "Greek religion", p.42</ref><ref>Nilsson, "Geschichte" Vol I, p.472: "Anodos of Pherephata", Tables 39,1 and 39,2</ref>