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Ancient

Polybotes was chased through the sea by Poseidon and came to Cos; and Poseidon, breaking off that piece of the island which is called Nisyrum, threw it on him.⁵

Strabo, 10.5.16

They say that Nisyros is a fragment of Cos, and they add the myth that Poseidon, when he was pursuing one of the giants, Polybotes, broke off a fragment of Cos with his trident and hurled it upon him, and the missile became an island, Nisyros, with the giant lying beneath it. But some say that he lies beneath Cos.

Pausanias, 1.2.4

Not far from the temple is Poseidon on horseback, hurling a spear against the giant Polybotes, concerning whom is prevalent among the Coans the story about the promontory of Chelone. But the inscription of our time assigns the statue to another, and not to Poseidon.

Hyginus, Fabulae Preface

From Earth and Tartarus, Giants: Enceladus, Coeus, *elentes, *mophius, Astraeus, Pelorus, Pallas, Emphytus, Rhoecus, *ienios, Agrius, *alemone, Ephialtes, Eurytus, *effracorydon, Themoises, Theodamas, Otus, Typhon, Polybo[e}tes, *menephriarus, *abesus, *colophonus, Iapetus.

Modern

Arafat

p. 16

In fact the only absolutely consistent feature in art and literature is that Poseidon's opponent is Polybotes (e.g. passage 1 [Apoll. 1.6] and Strabo 10.5.16), although his use of Nisyros is not invariable.

p. 24

However, Poseidon is made prominent by his position in the tondo [of Berlin F2531] where he is about to drive his trident into Polybotes. Both are named, as is Ge, rising from the ground behind Poseidon.

p. 25

It is an indication of the consistency of the tradition of Poseidon's role in the Gigantomachy that in all the literary accounts and on all the vases where he is named his opponent is Polybotes, even where, as here [Berlin F2531], he does not use Nisyros against him.

Cook

note 3 pp. 13–18

According to the oldest accessible form of the myth 'Polybotes, chased through the sea by Poseidon, came to Kos; whereupon Poseidon, breaking off a piece of that island now called Nisyros, hurled it upon him' (Apollod. 1.6.2, cp. Strab. 489, Eustath. in Dionys. per. 525, Plin. nat. hist. 5. 133 f.). A variant version tells how Polybotes when struck by Zeus, started to swim, and how Poseidon flung a trident at him but failed to hit, the missile becoming the island Nisyros or Porphyris (Steph, Bys. s.v. Νισυρος (= Eudok. viol. 764, Favorin. lex. pp. 3111, 14 f., 1536, 18 ff.)). Black-figured vases regularly show Poseidon moving from left to right and bearing on his left shoulder the mass of rock with which he is about to overwhelm his opponent (Overbeck op. cit. p. 328 ff. enumerates fourteen such vases). But only one vase, an Ionian amphora, adds the name Polybotes (supra ii. 713 pl. xxx). Red-figured vases of the strong style (c. 500–460 BC) give Poseidon in the same attitude, but further character his rock as the island by representing on it an assortment of land- and sea-creatures (Overbeck op. cit. p. 330 f. lists eight such vases. Typical are (1) ...

Hanfmann

p. 476

It has furthermore been deduced from the words "with a mill stone" that Alcman described how Poseidon crushed the giant Polybotes with a rock torn from the island of Cos, which thereafter became the island of Nisyros

Frazer, p. 48

Moore 1989, p. 33 ff.

Vian and Moore

p. 192

Alcman (Page PMG frg. 1. 31) pourrait faire allusion à Poseidon portant l'île de Nisyros.

[Google translate] Alcman (Page PMG frg. 1. 31) could refer to Poseidon carrying the island of Nisyros.

Black-Figure Vases

Theoi POLYBOTES

Getty 81.AE.211 Black-Figure

Beazley Archive 10047

Polybotes named

Polybotes inscription

LIMC Gigantes 171

Moore, pp. 21–40

Moore 1989, pp.33 ff.

Louvre E732 Black-Figure Amphora

LIMC Gigantes 170

LIMC Gigantes 170 image 4/4

Beazley Archive 14590

575–525 BC

Gantz, p. 451

Polybotes named

Cook, p. 14

Black-figured vases regularly show Poseidon moving from left to right and bearing on his left shoulder the mass of rock with which he is about to overwhelm his opponent (Overbeck op. cit. p. 328 ff. enumerates fourteen such vases). But only one vase, an Ionian amphora, adds the name Polybotes (supra ii. 713 pl. xxx).

Louvre F226 Black-Figure Neck Amphora

Beazley Archive 301546

-550 to -500

LIMC Gigantes 269c

Metropolitan Museum, 98.8.11 Vlack-Figure AMPHORA, NECK

Beazley Archive 301545

POSEIDON WITH ROCK (NISYROS), AND GIANT, FALLING WITH BOEOTIAN SHIELD

LIMC Gigantes 269a

Munich 1437 Black-Figure Neck Amphora

Beazley Archive 745

-575 to -525

Decoration: A: GIGANTOMACHY, ARES AND GODDESS IN CHARIOT, ATHENA, GIANTS B: GIGANTOMACHY, POSEIDON WITH NISYROS, ATHENA, GIANTS

LIMC Gigantes 126

Perseus

c. 540 BC

Munich 1485 Black-Figure Neck Amphora

Beazley Archive 302287

-550 to -500

Decoration: A: GIGANTOMACHY, ZEUS WITH THUNDERBOLT, HERAKLES, BOTH IN CHARIOT, ATHENA, GIANTS, SOME FALLING, DEVICE, BUKRANION B: GIGANTOMACHY, POSEIDON WITH NISYROS, GIANTS, SOME FALLING, SHIELD DEVICES, IVY WREATH, DISCS

Red-Figure Vases Late 6th c.

Athens Akropolis 2.211 Red-Figure Cup Fragments (by Leagros Group)

Beazley Archive 200125

-550 to -475

Named: [EU]RYBOTOS, [or POLYBOTES?]

CAVI Inscriptions: Between an outstretched giant and Poseidon: [Ευ]ρ̣υβοτος?

LIMC Gigantes 299

Arafat,

p. 15

On 1.7 [Akr 2.211] the names of Zeus, Hephaistos, and Apollo are preserved (at least in part), and Poseidon's presense is assured by the inscription [P]olybot[es];

p. 16

On 1.23 [British Museum E 47] Hephaistos fights Euryalos, whereas on 1.7 [Akr 2.211] Euryalos is named and his opponent is certainly not Hephaistos, who is named and fighting elsewhere.

p. 183

c.520–500

Red-Figure Vases 5th c.

Berlin F2531 Red-Figure Cup (from Vulci) (by Aristophanes)

Beazley Archive 220533

Gaia, Poseidon and Polybotes

450–400 BC

Named: Ephialtes, Enceladus, Gaion, Phoitos, Polybotes, Porphyrion, Mimon

LIMC Gigantes 318

Gaia, Poseidon and Polybotes: LIMC Gigantes 318 image 3/4

Arafat

p. 25

It is an indication of the consistency of the tradition of Poseidon's role in the Gigantomachy that in all the literary accounts and on all the vases where he is named his opponent is Polybotes, even where, as here, he does not use Nisyros against him.

However, Poseidon is made prominent by his position in the tondo where he is about to drive his trident into Polybotes. Both are named, as is Ge, rising from the ground behind Poseidon.

p. 186

c.420-400

Cook,

p. 56

(1) a kylix by the potter Erginos and the painter Aristophanes, found at Vulci and now at Berlin ...

Plate VI

(A) Poseidon attacks Polybotes in the presence of Ge

(B) Ares v. Mimon, Apollo v. Ephialtes, Hera v. Phoitos

(C) Artemis v. Gaion, Zeus v. Porphyrion, Athena v. Enkelados.

Weller,

pp. 268–269

Fig. 168 Ge rising from the ground, contest of Poseidon and Polybotes; vase of Erginus and Aristophanes [Image showing inscriptions]

the form of a matronly woman. the personification of Earth, rising from the gorund with arms uplifted, as in various ancient representations (fig. 168).

Perseus Berlin F 2531 (Vase)

410–405 BC

Interior: Poseidon and giant. Poseidon battles with Polybotes, who has fallen onto one knee. Poseidon threatens him with his raised trident and grabs hold of his neck. Polybotes responds by holding onto Poseidon's left arm, the one around his neck. Ge, rising from the ground on the left, gazes up at Poseidon, her hands held up, palms outward. Poseidon is naked but for a mantle draped over one arm. He also wears a wreath. Polybotes wears a chiton, cuirass and a crested helmet, and carries a shield and spear. Both men are bearded. Ge wears a chiton and a diadem.

Polybotes

Aristophanes' cup: Drawing of the tondo, showing Ge, Poseidon, and Polybotes [showing inscriptions]

Theoi