Sea Divinities

OCEANUS

Oceanus was the son of Uranus and Gaia. He was the personification of the ever-flowing stream, which, according to the primitive notions of the early Greeks, encircled the world, and from which sprang all the rivers and streams that watered the earth. He was married to Tethys, one of the Titans, and was the father of a numerous progeny called the Oceanides, who are said to have been three thousand in number. He alone, of all the Titans, refrained from taking part against Zeus in the Titanomachia, and was, on that account, the only one of the primeval divinities permitted to retain his dominion under the new dynasty.

NEREUS

Nereus appears to have been the personification of the sea in its calm and placid moods, and was, after Poseidon, the most important of the sea-deities. He is represented as a kind and benevolent old man, possessing the gift of prophecy, and presiding more particularly over the Aegean Sea, of which he was considered to be the protecting spirit. There he dwelt with his wife Doris and their fifty blooming daughters, the Nereides, beneath the waves in a beautiful grotto-palace, and was ever ready to assist distressed mariners in the hour of danger.

PROTEUS

Proteus, more familiarly known as "The Old Man of the Sea," was a son of Poseidon, and gifted with prophetic power. But he had an invincible objection to being consulted in his capacity as seer, and those who wished him to foretell events, watched for the hour of noon, when he was in the habit of coming up to the island of Pharos, with Poseidon's flock of seals, which he tended at the bottom of the sea. Surrounded by these creatures of the deep, he used to slumber beneath the grateful shade of the rocks. This was the favourable moment to seize the prophet, who, in order to avoid importunities, would change himself into an infinite variety of forms. But patience gained the day; for if he were only held long enough, he became wearied at last, and, resuming his true form, gave the information desired, after which he dived down again to the bottom of the sea, accompanied by the animals he tended.

TRITON and the TRITONS

Triton was the only son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, but he possessed little influence, being altogether a minor divinity. He is usually represented as preceding his father and acting as his trumpeter, using a conch-shell for this purpose. He lived with his parents in their beautiful golden palace beneath the sea at Ægea, and his favourite pastime was to ride over the billows on horses or sea-monsters. Triton is always represented as half man, half fish, the body below the waist terminating in the tail of a dolphin. We frequently find mention of Tritons who are either the offspring or kindred of Triton.

GLAUCUS

Glaucus is said to have become a sea-divinity in the following manner. While angling one day, he observed that the fish he caught and threw on the bank, at once nibbled at the grass and then leaped back into the water. His curiosity was naturally excited, and he proceeded to gratify it by taking up a few blades and tasting them. No sooner was this done than, obeying an irresistible impulse, he precipitated himself into the deep, and became a sea-god.Like most sea-divinities he was gifted with prophetic power, and each year visited all the islands and coasts with a train of marine monsters, foretelling all kinds of evil. Hence fishermen dreaded his approach, and endeavoured, by prayer and fasting, to avert the misfortunes which he prophesied. He is often represented floating on the billows, his body covered with mussels, sea-weed, and shells, wearing a full beard and long flowing hair, and bitterly bewailing his immortality.

THETIS

The silver-footed, fair-haired Thetis, who plays an important part in the mythology of Greece, was the daughter of Nereus, or, as some assert, of Poseidon. Her grace and beauty were so remarkable that Zeus and Poseidon both sought an alliance with her; but, as it had been foretold that a son of hers would gain supremacy over his father, they relinquished their intentions, and she became the wife of Peleus, son of Aiacus. Like Proteus, Thetis possessed the power of transforming herself into a variety of different shapes, and when wooed by Peleus she exerted this power in order to elude him. But, knowing that persistence would eventually succeed, he held her fast until she assumed her true form. Their nuptials were celebrated with the utmost pomp and magnificence, and were honoured by the presence of all the gods and goddesses, with the exception of Eris. How the goddess of discord resented her exclusion from the marriage festivities has already been shown.Thetis ever retained great influence over the mighty lord of heaven, which, as we shall see hereafter, she used in favour of her renowned son, Achilles, in the Trojan War.When Halcyone plunged into the sea in despair after the shipwreck and death of her husband King Ceyx, Thetis transformed both husband and wife into the birds called kingfishers (halcyones), which, with the tender affection which characterized the unfortunate couple, always fly in pairs. The idea of the ancients was that these birds brought forth their young in nests, which float on the surface of the sea in calm weather, before and after the shortest day, when Thetis was said to keep the waters smooth and tranquil for their especial benefit; hence the term "halcyon-days," which signifies a period of rest and untroubled felicity.

Poseidon the Greek God of the Sea

One of the twelve great Olympian gods, Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea whose fearsome rage could bring violent storms and earthquakes on the world. Homer calls him ''Earth-holder'' and as lord of earthquakes,Earth-shaker. He vividly depicts the mighty god as he journeys across his territory {Iliad 13.23-30): He harnessed to his chariot his two bronze-shod horses, swift of foot,with long, streaming manes of gold. Himself clothed in gold, he seized his well-wrought golden whip, then climbing into his chariot he drove across the waves. On every side, from the deeps of the sea, came dolphins,playing in his path, acknowledging their lord, and the sea parted in joy, cleaving a path before him. So swiftly sped the horses that never once was the axle of bronze beneath made wet with foam.

Poseidon was one of the six children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, swallowed and later regurgitated by his cannibalistic father.When Cronus had been defeated and his three sons divided the universe among themselves, they kept the earth and Olympus as common property, while Zeus took the heavens as his domain, Hades the misty darkness of the Underworld, and Poseidon the seas. According to Homer, there was a time when Poseidon rebelled, conspiring with Hera and Athena to put Zeus in chains. But the sea-goddess Thetis saved him, sending Briareos  to release him.Poseidon vied with Apollo for the love of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, but she rejected both of them, swearing a vow of eternal chastity. He also vied with Zeus for the love of Thetis, but both gods withdrew their suit when they learnt that she was destined to bear a son mightier than his father. Poseidon's wooing of the Nereid Amphitrite came to a happier conclusion: with the help of a dolphin,who found her when she fled into hiding, he won her for his wife.With her he lived in a splendid golden palace in the depths of the sea. She bore him a son, the merman Triton, and two daughters, Rhode and Benthesicyme. But Poseidon was one of the most prolific of the gods and fathered numerous children on many mistresses. He himself could be violent and vindictive, and some of his sons inherited his dangerous nature, such as the evil Sciron, Sinis and Cercyon,all killed by Theseus; the boxer Amycus, killed by Polydeuces;and the Egyptian king Busiris, killed by Heracles.Some of his formidable offspring were giants, such as the Siamese twins, the Moliones;Otus and Ephialtes, who attempted to take over Olympus;the wrestler Antaeus, who was killed by Heracles; the great hunter Orion; Lamus, who founded the Laestrygonians, a race of maneating giants; and perhaps best-known of all, the Cyclops Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus.

Others of Poseidon's more famous children were the twins Pelias and Neius, whom he fathered on Tyro, taking the shape of the rivergod Enipeus; Libya's three sons, Belus, Agenor and Lelex; Eumolpus,the son of Chione(, who was thrown into the sea by his mother and reared by Poseidon's daughter Benthesicyme; the navigator Nauplius, fathered on the Danaid Amymone while she was hunting for water in Argos; Hippothoon, the son of Alope, who was suckled by a mare and reared by shepherds after Alope was cruelly killed by her father; and of course the great Athenian hero, Theseus, borne to Poseidon by Aethra.
Poseidon was also the god of horses, and in this guise was known as Poseidon Hippios, 'Horse Poseidon'. As a horse he mated with the goddess Demeter, who bore him the divine horse, Areion, and a daughter, Despoina. Medusa was pregnant by him when she was killed by Perseus, and from her severed neck were born the winged horse, Pegasus, and Chrysaor. Poseidon presented wondrous horses to favoured mortals, both to Pelops, to help him win the hand of Hippodameia, and to his son Idas, to help him win the hand of Marpessa. To Peleus he gave as a wedding present the immortal horses Xanthus and Balius, who were later taken by Achilles to fight at Troy. The god showed his favour to other mortals in rather different ways. He made love to Caenis while she was wandering alone on the seashore, then at her own request turned her into a man, Caeneus,and made her invulnerable. He also made his son Cycnus invulnerable, and on his death at Achilles' hands turned him into a swan.He gave to his mistress Mestra, daughter of Erysichtheon, and to his grandson Periclymenus the ability to change their shape at will.Like other sea-deities, Poseidon himself had the power of changing his own shape. He came to Theophane as a ram, and fathered on her the flying, talking ram with the golden fleece which saved Phrixus and Helle from their wicked stepmother Ino, and which later became the motive for the long and arduous journey of Jason and the Argonauts.According to Ovid, Poseidon coupled with Canace, the daughter of Aeolus, as a bull, with Melantho, the daughter of Deucalion,as a dolphin, and with the Gorgon Medusa as a bird.Being a mighty and formidable god,Poseidon sternly punished the mortals who offended him. He was furious with Odysseus for blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus and kept him away from his homeland of Ithaca for many long, weary years; and he punished the Phaeacians, the people of Scheria, for helping Odysseus on his journey.

When Laomedon, king of Troy, refused to pay Poseidon and Apollo the agreed wage for building his city walls, the sea-god sent a sea-monster against the land, which would have devoured Hesione,Laomedon's daughter, had she not been saved by Heracles. Laomedon's offence was the reason for Poseidon's resentment of the Trojans and his support for the Greeks during the Trojan War. He frequently intervened to help his favourites, even against the express command of Zeus. This did not stop him helping Athena to punish the Greeks at the end of the war for the rape of the Trojan prophetess Cassandra by Ajax the sea-god sent violent storms that wrecked the Greek fleet off Cape Caphareus and brought death to many, including Ajax himself.At the Nereid's request, Poseidon sent another sea-monster against the Ethiopians, to punish a vain boast made by their queen, Cassiopeia.This time the monster's victim was to be the queen's daughter, Andromeda, but she was saved by Perseus. Poseidon was also associated with bulls: he brought death to Hippolytus, at the request of his father Theseus, by sending a bull from the sea that caused his horses to bolt and overturn his chariot. He sent as a gift to Minos, king of Crete, a magnificent white bull from the sea, then punished the king for failing to sacrifice it by inflicting on his wife,Pasiphae, a passion for the bull that led to the birth of the Minotaur.Poseidon came into conflict with some of the other gods over the
patronship of certain lands. He and Athena contested the possession of Attica during the reign of Cecrops. Both demonstrated their divine powers, Poseidon by creating a well of sea-water on the Acropolis of Athens, Athena by planting an olive tree. Athena's was judged the greater benefit, so the land became hers. Poseidon in anger sent a flood to cover Attica. He also quarrelled with Hera over the possession of Argos. The river-gods Inachus, Cephissus and Asterion judged the dispute in favour of Hera, and Poseidon, angry once again, dried up their waters. He was more fortunate in the case of Corinth,which he disputed with the Sun-god, Helios. The Hundred-hander Briareos was called in as arbitrator, and he awarded the citadel of
Acrocorinth to Helios and the Isthmus to Poseidon.

Poseidon was worshipped throughout the Greek world and from very early times: his name occurs on Mycenean Linear B tablets more frequently than that of any other divinity. At Rome he was identified
with the sea-god Neptune. He is a popular subject in ancient art, easily recognised by his most famous attribute, the trident, though he sometimes holds a fish and is often accompanied by sea creatures.
Occasionally he rides a hippocamp (a hybrid with the foreparts of a horse and the tail of a fish). Popular too in postclassical art, he figures prominently in sea-triumphs with his wife Amphitrite and is a natural subject for fountain-figures, such as on the famous Trevi Fountain at Rome. His marble temple on the promontory of Sounion in Attica, built in the late fifth century BC, is still a landmark for sailors.