The three types of sea gods Greek sea gods

1 3 types of sea gods

1.1 primordial powers
1.2 poseidon , heroes
1.3 old men , nymphs

the 3 types of sea gods
primordial powers

oceanus , tethys father , mother of gods in iliad, while in seventh century bc spartan poet alcman made sea-nymph thetis demiurge-figure. orpheus s song in book of argonautica hymns sea-nymph eurynome first queen of gods, wife of ocean-born giant ophion.

the pre-socratic cosmogony of thales, made water first element, may seen natural outgrowth of poetic thinking.

the primacy of aquatic gods reminiscent of, , may have been influenced by, ancient near eastern mythology - tiamat (salt water) , apsu (fresh water) first gods of enuma elish, , spirit of god said have hovered on waters in genesis.

pontus primordial deity of sea

poseidon , heroes

poseidon, god of sea, important olympian power; chief patron of corinth, many cities of magna graecia, , of plato s legendary atlantis. controls oceans , seas, , created horses. such, intimately connected pre-historic office of king - chief emblem of power , primary sacrificial animal horse. thus, on mycenean linear b tablets found @ pylos, name poseidon occurs in connection wanax ( king ), power , wealth increasingly maritime rather equestrian in nature. surprisingly, poseidon s name found greater frequency of zeus, , commonly linked (often in secondary role) demeter. poseidon brothers zeus along hades , father cronus, leader of titans.

when office of wanax disappeared during greek dark ages, link between poseidon , kingship largely, although not entirely, forgotten. in classical athens, poseidon remembered both opponent , doublet of erechtheus, first king of athens. erechtheus given hero-cult @ tomb under title poseidon erechtheus.

in possible echo of archaic association, chief ritual of atlantis, according plato s critias, nocturnal horse-sacrifice offered poseidon kings of imagined island power.

in keeping mythic equation between horsemanship , seamanship, equestrian heroes castor , pollux invoked sailors against shipwreck. ancient greeks interpreted phenomenon called st. elmo s fire visible presence of 2 brothers.

old men , nymphs

several types of sea gods conform single type: of homer s halios geron or old man of sea: nereus, proteus, glaucus , phorkys. these sea gods not powerful poseidon, main god of oceans , seas. each 1 shape-shifter, prophet, , father of either radiantly beautiful nymphs or hideous monsters (or both, in case of phorkys). nymphs , monsters blur, hesiod relates phorcys wed beautiful-cheeked ceto, name merely feminine of monstrous cetus, whom andromeda due sacrificed. each appearance in myth tends emphasize different aspect of archetype: proteus , nereus shape-shifters , tricksters, phorcys father of monsters, nereus , glaucus truth-telling, nereus beauty of daughters.

each 1 of these old men father or grandfather of many nymphs and/or monsters, bear names either metaphorical (thetis, establishment ; telesto, success ) or geographical (rhode rhodes ; nilos, nile ). each cluster of old man , daughters therefore kind of pantheon in miniature, each 1 different possible configuration of spiritual, moral , physical world writ small - , writ around sea.

the tantalizing figure of halios geron has been favorite of scholarship. old men have been seen survivals of old aegean gods presided on waves before poseidon (kerenyi) embodiments of archaic speculation on relation of truth cunning intelligence (detienne).

homer s odyssey contains haunting description of cave of nereids on ithaca, close harbor sacred phorcys. neoplatonist philosopher porphyry read passage allegory of whole universe - , may not have been far off mark.