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Water deities or gods had the power to control the elements of water and presided over all the fresh and salt water of the earth. They are associated with seas, sea-storms, waves, currents, sea-creatures, lakes, springs, rivers, fountains, marshes and ground waters.
- Agricultural Deities
Adonis - mortal god of beauty and desire. He was known to be...
- Health Deities
Asclepius - god of medicine and healing. A son of Apollo and...
- Sky Deities
Most known were Boreas(god of the north wind and of winter),...
- Rustic Deities
Pan - god of the wild, shepherds, pastures, hunting and...
- Chthonic Deities
Chthonic deities. These deities or gods are related to the...
- Agricultural Deities
The primacy of water gods is reminiscent of, and may even have been influenced by, ancient Near Eastern mythology - where Tiamat (salt water) and Apsu (fresh water) are the first gods of the Enuma Elish, and where the Spirit of God is said to have "hovered over the waters" in Genesis.
Ancient Greek Sea Gods. This table illustrates the abundant gods that ruled over the sea, in their many, varied capacities. From major gods that play a central role in lore any myth, to the minor gods, nymphs and muses. As you can see, there are lots of them!
- Pontus and Gaia Family Branch
- Uranus and Gaia Family Branch
- Random Sea Gods and Goddesses
- Final Thoughts
Pontus – The Embodiment of the Sea
Pontus was the son of Gaia and did not have a father. Many of the earlier Greek primordial gods were born without a father with only a mother, the earth goddess Gaia. Gaia was also the consort of Pontus and together they had a number of children. There was Nereus who was also known as the Old Man of the Sea, Thaumas, Phorcys and Ceto, Eurybia and Aegaeon. Pontus also married Thalassaand together their children were the fish. Pontus is seen as the embodiment of the sea rather than a god who li...
Nereus – The Old Man of the Sea
Nereus was the son of Pontus and Gaia and was believed to be the god of the fish. He was married to Dorisand together they had 50 Nereid children. One of these Nereid was Amphitrite who would go on to become the wife of Poseidon. The Greeks believed Nereus to have the form of an old man. He could change his shape at will. He came into contact with the hero Heracles when he was in search for the apples of Hesperides.
Thaumas – God of Sea Wonders
Thaumas was the son of Pontus and Gaia and the Greeks believed him to be the god of the wonders of the sea. He was also the husband of Electraan Oceanid. Together they had a number of daughters, there was Iris, goddess of the rainbow, and the Whirlwinds, aka the Harpies. Thaumas was overthrown by the olympian god Poseidon during the the great Titan wars.
Oceanus – Titan God of the Ocean
Oceanus was the Titan son of Uranus and Gaia. Oceanus was the Titan God of the Ocean and was said to be the source of all the fresh water on earth. He is often described as having the body or appearance of a fish. He actually married his own sister Tethys and together they gave birth to many children. The most important being the 3000 daughters called the Oceanids and the 3000 sons who were called the Potomai. Oceanus was one of six Titan brothers. His 5 brothers conspired together to overthr...
The Potamoi and The Oceanids – Gods of Rivers and Streams
The Potamoi were the sons of Oceanus and Tethys while the Oceanids were the daughters. They were the gods of the rivers and streams of the earth. There were said to be around 3000 Oceanids and 3000 Potamoi in total. The Oceanids were the goddesses of small streams and the rain, while the Potamoi were gods of the major rivers. To give you a better idea, there was one Potamoi called Asterio, he was a river god of Argos. And another called Neilos, the river god of Egypt. While there was a Oceani...
The Naiads – Nymphs of Fresh Water
The Naiads were the daughters of the Potamoi. They were Nymphs of fresh water. They therefore lived in any of the rivers, lakes, and springs on earth. It was believed that the Naiads were deities of fertility because their fresh water was so vital to feed the trees, plants and farmland across the land. The Naiads were thought to belong to one of 5 groups. The Pegaeae of the springs, the Potameides of the rivers, the Limnades of the lakes, the Crinaeae of the fountains and Eleionomae of the ma...
Palaemon – Protector of Sailors
Palaemon was a minor sea god. His role was that of protector of sailors. He wasn’t always a god though, he was originally called Melikertes and was the son of Athamas and Ino. The story goes that his mother had been given the child god Dionysus to look after. He was the son of Zeus from an affair with another women and Zeus’ wife Hera was jealous of the boy. She decided to punish Ino and drove her mad. One day, she was in a desperate state and she decided to jump, along with her son Melikerte...
The Sirens – Seducers of Sailors
The Sirens were the three daughters of Achelous, a river god, and Melpomene, one of the muses. They were said to be both half bird and half women. They were once fully human and the handmaidens of Persephone. She was kidnapped by Hades and her mother Demeter gave them wings so they could search for her daughter. They eventually gave up the search and settled on the island of Anthemoessa in their new form. It was here that they would make a name for themselves. The story goes that the Sirens w...
The Greeks were famous seafarers so it is no wonder that they developed so many myths and stories about the sea. An understanding of the behaviour of the sea was crucial to their existence. But, the weather and the sea can be cruel and so they developed these stories to explain some experience or another they had at sea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed ...
A comprehensive guide to the sea gods of Greek mythology including Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton, Nereids, Thetis, Nereus, Phorcys, Ceto, Proteus, Glaucus, Galatea, Leucothea, Palaemon, and other minor gods.
A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important.
Poseidon, in ancient Greek religion, god of the sea (and of water generally), earthquakes, and horses. He is distinguished from Pontus, the personification of the sea and the oldest Greek divinity of the waters.
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