Ancient Greece water

May 26, 2022
Water Clock

These 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.

Aegaeon - god of violent sea storms. He is referred as the son of Briareus, one of the three Hekatoncheires. During Titanomachy, Aegaeon was the ally of the Titans.

Achelous - the god of the river Achelous who was the greatest and the oldest river of Ancient Greece. He was the son of Oceanus and Tethys and was represented as the god of fresh water in general.

Amphitrite - wife of Poseidon and the Queen of the seas. She was the personification of the sea itself and was a mother of dolphins, seals and fish. Amphitrite was thought to be the daughter of Nereus and Doris which would put her among Nereids.

Benthesikyme - goddess of the waves who presided over the sea of Ethiopia. She was the daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite or the wife of King Enalos of Ethiopia.

Brizo - patron goddess of sailors and fishermen. She was also a prophet who specialized for interpreting dreams.

Ceto - goddess of the dangers of the sea. She was the daughter of Gaea and Pontus. Ceto was also more specifically identified as the goddess of the sharks, whales and sea monsters.

Cymopoleia - goddess of the violent sea currents and waves during storms. She was a daughter of Poseidon and was married to Briareus, one of the Hekatoncheires.

Delphin - the leader of the dolphins who served Poseidon in his search and persuasion of Amphitrite. For his services, he was placed among stars, known as the constellation Delphin.

Eidothea - prophetic sea nymph who instructed Menelaus how to capture her father Proteus, in order for the god to reveal him the escape from the island of Pharos, where Menelaus was trapped.

Glaucus - prophetic sea-god who protected sailors and fishermen in difficult times during storms. He was once a mortal, but was transformed into a sea-god after eating a magical herb.

Hydrus - primeval god of waters who had, according to some sources, emerged from Chaos alongside Gaea.

Leucothea - sea goddess who aided sailors in distress prayers. She was once a mortal princess called Ino and was the daughter of Cadmus. Ino was punished by Hera for looking after the infant Dionysus. The goddess made her to leap into the sea from a cliff. She was then, by the Olympian gods, renamed into Leucothea and transformed into sea goddess.

- fresh water nymphs who presided over fresh water supplies of the earth, such as springs, rivers, lakes, fountains and marshes. They were classified into five groups, known as Pegaeae(springs), Potameides(rivers), Limnades(lakes), Crinaeae(fountains), and Eleionomae(marshes)

Nereides sea nymphs who presided over the Mediterranean Sea. They were particularly associated with Aegean Sea, where they had dwelled in the depths of the sea, inside silver cave. Most notable were Thetis (the leader of the Nereids), Amphitrite (the one who left the Nereids to become wife of Poseidon and the Queen of the seas), and Arethusa (she transformed herself into a stream on the island of Ortygia in order to escape river-god Alpheus).

Nereus - the Old Man of the Sea who had the power of the prophecy and shapeshifting. He was the eldest son of Pontus and Gaea, born in titans generation. Nereus was the father of Nereids by Doris.

Nerites - young sea-god who Aphrodite fell in love with. Upon rejecting the goddess to join her at Olympus, Aphrodite turned him into shell-fish.

Oceanides - three thousand fresh water nymphs, the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. They presided over all the fresh water on earth and were separated into three groups, known as (spring, fountain, river, lake nymphs), Aurai (breeze nymphs), and Nephelai (cloud and rain nymphs), where the last two became more associated with Sky deities.

Palaemon - young sea-god, the protector of the sailors in danger. His mortal name was Melicertes whose parents enraged Hera by taking care of young Dionysus. His mother Ino leapt into the death with him. He along his mother was transformed into a sea-god by the Olympians. He was renamed into Palaemon, while his mother Ino became Leucothea.

Phorcys - primeval sea-god of the hidden dangers of the deep. He was the son of Pontus and Gaea and was married to Ceto, with whom he was the father of sea monster Scylla, draconian Ladon and the three Gorgons.

Pontus - primeval god of the sea. He was one of the first-born gods and was the father of the most of the ancient sea gods by Gaea. With his consort Thalassa, they presided over the seas, fish and other sea creatures.

Potamoi- three thousand river gods, born to Oceanus and Tethys. They were brothers of Oceanids and husbands of . Most known were Achelous (river Achelous in central Greece) Acis (river of Sicily) Acheron (river of Pain), Asopus (river of Boeotia), Cocytus (river of Wailing), Lethe (river of Oblivion), Phlegethon (river of Fire), Styx (river of Hatred), Scamander (river of Troy in Anatolia).

Proteus - ancient sea-god with the power of prophecy and shape-shifting. He was the herdsman of Poseidon's seals and was associated with the island of Lemnos.