Proteus
Proteus, also known as the Old Man of the Sea, is a son of Poseidon and a prophetic god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water.
Description[]
Proteus was said to be similar in appearance to his half-brother Triton in where he is depicted as a merman, having the upper body of a man with the lower body of a fish. Although, Proteus was known to take all sorts of shapes so it is unknown if his mer form is either another one of his many shapes or his true appearance.
Some who ascribe a specific domain to Proteus call him the god of "elusive sea change", which suggests the constantly changing nature of the sea or the liquid quality of water. He can foretell the future, but will change his shape to avoid doing so; he answers only to those who are capable of capturing him.
History[]
Background[]
Proteus is the son of Poseidon, and was one of the more mischievous of the sea god's children though he was dedicated to his tasks. He served as a shepherd for Poseidon. Proteus watched over Poseidon's flocks of seals, and in return, Poseidon gave Proteus the gift of prophecy, or the ability to see the future.
The sandy island of Pharos situated off the coast of the Nile Delta was the home of Proteus, the oracular Old Man of the Sea and herdsman of the sea-beasts. Proteus possessed knowledge of all things —past, present, and future— but was reluctant to reveal his knowledge. He would answer questions only if caught. The only way to catch him was to sneak up on him at noontime when he took his daily nap.
Odyssey[]
In the Odyssey, Menelaus relates to Telemachus that he had been becalmed here on his journey home from the Trojan War. He learned from Proteus' daughter Eidothea ("the very image of the Goddess"), that if he could capture her father, he could force him to reveal which of the gods he had offended and how he could propitiate them and return home. Proteus emerged from the sea to sleep among his colony of seals, but Menelaus was successful in holding him, though Proteus took the forms of a lion, a serpent, a leopard, a pig, even water or a tree. Proteus then answered truthfully, further informing Menelaus that his brother Agamemnon had been murdered on his return home, that Ajax the Lesser had been shipwrecked and killed, and that Odysseus was stranded on Calypso's Isle Ogygia.
Aristaeus[]
At one time the bees of Aristaeus, son of Apollo, all died of a disease. Aristaeus went to his mother, Cyrene, for help; she told him that Proteus could tell him how to prevent another such disaster, but would do so only if compelled. Aristaeus had to seize Proteus and hold him, no matter what he would change into. Aristaeus did so, and Proteus eventually gave up and told him that the bees' death was a punishment for causing the death of Eurydice. To make amends, Aristaeus needed to sacrifice twelve animals to the gods, leave the carcasses in the place of sacrifice, and return three days later. He followed these instructions, and upon returning, he found in one of the carcasses a swarm of bees which he took to his apiary. The bees were never again troubled by disease.
Fifth Voyage of Sinbad[]
Proteus was met by the legendary Sinbad during his fifth voyage. Sinbad was shipwrecked by a pair of infuriated parent rocs who destroy his ship by dropping giant boulders they have carried after Sinbad and his crew eat the yolk of the Roc egg. It was from then on that Sinbad was enslaved by Proteus, who rides on his shoulders with his legs twisted round Sinbad's neck and will not let go, riding him both day and night until Sinbad would welcome death.
Eventually, Sinbad makes wine and tricks the Old Man of the Sea into drinking some. Sinbad ties him up after he falls off and throws him into the sea. A ship carries him to the City of the Apes, a place whose inhabitants spend each night in boats offshore, while their town is abandoned to man-eating apes. Yet through the apes, Sinbad recoups his fortune and eventually finds a ship which takes him home once more to Baghdad.