Proteus
Prophetic sea god who changes shape to avoid revealing the future.
Last updated
Proteus is an early prophetic sea god in Greek mythology, often called the "Old Man of the Sea" by Homer.[1] His name suggests "first" or "primordial," possibly referring to his being the eldest son of Poseidon.[2] The first attestation of the name appears in Mycenaean Greek Linear B as po-ro-te-u.[2]
Key facts and history
According to Homer, his home was the sandy island of Pharos off the Nile Delta, where he served as herdsman of sea-beasts.[3] In the Odyssey, Menelaus wrestles with "Proteus of Egypt, the immortal old man of the sea who never lies"[4] Euripides' tragedy Helen, produced in 412 BC, presents an alternative version where Proteus is a king in Egypt.[4] Poseidon and Phoenice, the daughter of King Phoenix of Phoenicia, were the parents of Proteus according to common belief.[5]
Polygonus and Telegonus, sons of Proteus and Torone, were killed by Heracles after they challenged him.[6] Theoclymenos and Theonoe were the children of Proteus and the Nereid Psamathe.[6] At the beginning of that play, Proteus has already died, and his tomb is visible on the stage.[4]
What the cited sources add
Conon's account states that Proteus the Egyptian seer had a daughter Theonoe who fell in love with Kanobos, the steersman of Menelaus.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Proteus". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.; See also Nereus and Phorcys (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bartoněk, "Recherches en linquistique grecque", L'Harmattan, 2002, p. 94; "The Linear B Word po-ro-te-u", Palaeolexicon. Word study tool of ancient languages; "po-ro-te-u", Deaditerranean: Minoan Linear A & Mycenaean Linear B (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Blumberg, "Odyssey, epic by homer", Britannica, March 4, 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Euripides. "Helen". . Nottingham University. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Apollodorus, 2.5.9; Lycophron, 112; Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Torōnē; Scholia ad Euripides, Phoenissae 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proteus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Apollodorus, 2.5.9; Tzetzes, Chilliades 2.320; Scholia ad Euripides, Hecuba 3 from Pherecydes, fr. 136 (Fowler 2013, p. 42); Euripides, Helen 7 ff.; Conon, 8; Homer, Odyssey 4.360 ff.; Zenodotus in scholia on Homer, Odyssey 4.366 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Euripides, Helen 7 ff.; Conon, 8. facts only, no text reused. topostext.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Proteus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Proteus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced