Greek Sea-God of Waves & Calm Seas, Herald of Poseidon
Triton is one of the mythical Greek gods, and he is the son of Amphitrite and Poseidon. Triton’s parents were the god and goddess of the sea, and Triton himself acted as his father’s herald. That is why he is often called the messenger of the sea. When depicted artistically, Triton is usually painted as a classic ‘merman’. He has the upper body of a man, but the tail of a large fish. He was also supposedly the color of the sea, and his shoulders were pocked with barnacles and shells.
Triton had a child of his own named Pallas, and he also served as a foster parent to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. According to legend, Athena accidentally killed her foster sibling during a friendly sparring match.
As Triton became more ingrained within ancient Greek culture, he eventually became known as the source of an entire race of beings named after him, the Tritons.
These creatures were similar to mermaids, could be either female or male, and were typically used to escort the sea gods wherever they needed to go. According to Pausanias, a traveller from Greece, the Tritons had dull green hair that was horribly matted, and it was impossible to separate a single hair from the rest.
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