Triton • Facts and Information on the God Triton

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.

Poseidon was perhaps best known for his weapon, the trident, and Triton also carries one of the three-pronged spears. Triton also had an ability that went beyond his father. He carried a gnarled conch shell that would quiet or enrage the sea at his whim when he played it as a trumpet. It was said that the sound was so loud and threatening that even giants would flee, fearing some invincible beast from the wild.Far underneath the sea was the golden palace where Triton and his parents lived and ruled. The original myth portrayed the Aegean as the home of the sea gods, but the location has moved from place to place as history evolved.

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.

Their entire body was covered with tiny scales, and they had gills behind their ears. Their mouths were wider than that of a normal human, and the teeth were sharp and beast-like. They had sea-blue eyes that were dark and menacing, and their fingernails were as sharp and strong as a sea shell. Instead of legs, they had a tail similar to that of a dolphin beneath their belly. It is said that Triton spawned the entire race of these beings.

Link/cite this page

If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.

Link will appear as Triton: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net - Greek Gods & Goddesses, February 7, 2017