Kushite mythology comes from ancient tales linked to the Kingdom of Kush, a historical member of the ancient Nubian regime that developed during the time of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
Origin of the Kushite Empire
A goddess from the Nubian era who is represented in the form of a woman distinguished by having a double falcon head surrounded by a solar disc.
She is known as the companion of the lion god Apedemak.
Her image is found on the northern side wall of the lion temple in Naga, along with other deities.
Amesemi stands out from the others because she is thought to be much more corpulent, as women in the Meroe kingdom are.
Her name was discovered thanks to inscriptions on monuments found in the temple of Amun in Naqa Amesemi, where she can be seen with Kandake Amanishakheto.
Apedemak
- Azrael appears as a villain who fights Batman.
Son of the gods Kronos and Rhea, he is the most important of the sea gods in Greek mythology, and in fact the best known to people.
According to ancient stories, his mother saved him and his brother Zeus from being devoured by Kronos’ father, and as a result he was raised by the Telchines in Rhodes. Later, when the world was divided into three parts, he received the sea, while his brothers Zeus received the sky and the earth, and Hades received the underworld.
This is why he is the main deity of the seas and the basis from which the rest of the gods and demigods of the Greek sea were born.
He was also married to Amphitrite, the ancient goddess of the sea and a nymph whom he fell in love with when he saw her dancing on the island of Naxos. According to legend, he kidnapped her and forced her to live with him at the bottom of the sea, and from this union Rhodes and Triton were born.
However, they were not his only children, as he had many children with both goddesses and mortals, making his descendants numerous.
What does Poseidon look like?
He is one of the gods of the sea in Greek mythology and is often described in many ways:
Some say he looks like a dolphin, a nymph, or a triton, but what never fails is that he is always accompanied by horses that can ride the waves of the sea. The most common version is that of a mythological being who usually appears as a human with a trident that can change shape at will.
Legend also has it that he lived in a palace made of coral and gems at the bottom of the sea and that he was the owner of what is now known as Atlantis.
Why is he considered one of the most important sea gods in Greek mythology?
He is recognized as the god of the sea par excellence, not only because he was given this power when the world was divided, but also because he could unleash great storms, destroy coastal rocks with his trident, and had the power to create springs out of thin air.
Legends surrounding Poseidon
Some of his many stories place him in the construction of the walls of Troy and in the battle created by Homer to intervene on behalf of the Achaeans. It is even thought that he created the monster that rose from the bottom of the sea against the Trojans.
He is also thought to have participated in the possession of the city of Athens against the goddess Athena, being considered by the inhabitants of the city as a second important deity.
Poseidon, being such an important god, was offered sacrifices and gifts, and sea travelers, whether heroes or individuals, entrusted themselves to him before setting sail.
2) Triton
One of the two sons of Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite, known for being the messenger of the deep sea.
He also possessed the gift of prophecy and, thanks to this, was chosen as a witness to solemn oaths.
He was also the father of Pallas and the stepfather of the goddess Athena, but following a fight between the latter two, the goddess killed Pallas. However, he is also said to be the father of Scylla, together with Lamia.
Triton was a character of great importance among the sea gods of Greek mythology, as he was one of the great executors of his father Poseidon.
For this reason, he traveled across all the seas to carry out his orders and was accompanied by giants. Among his notable deeds, he appeased the wrath that Zeus sent to humans by dissolving the permanent flood that was on the earth.
What does Triton look like?
He is usually depicted as half human and half fish, with a fish tail.
Essentially, he can be thought of as the typical representation of a mermaid, who, like his father, is accompanied by a trident and a seashell.
It should be noted that his most characteristic feature is the sea shell, which he used as an instrument to announce his arrival as god of the sea, and also allowed him to raise or calm the waves of the sea.
However, the sound it made was so horrible that it caused giants to flee if they were near this deity, as they thought it was the cry of a savage sea monster coming for them.
Mythological creatures associated with Triton
As one of the gods of the sea in Greek mythology, it should be noted that he was very important in Greek mythological history and that, due to his characteristic features, he was associated with other mythical sea creatures.
Called tritons, they were similar in physical characteristics to the god, i.e., they had fish tails and human bodies, but they were both male and female.
In fact, the relationship between the two stems from the idea that these creatures were part of his entourage. However, there are different versions of the story, some saying that they were good and others that they were evil.
Some versions indicate that they were beings who liked to bother both women and young men who bathed in the waters.
Ancient Sea Gods of Greek Mythology
As the oceans were a fundamental part of Greek times, they also have ancestors who made their great power on earth resound among the inhabitants. Some of the ancient gods of the sea in Greek mythology are:
1) Pontus
An ancient god of the sea, representing all the seas of the world, the ancient Black Sea was named in his honor, “Pontus Euxinus.”
An interesting fact is that he had children with his mother Gaia, who are known to the Greeks as the elders of the oceans, Nereus and Thaumas, and Phorcys and his wife-sister Ceto, and the goddess Euribia, who cause the dangers of the sea.
However, it should be noted that little information is available about this deity, as he is only mentioned in works such as theogony or cosmology, so no myths or legends about this character are known.
2) Nereus
The representation of the calm and prosperous sea, he is the eldest son of Pontus and Gaia, defined by Homer as the “guardian of the sea.”
He was married to the Oceanid Doris, with whom he had 50 daughters, known as the Nereids, all sea nymphs, with whom he lived in the Aegean Sea, accompanying and entertaining him with their songs and dances.
Also nicknamed the Old Knight, stories tell that he was known for having the gift of prophecy and that he was a being who loved and prophesied legality and truth.
He was one of the sea gods of Greek mythology, most sought after because people wanted to force him to tell them the future. So he always changed his form into a snake, water, fire, and many other things.
How was Nereus represented?
He was usually thought to look like a vulnerable old man, notable for his white hair and beard, and he was always accompanied by his many daughters. However, other versions say that he had a snake’s tail instead of legs.
Another of his characteristic features is that he carried a staff or trident and was sometimes depicted with half of his body as a fish.
Nereus in classical mythology
Nereus is mentioned in classical Greek mythology, prophesying to Paris all the misfortunes that would befall Troy for taking Helen from her husband, and that thanks to Heracles he would find the garden of the Hesperides.
3) Forcis
Brother of Nereus, who in turn married his sister Ceto, with whom he brought into the world the monsters Forcides, Scylla, Ladon, Toosa, the Graeae, and the Gorgons.
He was known in his human life as the king of Corsica, who, after losing the battle against Atlas, was thrown into the sea where he later became another of the elders of the sea, the one spoken of by Hesiod and Homer.
4) Proteus
The well-known “old man of the sea” according to Homer in his Odyssey, or the Shepherd of the Sea Beasts. Proteus is a mythological being whose parents are unknown, as there are various unconfirmed assumptions.
He is represented as a sea traveler riding a chariot pulled by a hippocampus, a subject of Poseidon that I could see through the depths of the sea.
It should be noted that Poseidon gave him the task of herding the herds of seals that belonged to him, and because he took such good care of them, the chief god gave him the ability to know the past and the future, as well as the ability to change shape to avoid having to answer anyone he did not want to, and only if he was kidnapped would he be obliged to answer.
Similarly, according to Homer, he lived on the island of Faro, which is located in front of the Nile delta.
The legend also says that Poseidon helped him get to Egypt because he was sad that two of his sons were cruel monsters who didn’t change their ways even though he tried to inspire feelings of humanity in them.
5) Tethys
Ancient goddess of fresh water and wife of Oceanus, mother of the main rivers called Oceanids, known to humans as the Nile, Alpheus, and Meander, and of some three thousand daughters called the Oceanids.
This deity is thought to have played an important role in primitive times, but there are no historical records of Tethys in ancient texts.
Likewise, the goddess’s great power is revealed when Hera of Olympus tells her that she is not satisfied with the location of Callisto and Arcas in the sky, as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, so she asks her former nanny, Tethys, to help her.
So this sea goddess cursed these constellations to revolve around the sky without ever setting below the horizon, which explains why they are circumpolar.
Other Sea Gods in Greek Mythology
In addition to the best-known sea gods in Greek mythology, there are also other mythological beings that control certain aspects of the oceans, including:
1) Roda
She is the goddess of the island of Rhodes, an island that recently emerged from the waters where she lives, and of which she was the protector, for which she was venerated by the inhabitants.
She is also one of Poseidon’s daughters and was the wife of the sun god, Helios, with whom she had seven sons and one daughter known to the inhabitants as the Heliades:
- Óquimo.
- Cércafo.
- Macareo.
- Actis.
- Tenages.
- Triple.
- Candalus.
- Electriona (daughter).
2) Glaucus
According to the authors, Glauco was a fisherman who loved fish so much that it hurt him to catch them.
Then one day, something magical happened: when he placed the fish beside him, they returned to the sea. Determined to find out what was happening, he waited until one day he realized that it was a mysterious god telling them to return to the water.
Glauco concluded that this was because the fish ate a plant that grew on the seashore, and he decided to eat some of it to see if he could also hear the magical call.
As a result, when he ate the plants, he was drawn to the depths of the sea, where he was warmly welcomed. Oceanus and Tethys saw that Glaucus wanted to live in the sea kingdom, so they put him to sleep and turned him into a sea god.
Thus, when the former fisherman awoke, he realized that he had changed and that his appearance was now different, with a green beard, blue arms, and instead of legs, a tail that allowed him to swim and be with the fish.
Legend of Glaucus and Scylla
The mythological legend tells that the god fell madly in love with a nymph named Scylla, who rejected him because of his half-man, half-fish appearance and avoided him.
The god pursued her, but she continued to flee, and after countless searches, he was forced to admit defeat. However, as he was in love, he decided to seek the help of the sorceress Circe, begging her to help him win over his beloved.
However, his wishes were granted in another way, as Circe also fell in love with the new god and begged him to stay with her since her nymph had rejected him.
When he refused, the sorceress turned the nymph into a hideous monster from the waist down. At that moment, Scylla ran to meet Glaucus, who told her that they could not be together, as they would both be unhappy.
Scylla went to Sicily, where she frightened the mortals who had once courted her, and Circe continued to wait for her beloved, but he was so outraged by her betrayal and cruelty that he never returned and always remembered his former beautiful and sweet nymph, who had fallen victim to the sorceress’s jealousy.
3) Achelous
Like most sea gods in Greek mythology, Achelous is presented to humans as an old man with a beard, gray hair, and two horns. He is the deity who rules the river that bears his name.
Legend
The story of this mythological character begins with his defeat at the hands of Hercules for the woman they both loved.
According to ancient stories, he became the god of this river after losing the battle with the daring suitor, who forced him to live in the river Toas, which has since been called Aqueloo.
During the fight, he took the form of a snake, making the course of the river very difficult to determine and causing frequent floods that reached the fields of Calydon, confusing the borders and causing wars between neighboring towns.
As a result of these events, Heracles decided to regulate the river by building dikes and bringing the two branches of its course together into a single bed. This led to the former problematic river becoming a place that brought great wealth and abundance to the country.
The curse of the daughters of the god Achelous
This deity had four daughters, beautiful both in appearance and talent, whose singing attracted spirits, sailors, and even gods.
In view of this competition, Aphrodite decided to punish the four women by turning them into animals that are a mixture of two species, that is, with the face and bust of a woman and the body of a bird.
As a result, they competed with the daughters of Zeus, the seven muses, and one day they challenged them to a competition judged by the gods, but the gods chose the daughters of Zeus.
Eager for revenge, they lured some sailors to kill them, until Argos approached with his schooner to the waters where they lived. Sensing danger, he took out his lyre and played it in melodious harmony, attracting the attention of the sailors instead of the daughters of Achelous.
It is worth noting that he trapped the sisters in his musical spell, turning three of them into statues and causing Artémope to jump into the sea, where she died.
However, some time later, the sea returned her body to the shore where she was buried, and the city of Naples was born.
4) Amphitrite
Consort of Poseidon, she is the goddess of the calm sea.
5) Leucothea
White goddess of the sea, who was turned into a goddess by Poseidon after she was a nymph.
According to an ancient version that developed in Rhodes, a nymph named Halia threw herself into the sea and became Leucothea, as she had previously succumbed to Poseidon’s nets.
This event occurred because she had Rodo and six other children with him, who raped her when Aphrodite drove them mad for offending her. As a result of this event, Poseidon confined them underground.
6) Oceanids
This name refers to various river gods who personified the rivers they ruled over.
According to Hesiod, they are the children of Oceanus and Tethys, and he also states that they are every river known at the time, thus becoming the brothers of the Oceanids.
Appearance and worship of the Oceanids
They are thought to have looked like old men with long beards, accompanied by fauna and flora representative of their rivers.
They also wore two crowns made of local vegetation and were invoked before people crossed them out of respect for them.
7) Oceanids
Nymphs of the sea, rivers, and lakes who inhabit the oceans and control the currents and waves of the sea, believed to number more than 3,000.
8) Asia
One of the Oceanids, but unlike her sisters, she is considered the patroness of the continent of Asia. Her children are Vespero, Atlas, Epimetheus, and Prometheus, the latter being the one who stole fire from the gods to give intelligence to humans.
She lived in the eastern Aegean Sea, known as Asia Minor, where the legendary city of Troy was located, which was destroyed by the Greeks.
But what many did not know is that Asia, despite her beauty, had a countenance afflicted by the misfortune of her children.
What does Asia look like?
She is believed to have been dressed in beautiful clothes and to have held a bunch of special aromatic branches in her hands. She is always depicted standing on diamonds and other precious stones.
Her head was adorned with a blue turban with peacock feathers.
It is also thought that Asian flags and swords or bows and arrows fluttered around her, and that she appeared to be protected by a shield shaped like a crescent moon. Finally, a camel could be seen just behind her, waiting to be mounted for travel.
9) Ocean
An ancient Titan depicted as an old man with a beard and horns, who was considered the god of all the waters in the world.
He married his sister Tethys, with whom he gave life to 3,000 rivers on earth, including the Nile, the Po, and the Danube, as well as the Oceanids.
The myth surrounding this god is that he was the force that created all the rivers and seas, which were born from him. In fact, it is believed that salt water, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, came from this deity.
However, over time, Oceanus came to represent the creation of the unknown and strange waters of the Atlantic, called the Ocean Sea, while Poseidon ruled over the Mediterranean.
Deities related to the gods of the sea in Greek mythology
The oceans are not only inhabited by gods, there are also other divinities related to the sea, some of which are:
1) Nereids
A demigod whose job was to transport humans across the Styx River to the underworld ruled by Hades.
In fact, it was he who imposed the law of placing coins on the dead so that they could pay the ferryman who would take them to their final destination, and those who did not do so were condemned to wander as lost souls on earth.
