Oceanus: The Titan God Of The Seas In Greek Mythology

Meet with us the god Oceanus. A powerful being that has countless powers and was placed in an important mythological place.

oceanus god

Who was Oceanus?

Oceanus was an ancient Greek god. According to one version, he was born from the union of the primal gods Chaos and Gaia, sanctified by the god Eros. Another version says that he was one of the twelve Titans, that is, son of Gaia and Uranus.

Oceanus was married to his sister Thetis, with whom he had numerous children, called Oceanides. These were the minor gods and goddesses of the rivers, sea and springs. In fact, Oceanus and Thetis were so fertile that overproduction of the watery elements of nature would cause floods; therefore, they divorced to prevent this from happening. The couple was not involved in the Titanomachy against Zeus, so the latter allowed them to continue their reign in his watery kingdom.

In ancient Greek art, Oceanus was depicted as having bull horns and the tail of a wriggling fish instead of legs. He was later regarded as a simple sea god or the personification of the sea.

A legendary early Greek Titan

The ancient Greeks told many legends about the first rulers of the Earth, a series of gigantic proto-gods called “Titans.” The ancient Greeks believed that Oceanus, one of the Titans, exercised control over the world’s first oceans and waterways.

Appearance

Many early works of art depict it as something resembling a man. He usually possessed the tail of a fish and horns on his head that resembled crab claws. Some artists depict it with the horns of a bull. In most works of art, Oceanus is shown carrying a snake in one hand and a fish in the other. Sometimes he holds an oar.

The parents of Oceanus

Different versions appear in the legends about the origins of Oceanus. Some stories describe him as the son of two powerful natural forces: Chaos (the beginning of everything) and Gaia (the earth). Other legendscall him the eldest son of the first two Titans, Uranus (the ruler of the sky) and Gaia (the ruler of the Earth). It seems clear that Oceanus is one of the oldest Greek gods.

According to legends, several of the Titans eventually rebelled against their father. However, Oceanus did not participate in this uprising. He oversaw the waters at the edge of the world, and also ruled over the waterways that separated Earth from Hades, the dark realm of the dead.

Oceans and Thetis

Oceanus married his sister, a Titan named Thetis. She also has a close relationship with water. Images of her in ancient Greek and Roman art often show her with long dark hair parted in the center, and a set of wings on her head. Many scholars believe that the wings signified her role in invoking rain clouds. She played an important role in dispersing water through the earth, helping it to fill subway rivers and springs.

oceanus

A very large family

While his brothers fought with their father, Oceanus and his wife Thetis spent their time raising a very large family. They had many children. Some sources state that the ancient Greeks described their sons as Potamoi (the first gods of rivers and streams) and their daughters as Oceanides(nymphs). Their daughters included nymphs associated with natural features, such as forests, ponds, beaches, trees, streams, flowers, and meadows. Oceanus and Tethys produced more than 3,000 children!

One of the couple’s daughters became the mother of the ocean nymphs called“Nereids“. Another daughter, Pleione, became the mother of the nymphs who eventually became the seven stars of the Pleiades. Many stories in Greek mythology describe the activities of these minor deities.

Oceanus and the gods of Mount Olympus

The ancient Greeks believed that a conflict eventually arose between Zeus, nephew of Oceanus, and the Titans. Zeus eventually won this struggle. He banished the Titans who had opposed him. He ruled from Mount Olympus with many of his sons.

During this epic battle, according to most legends, Oceanus did not enter the conflict. In fact, some of his sons eventually joined the gods and goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus. However, Oceanus himself never moved there. Instead, the ancient Greeks believed that he continued to rule a great waterway that encircled the known Earth.

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