Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Pontus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Pontus (or Pontos, "sea") was an ancient, pre-Olympian sea-god, son of Gaia and Aether, the Earth and Sky. Hesiod (Theogony, line 116) says that Gaia brought forth Pontos out of herself, without coupling. For Hesiod, Pontos seems little more than a personification of Sea.
With Gaia, he was the father of the Old Man of the Sea, Nereus and Thaumas (the awe-striking "wonder" of the Sea), of the Sea's dangerous aspects, Phorcys and his sister-consort Ceto, and of the "Strong Goddess" Eurybia. With Thalassa— whose own name simply means "sea" but in a pre-Greek root— he was the father of the Telchines.
Compare the sea-Titan Oceanus, who was more vividly realized than Pontus among the Hellenes.
Last updated: 05-28-2005 18:13:01
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details