Amphitrite

A statue of Amphitrite

Amphitrite is a Greek sea goddess. She is the woman form of the sea. She is also the wife of the sea god Poseidon. Amphitrite and Poseidon live together in a golden palace under the sea. Amphitrite is the daughter of Nereus and Doris, and she is one of the fifty Nereids. The Nereids are beautiful sea nymph girls. In old Greek pictures and statues, Amphitrite often looked very similar to the goddess Aphrodite. However, people could tell it was Amphitrite because she had a crab claw on her forehead. Sometimes the claw looked like a helmet. She also wore a golden net in her hair. In Roman stories, a goddess like Amphitrite is called Salacia, and she is also a goddess of springs. In the poems of the Greek writer Homer, Amphitrite is simply called “the sea.”^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Greek writer Hesiod wrote about Amphitrite around 700 BCE in his book called Theogony. In this book, he says that Amphitrite was the daughter of Nereus, a sea god who was sometimes called “the old man of the sea.” Her mother was Doris, an Oceanid. Doris was the daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Amphitrite was one of the fifty Nereid sisters. Hesiod also wrote the names of many of these sisters in his poem, such as Protho, Eukrante, Sao, Amphitrite, Eudore, Thetis, Galene, Glauce, Cymothoe, Speio, Thalia, Pasithea, Erato, Eunike, Melite, Eulimene, Agave, Doto, Proto, Pherousa, Dynamene, Nesaia, Aktaia, Protomedeia, Doris, Panope, Galatea, Hippothoe, Hipponoe, Cymodoce, and others. In the poem, it also says that Amphitrite and some of her sisters could calm the sea waves and the strong winds. Some stories give a different family for Amphitrite. These stories say that she was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys instead. In those stories, she is called an Oceanid instead of a Nereid.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Amphitrite was known as a sea goddess, and she was also seen as the living form of the Mediterranean Sea. The Nereids were beautiful sea nymph girls, and the most respected among them were Amphitrite and her sister Thetis. In Greek art, the Nereids are often shown sitting on dolphins. They are usually holding tridents or garlands of flowers. Their main job was to help and serve Poseidon. After Amphitrite married Poseidon, the Nereids became part of the royal court of Poseidon and Amphitrite.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Worship

Sailors and fishermen worshipped the Nereids. They built altars for them near the seashore. People gave them offerings of oil, honey, and milk. Sailors prayed to them so they could have a good journey on the sea and return home safely.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Description

Amphitrite was also described as the mother of sea animals such as fish, dolphins, and seals. Many ancient writers and poets used the name Amphitrite to mean the sea itself. The poet Homer did this in his book Odyssey. In one part of the story, he writes that no one knows where a man died. He may have died on land at the hands of enemies, or he may have died in the open sea in Amphitrite’s waves.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] In the Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo, Amphitrite is listed as one of the great goddesses who stayed beside Leto while she was giving birth to Apollo. Leto suffered in labor for nine days and nine nights. Amphitrite and the other great goddesses stayed with her during this time. When the beautiful baby Apollo was finally born, the goddesses all cheered with joy.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Marriage

At first, the sea god Poseidon was supposed to marry Thetis, who was a sea nymph and the sister of Amphitrite. However, a prophet named Themis warned Poseidon that any son born to Thetis would grow up to be greater and stronger than his father. Because of this warning, Poseidon quickly ended the plan to marry Thetis.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Later, Poseidon saw Amphitrite while she was dancing with her sisters in the sea during low tide. This happened on the island of Naxos. Poseidon fell in love with her immediately and asked her to marry him. Amphitrite was afraid of Poseidon because he had a bad temper. She refused his offer and ran away to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. Her fear of marriage was similar to other stories in Greek myths, such as Hera not wanting to marry Zeus at first and Persephone not wanting to marry Hades. Poseidon really wanted Amphitrite to love him, so he sent her many gifts. He gave her pearls, coral, and treasure from the sea. However, Amphitrite still refused to marry him. In the end, Poseidon asked a dolphin named Delphinus to help him. Delphinus spoke to Amphitrite in a very kind and nice way about Poseidon. After listening to Delphinus, Amphitrite finally agreed to marry Poseidon.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] After their marriage, Amphitrite became the queen and goddess of the sea. At her wedding, the goddess Aphrodite gave her a crown of roses to honor her as a great goddess. Poseidon was very thankful to Delphinus for helping him. To show his gratitude, he placed the dolphin in the sky among the stars. This is said to be the origin of the Delphinus group of stars in the sky. Amphitrite and Poseidon lived together in a big golden palace under the sea. Sometimes Amphitrite rode beside Poseidon in a pearl shell chariot that was pulled by dolphins. At other times, she traveled on the back of a dolphin.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Children

Amphitrite and Poseidon had several children together. One of their children was Triton, who was half man and half fish. Triton lived with his parents under the sea. Another child was Rhodos, also called Rhode, who later became the wife of the sun god Helios. They also had another daughter named Benthesikyme.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Amphitrite Media

Theseus and Amphitrite clasp hands, with Athena looking on (red-figure cup by Euphronios and Onesimos, 500–490 BC)
Sea thiasos depicting the wedding of Poseidon and Amphitrite, from the Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus in the Field of Mars, bas-relief, Roman Republic, 2nd century BC
A Roman mosaic on a wall in the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, Herculaneum, Italy
Triumph of Poseidon and Amphitrite showing the couple in procession, detail of a vast mosaic from Cirta, Roman Africa (c. 315–325 AD, now at the Louvre)
Drawing of Amphitrite sitting in a sea shell surrounded by her subjects. The Triumph of Amphitrite by Giovanni Battista Crosato (1745–1750). Held at the National Gallery of Art.