Ceto
Primordial sea goddess known as the Mother of Monsters who bore many of the most fearsome creatures in Greek myth
The Myth of Ceto
Ceto was a primordial marine goddess, daughter of Pontus, the sea, and Gaia, the earth. Her name means sea monster or whale, and she was the personification of the terrifying dangers lurking in the deep ocean. She married her brother Phorcys, and together they produced an extraordinary brood of monstrous offspring. Their children included the Gorgons (Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale), the Graeae (the three grey sisters who shared one eye and one tooth), the dragon Ladon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, Echidna the half-woman half-serpent, and the great sea serpent sent to devour Andromeda. Through her offspring, Ceto's influence extended to many of the greatest hero myths in Greek tradition, as heroes like Perseus and Heracles had to confront her children to prove their worth.
Parents
Pontus and Gaia
Symbols
Fun Fact
The scientific term cetacean, meaning whales and dolphins, derives directly from Ceto's name
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Phorcydes
🐉 creaturesea creatures
The monstrous children of Phorcys and Ceto, including the Gorgons, Graeae, and other terrors
Krataiis
🐉 creatureSea, terror
Sea goddess or nymph identified as the mother of the terrifying six-headed monster Scylla
Echidna
🐉 creatureMother of all monsters
Echidna was half woman, half serpent — called the Mother of All Monsters for bearing the most fearsome creatures of Greek mythology.
Ketea
🐉 creaturesea monsters,plural
The generic class of great sea monsters in Greek myth — enormous serpentine or whale-like creatures of the deep ocean, of which Cetus is the most famous individual.
Scylla
🐉 creatureSix-headed sea monster
A terrifying sea monster with six heads on long necks, each with three rows of teeth. She lived in a cliff cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis, creating an impossible choice for sailors.
Amphitrite
⚡ godGoddess-queen of the seas
Amphitrite co-ruled the oceans with Poseidon.
Doris
goddesssea, bounty of the sea, safe passage
Sea goddess and mother of the fifty Nereids, personifying the richness and abundance of the ocean.
Phorcys
🏔 titanSea Dangers, Hidden Depths
An ancient sea god of the deep's hidden perils, father of many of Greek mythology's most famous monsters including the Gorgons and the Graeae.
Charybdis
🐉 creatureMonstrous whirlpool
A massive whirlpool monster that swallowed and regurgitated the sea three times daily, destroying any ship caught in its pull. She sat opposite Scylla in the Strait of Messina.
Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A colossal sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage the coast of Ethiopia
Sybaris
🐉 creaturemonsters
A monstrous serpent-dragon that terrorised the region around Delphi until slain by a young hero
Trojan Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Troy, fought by Heracles in exchange for divine horses