Glaucus the Sea God
godMortal fisherman who ate a magical herb, became immortal, and transformed into a blue-green sea deity.
The Myth
He ate grass that made fish come back to life — then jumped into the sea and became a god. Glaucus was an ordinary fisherman who noticed that his catch, when placed on a certain herb, revived and leaped back into the water. He ate the herb himself and was seized by an irresistible urge to enter the sea. Oceanus and Tethys purified him, and he emerged as a blue-green merman with a fish tail. He fell in love with Scylla, but when he asked Circe for a love potion, Circe's jealousy destroyed Scylla instead. The Argonauts encountered him as a prophetic sea-spirit. His transformation from mortal to god is one of the few successful apotheoses in myth.
Parents
Anthedon
Symbols
Fun Fact
Glaucus is one of the extremely rare mortals in Greek myth who achieves full divine status without dying first.
Explore Further
Glaucus (Sea God)
godA mortal fisherman who became an immortal sea god after eating a magical herb.
Scylla (Origin Story)
creatureBeautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a...
Scylla (Origin)
nymphScylla was originally a beautiful sea nymph who was transformed into a six-headed monster by the...
Circe
godA powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine...
Circe (Sorceress)
godDaughter of Helios and powerful sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men into pigs on the island of...
Argo (Ship)
placeThe Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth,...
Argonauts
conceptThe Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden...
Oceanus
titanThe great Titan who personified the vast river believed to encircle the entire world. Father of all...
Scylla
creatureA terrifying sea monster with six heads on long necks, each with three rows of teeth. She lived in...
Tethys
titanTethys was the Titaness of fresh water — the great nurse of all life, whose thousands of river and...
Bellerophon and Pegasus
heroThe hero who tamed Pegasus and slew the Chimera but was destroyed by his own hubris when he tried...
Sisyphus
heroThe cunning king of Corinth who cheated death twice, only to be condemned to an eternity of futile...