Triton

god

Τρίτων

Merman herald of the sea

Triton was the merman son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, who calmed or stirred the waves with his conch-shell trumpet.

The Myth

Triton dwelt in a golden palace on the sea floor. During the Deucalion flood, he blew his conch to signal the waters to recede. He guided the stranded Argonauts back to the sea from Libya. In later art, "tritons" became a whole race of mermen.

Parents

Poseidon and Amphitrite

Children

Pallas (in some traditions)

Symbols

conch shellfish tailtridentsea horses

Fun Fact

Neptune's largest moon is named Triton — and Triton conch shells are real sea snails named after this god.

Words We Inherited

English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:

Triton tritone