Tritons
Fish-tailed sea spirits who attended Poseidon and blew conch shells to calm or stir the waves, led by the original Triton, son of Poseidon.
The Myth of Tritons
The original Triton was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a powerful sea-god who lived with his parents in a golden palace at the bottom of the ocean. He carried a great conch shell whose blast could calm the seas or raise terrible storms. In the Argonautica, Triton appeared to the stranded Argonauts at Lake Tritonis in Libya and guided them back to the sea. Over time, the singular Triton multiplied into the Tritons — a whole race of fish-tailed marine spirits who formed Poseidon's retinue, blowing conch shells as the sea god's chariot passed over the waves. Roman mosaics frequently depicted Tritons accompanying Neptune, and the image of the muscular, conch-blowing merman became one of the most recognizable motifs in classical art. Pausanias records seeing a preserved Triton specimen in Rome, though he was skeptical of its authenticity.
Parents
Poseidon and Amphitrite (the original Triton)
Symbols
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
Triton
⚡ godMerman herald of the sea
Triton was the merman son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, who calmed or stirred the waves with his conch-shell trumpet.
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The monstrous children of Phorcys and Ceto, including the Gorgons, Graeae, and other terrors
Ichthyocentaur
🐉 creaturesea creatures
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Ceto
🐉 creatureSea, monsters
Primordial sea goddess known as the Mother of Monsters who bore many of the most fearsome creatures in Greek myth
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.
Hippocampus
🐉 creaturesea creatures
A horse-bodied sea creature with a fish or serpent tail that pulled Poseidon's chariot
Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A colossal sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage the coast of Ethiopia
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.
Ichthyocentaurs
🐉 creatureSea, hybridity
Marine centaurs with the upper body of a man, forelegs of a horse, and the tail of a fish
Pistrix
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A massive saw-toothed sea creature depicted in Roman mosaics as a hybrid of fish, dragon, and whale
Glaucus of Anthedon
🐉 creaturesea,transformation
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Trojan Cetus
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A sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Troy, fought by Heracles in exchange for divine horses