Page:Greek and Roman Mythology.djvu/67

 THE GREEK GODS 53 oped into richly-endowed personalities. Oceanus is a mere personification of the ocean itself, which flows around the earth like a stream. From him were sup- posed to proceed not only springs, rivers, and seas, but also all other things, even the gods themselves, in har- mony with the conceptions of the physical world adopted by the most ancient philosophers, which were suggested by the island-like situation of Greece. Therefore Oceanus was represented as a fatherly old man. He was said to live with his wife, Tethys (' nurse/ ' grandmother '), on the western border of the earth, without frequenting the assembly of the gods. 69. Somewhat like Oceanus, but more exactly charac- terized, was the Hallos Geron (' old man of the sea '), who dwelt in a grotto deep down in the sea, and not only knew all the secrets of his element, but, like the sea gods of the Babylonians and the Germans, possessed inscrutable wisdom. But whoever wished to question him must first overpower him in a wrestling contest, and, in spite of his faculty for assuming various forms, like the water itself, must compel him to impart his knowledge. From him were derived, differently named at different places, the sea gods Kereus (' flowing'), Proteus ('the firstborn '), and Phorcys, as well as Triton (< the stream- ing'), and Glaucus ('the glittering'). Of these the first three were represented in human form ; Nereus and Proteus possessed the gift of prophecy and of changing their forms ; while Phorcys and his wife Ceto (' sea monster ') ruled over the sea monsters and other monsters. On the other hand, Halios Geron, Triton, and Glaucus, probably by association with Assyrio-