Nereus

For other uses, see (disambiguation)}}}.

Greek deities series
Primordial deities
Titans and Olympians
Chthonic deities
Personified concepts
Other deities
Aquatic deities
Poseidon Oceanus Ceto Nereus Glaucus Thetis Amphitrite Tethys	Triton Ophion Proteus Phorcys Pontus Oceanids Nereids Naiads

Nereus, in Greek Mythology, was the eldest son of Pontus and Gaia, the Sea and the Earth. See Hesiod, Theogony 233-36.

A Titan who with Doris fathered the Nereids. He lived with his family in the Aegean Sea. He was a shapeshifter with the power of prophecy and would aid heroes such as Heracles, who managed to catch him even as he changed shapes. Nereus and Proteus ("first") seem to be two manifestations of the god of the sea prior to being supplanted by Poseidon when Zeus overthrew Cronus.

Nereus was known for his truthfulness and virtue:

But Pontos, the great sea, was father of truthful Nereus who tells no lies, eldest of his sons. They call him the Old Gentleman because he is trustworthy, and gentle, and never forgetful of what is right, but the thoughts of his mind are mild and righteous. — Hesiod, Theogony 233

The Attic vase-painters showed the draped torso of Nereus issuing from a long coiling scaly fishlike tail [link]. Bearded Nereus generally wields a staff of authority.

Nereus

Further reading