Greek mythology hides hundreds of interesting stories. Some of them are well known, but others not so much perhaps because their main characters are not as "glamorous" as the gods and winged horses or do not contain important teachings such as the myth of Icarus. However, they are also in many cases exciting. Join us to know the mythological legend of Glauco, the fisherman who became Triton . Glaucus was born mortal and became immortal; from that moment his mission was to come to the rescue of sailors and fishermen during the storms whenever he had also been one of them.
The myth of Glauco, the fisherman who became Triton
The adjective "glauco" comes from the Latin word "glaucus" which in turn derives from the ancient Greek γλαυκός (glaukós) which means "sea green" and this meaning has a lot to do with the myth of Glauco .
Glaucous It was him mortal son from Poseidon and a naiad called Nais. I lived like simple fisherman in Antedón, Boeotia (a region of Antigua Greece ) and one day, coincidentally, rubbing a fish with some herbs, he discovered that the plant had the property of giving back life. The grass had apparently been sown by Cronos to revitalize the exhausted horses of Helios, the sun god. Glaucus, who knew nothing, decided to try it and see what effect it had on himself. He ingested it and before long he saw how his body began to transform. The hair and beard turned sea-green, fins came out and his legs became the tail of a fish. It had become a triton .
Unable to take more on land, he jumped into the water very scared. He had not wanted that transformation. However, at the bottom of the sea he was received by Ocean and Thetis who purified him and made him immortal, although they did not prevent him from aging. It was accepted among the sea gods and learned from them the art of prophecy that he would later teach Apollo.
Glauco helped the Argonauts and it was said that he went to help sailors and fishermen who were in danger during the storms, remembering that he had also been one of them.
The amorous adventures of Glauco , like those of most of the characters in Greek mythology, are very numerous, but the best known is the one that starred alongside the Nymph Scylla and the witch Circe . Glauco was in love with the nymph Scylla and it corresponded, but after his transformation in triton he rejected it, horrified by his new appearance. Glaucus went to the witch Circe to provide him with a potion that would make him recover the lost love. Contrary to expectations, Circe did not help him because he fell in love with him. Glaucus rejected her and she retaliated, poisoned the water in which Scylla was bathing and He turned her into a monstrous being with six dog heads .
Tremendous stories of gods and Greek mythological creatures, right ?. Did you know the myth of Glauco ? If this post has interested you, maybe you want to know 10 Short Greek myths | Epic stories of the Gods of Olympus.