MERFOLK MYTHOLOGY (6/6): Glaukos/ Glaucus

Glaukos (meaning “Gleaming” or “sea-gray”) is one of the many Sea-Gods in Greek Mythology from a class of primordial deities known as The Old Man of the Sea identified as Nereus, Proteus, Triton, Pontus, Phorcys and others. He was a mortal turned immortal (what is called “apotheosis”).

Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells that Glaukos Pontius (of the sea) was a fisherman and diver who, by landing on the island of Thrinacia, found out a mysterious herb that grew there which would bring the fish he caught back to life. Intrigued, he ate the herb himself unaware that those herbs were sown by Cronos and were sacred to the Sun God Helios who’d feed them to his horses to heal them from fatigue. Glaukos immediately became immortal but underwent a transformation which turned his legs into a fish tail, making him a merman and forcing him to live in the ocean. Unhappy at first with his fate, he was welcomed by both Oceanus and Thethis among the other Sea Gods and soon learned from them the art of prophecy becoming more powerful at it than any other God. It is said that Apollo himself had learned the art of prophecy from Glaucus. The stories don’t agree on his parentage, but some say he is a son of Hermes, Poseidon or Nereus with mortal women.

Much is said about his love life. Some sources say he had an affair with Ariadne and was also Nereus' lover. In others, he threw himself into the sea out of love for Melikertes (some sources say Melikertes and Nereus are actually Glaukos). However, his most famous story is that of his unrequited love for the beautiful nymph Scylla, who was disgusted by his appearance and would reject and flee from him. Heartbroken, he went to the goddess and sorceress Circe asking for a potion that would make her fall in love with him. Circe however fell in love with Glaukos and asked him to scorn the undeserving Scylla and accept her instead, to which he responded that trees would grow on the ocean floor and seaweed would grow on the highest mountain before he would stop loving Scylla. Angry and jealous, Circe poisoned the pool where Scylla would bathe, turning her into a terrifying and horrible beast.

Because he had earned a living from the sea himself, Glaukos became the protector and rescuer of fisherman and sailors during storms, giving advice to anyone who was lost at sea and and would give prophecies to whoever asked for them, making him also a protector and guide for oracles, seers and soothsayers.