CLA 2323 Lecture Notes - Brindle, Anchises, Sea Monster
16 Mar 2013
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Document Summary
The greek god of the sea who is capable of changing his form at will. The etymological meaning comes from protean" something extremely flexible or ever-changing. According to legend, proteus is the son of poseidon and tethys, and his official job is as the herdsman of poseidon"s seals on the island of lemnos [often appearing in the form of a bull seal]. However, he is also capable of seeing into the future, so he is a form of oracle. According to homer, his abilities came at a price he would only tell the future to someone who was able to capture and hold him, and his shape-shifting abilities proposed a challenge. He was obliged to tell the truth. Thetis was a sea nymph who gave birth to the famous hero achilles. The gods zeus and neptune both desired thetis, but they did not pursue her because it was foretold that the son she bore would become greater than his father.
