Proteus

: This article is about Proteus from the Greek mythology. For other meanings of the word, see proteus (disambiguation).

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In Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea", whose name suggests the "first", as protogonos is the "firstborn". No mention is made of his parents, until for later mythographers he became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony, or of Oceanus and a Naiad. and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals. He can foretell the future, but will change his shape to avoid having to; he will only answer to someone who is capable of capturing him. From this Proteus comes the adjective protean, with the general meaning of "versatile", "mutable", "capable of assuming many forms": "rotean" has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptablity.

Related Topics:
Greek mythology - Homer - Poseidon - Oceanus - Naiad - Seal - Adjective

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