Pontus

**Pontus**, also known as **Pontos** or **The Sea**, was the ancient Greek primordial god of the sea. Pontus was the father of several sea deities as well as most of the sea creatures.

## Description

Pontus was usually depicted as a large head with a water-colored gray beard rising out of the sea. He had a pair of horns on his head that were similar to crab claws.

In a Roman sculpture of the 2nd century, Pontus, rising from seaweed, grasps a rudder with his right hand and leans on the prow of a ship. He wears a mural crown, and accompanies Fortuna, whose draperies appear at the left, as twin patron deities of the Black Sea port of Tomis in Moesia.

## Overview

Pontus was born in the void state of Khaos, at a time before anything ever existed. Like the primordial beings Gaea and Uranus, he existed since the beginning, when everything came to be. Pontus was Gaea's son and was born without coupling with no father, though according to others, Pontus is the son of Gaea. His wife is the second primordial deity of the sea, Thalassa. Poseidon, king of the sea, wed Pontos' eldest granddaughter Amphitrite.

Pontus was the Lord of the Sea before his title was taken over by his much younger brother, Oceanus, and eventually his nephew, Poseidon. However, Pontus was the most powerful of all the Sea Lords, since he was literally the personification or spirit of the actual sea, rather than being just a deity of the sea.

With his mother, Gaea, he fathered Nereus (the Old Man of the Sea), Thaumas (the awe-striking "wonder" of the Sea, embodiment of the sea's dangerous aspects), Phorcys and his sister-consort Ceto, and the "Strong Goddess" Eurybia, who represented having power and mastery over the seas. She could even control the winds, which helped boaters move on the waters, and the showing of constellations, which navigators used back then as a map to travel the seas.

With the sea goddess Thalassa (whose own name simply means "sea" but is derived from a Pre-Greek root), he fathered the Telchines and all sea life. The Telchines were a mix of different things; they had flippers in place of hands and the head of a dog. Some of these individuals included Argyron, Megalesius, Nicon and Skelmis.

## Powers and Abilities

**Water Deity Physiology:** Pontus with this ability either is or can transform into a water deity, a god/goddess who represents or is associated with Water, the Seas, Lakes, Rivers, Streams, Wells, Springs, Rain and Floods. A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. This was the domains of lake/river and sea deities. Another important focus of worship of water deities has been springs or holy wells. As well as rain/flood Deities with water coming from the skies.

**Ocean Deity Physiology:** Pontus either is or can transform into a Sea Deity, a god/goddess who represents or is associated with the sea.

**Transcendent Merfolk Physiology:** Pontus with this ability either is or can transform into a merfolk who has ascended to or always had a godly state, being one of the most powerful merfolk in existence.