July 16: Travel Month

When the Olympian gods took over power, an older generation of gods was still dwelling on earth. Two of them had the same epithet: the “old man of the sea”. One was Nereus, father of the Nereid-nymphs of the ocean, and the other was Proteus, whose name literally means: “the first”. Hence protagonist, prototype and even protein. As Proteus was able to take on every form (hence the adjective “protean”), he symbolised the changeable nature of the seas. He could also foresee the future, but you had to capture him first. Which wasn’t easy, given his shape shifting. In the Iliad, it’s king Menelaos of Sparta who managed to hold on to him, even when Proteus transformed into a lion, a serpent, a leopard, a pig, water and a tree. Eventually, he gave up and revealed that Menelaos would safely return home after the Trojan war. Proteus’ favourite hideaway was the Greek island of Karpathos, where hotels still carry his name. And where you can still spot him, sunbathing on the beach, in the form of a seal.

Nereus, engraving, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA

Menelaos binding Proteus, engraving, Giulio Bonasone,

Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA

Did you know?

• Jules Verne mentions in his novel “20 000 Miles beneath the Sea” that Proteus used to herd Neptunus’ flock of seals on this island.

• About Nereus and the Nereïds: cfr. “Shiny Seawater”, “Go with the Flow”, “Hard to Get”, “My Fair Lady”, “The Friend Zone”, “The Salt of the Earth”.