Digital Maps of the Ancient World

Nereus

Unlike the often-feared Poseidon, Nereus was a gentle god, revered for his calm demeanor and understanding of the sea’s rich bounty. Dwelling in the Aegean depths with his wife Doris and their fifty Nereid daughters, he personified the ocean’s nurturing spirit, ensuring the well-being of fishermen and offering guidance to those who ventured into his domain.

Nereus in a frieze of the Pergamon Altar, Berlin. (c) Claus Ableiter

Residence: The Sea
Symbols: Fish
Parents: Pontus and Gaia
Consort: Doris
Children: The Nereids

Nereus was a master shapeshifter and possessed a prophetic voice. This ability to change form and utter pronouncements of future events made him a valuable, yet enigmatic figure. Heracles, the mighty hero, famously wrestled Nereus in search of directions to the land of the Hesperides, hoping to pry this knowledge from the elusive sea god.

Art

Detail of an Attic red-figure amphora, c. 490 BC, depicting Nereus. Harvard Art Museum. (c) theoi
Attic black-figure kylix depicting Heracles wrestling Nereus with his daughters surrounding them. National Archaeological Museum of Tarquinia. (c) theoi.
Nereus, Triton and Heracles, Athenian black-figure hydria, 6th c. BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (c) theoi