Phorcys

In Greek mythology, Phorcys or Phorcus is a primordial sea god. He is often described as the son of Pontus and Gaia, the Earth. Phorcys is remembered for having many unusual children with his wife, Ceto. In old artworks, Phorcys was shown as a fish-tailed merman with crab-claw legs and red, spiky skin.

There is also an older story from Sardinia and Corsica. It tells of a king named Phorcos who was defeated in a big sea battle in the Tyrrhenian Sea. After his loss, people imagined him changing into a sea god who looked like a half man and half sea ram.

Parents

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Phorcys is the son of Pontus and Gaia, and the brother of Nereus, Thaumus, Ceto, and Eurybia. In a story from Plato's dialogue Timaeus, Phorcys, Cronus and Rhea are the oldest children of Oceanus and Tethys.

Offspring

In ancient stories, Phorcys and his wife Ceto had many famous children. They are known as the parents of the Graeae, which included Pemphredo and Enyo, and the Gorgons, such as Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. They may also have been the parents of Echidna and a great dragon that guarded golden apples.

Different tales tell us more about Phorcys' family. One story says that Scylla, a creature with many heads, was his daughter. Another tale mentions that the Sirens, who sang beautiful songs, might have been his children too. There are also stories that Phorcys had other daughters, like Thoosa, who was the mother of Polyphemus.