Phorcys
Phorcys is an old sea god in ancient Greek religion. The Gorgons were daughters of Phorcys. In ancient Greek religion, female sea monsters that combine allure and deadliness may also derive from this tradition, including the Gorgons (who were daughters of the old sea god Phorcys), sirens, harpies, and even water nymphs and Nereids.
↻ synthesized from 5 sources
When
- First attested
- 800 BCE
- Attested period
- -800 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Appears in Hesiod's Theogony (c. 8th – 7th century BC).
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Callirhoe, Styx, Peiras, Tartarus, Phanes, Abyssos, Gorgons, Pemphredo, Enyo, Brontes, Steropes, Arges, Cottus, Briareos, Gyges, Ceto, Pandora, Actaeon, Orion, Chrysaor, Tiamat, Lilith, Abyzou, Abzu, Aphrodite, giant, Uranus, Cronus, Meliae, Heracles
- parent of
- Sthenno, Ladon, Echidna, Dino, Persis, Hesperides, Erinyes, Graeae, Deinos, Pemphredo, Enyo, Gorgons, Euryale, Medusa, Stheno
- consort of
- Ceto
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“In ancient Greek religion, female sea monsters that combine allure and deadliness may also derive from this tradition, including the Gorgons (who were daughters of the old sea god Phorcys), sirens, harpies, and even water nymphs and Nereids.”
#5600 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“the sea goddess Ceto, making Echidna's likely father the sea god Phorcys; however the "she" might instead refer to the Oceanid Callirhoe, which would make Medusa's offspring Chrysaor the father of Echidna. The mythographer Pherecydes of Athens (5th century BC) has Echidna as the daughter of Phorcys, without naming a mother.”
#6185 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“They were the daughters of the primordial sea gods Phorcys and Ceto and sisters of, among others, the Gorgons.”
#28342 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“By her son, Pontus, Gaia bore the sea-deities Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto, and Eurybia.”
#28401 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“In Greek mythology, the three Gorgon sisters—Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale—were all children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or Phorkys) and his sister Ceto (or Keto), chthonic monsters from an archaic world.”
#43253 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001