=50. The Older Dynasty.= There were two dynasties of the sea. The Older, which flourished during the rule of Cronus, was founded by the Titans, _Oceanus_ and _Tethys_, from whom sprang three thousand rivers and ocean-nymphs unnumbered. The palace of Oceanus was beyond the limits of the bountiful earth,[58] surrounded by gardens and all things fair. From ages immemorial another dweller in the glimmering caves of Ocean was _Pontus_ (the _deep sea_ or the _waterway_), who became, by Mother Earth, father of Nereus. This _Nereus_, a genial old man of the sea, was distinguished for his prophetic gifts, his knowledge, his love of truth and justice. Taking to wife one of the daughters of Oceanus, the nymph Doris, he was blessed with a family of fifty fair daughters, the _Nereïds_.[59] Of these daughters the most famous are Panope, Galatea, Thetis, and Amphitrite; the last of whom gave her hand to Neptune (Poseidon), brother of Jove, and thus united the Older and the Younger dynasties of the sea. =51.= Of the =Younger Dynasty= of the waters _Neptune_ and _Amphitrite_ were the founders. Neptune's palace was in the depths of the sea, near Ægæ in Eub[oe]a; but he made his home on Olympus when he chose. The symbol of his power was the trident, or three-pronged spear, with which he could shatter rocks, call forth or subdue storms, and shake the shores of earth. He created the horse and was the patron of horse races. His own steeds were brazen-hoofed and golden-maned. They drew his chariot over the sea, which became smooth before him, while dolphins and other monsters of the deep gamboled about his path. In his honor black and white bulls, white boars, and rams were sacrificed. [Illustration: FIG. 41. WEDDING OF POSEIDON AND AMPHITRITE] =52. The Lesser Divinities of= =the Waters=[60] were: 1. _Triton_, the son of Neptune and Amphitrite, trumpeter of Ocean. By his blast on the sea-shell he stirred or allayed the waves. 2. _Proteus_, an attendant and, according to certain traditions, a son of Neptune. Like Nereus, he was a little old man of the sea. He possessed the prophetic gift and the power of changing his shape at will. 3. _The Harpies_, foul creatures, with heads of maidens, bodies, wings, and claws of birds, and faces pale with hunger. They are the offspring of Thaumas, a son of Pontus and Gæa. 4. The uncanny offspring of Phorcys and Ceto,--children of Pontus,--who rejoiced in the horrors of the sea: _a. The Grææ_, three hoary witches, with one eye between them which they used in turn. _b. The Gorgons_, whose glance was icy death. _c. The Sirens_, muses of the sea and of death, who by their sweet singing enticed seafarers to destruction. _d. Scylla_, also destructive to mariners, a six-headed monster whose lower limbs were serpents and ever-barking dogs. [Illustration: FIG. 42. TRITON CARRYING OFF A NYMPH]