Deity · Individual

Proteus

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name: Proteus
Disambiguator: None
Kind: Deity
Scope: Individual
Editorial note: No editorial note published.

Aliases

old man of the sea

Title · Remembered

old immortal

Descriptive reference · Remembered

Neptune’s head man

Title · Remembered

lion with a great mane

Disguise · Disguised

dragon

Disguise · Disguised

leopard

Disguise · Disguised

wild boar

Disguise · Disguised

running water

Disguise · Disguised

tree

Disguise · Disguised

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

sea cave where Proteus sleeps1 observation

·Hypothetical

Idothea says Proteus will sleep in the sea cave.

See evidence text

“‘‘Stranger,’ said she, ‘I will make it all quite clear to you. About the time when the sun shall have reached mid heaven, the old man of the sea comes up from under the waves, heralded by the West wind that furs the water over his head. As soon as he has come up he lies down, and goes to sleep in a great sea cave, where the seals—Halosydne’s chickens as they call them—come up also from the grey sea, and go to sleep in shoals all round him; and a very strong and fish-like smell do they bring with them. {44} Early to-morrow morning I will take you to this place and will lay you in ambush. Pick out, therefore, the three best men you have in your fleet, and I will tell you all the tricks that the old man will play you.”

Claims

·Remembered

Proteus is the old man of the sea and father of Idothea.

See evidence text

“Idothea, daughter to Proteus, the old man of the sea”

·Reported

Proteus is Neptune’s head man and knows the entire seabed.

See evidence text

“he is Neptune’s head man and knows every inch of ground all over the bottom of the sea”

·Reported

Proteus rises from beneath the waves under a West wind that roughens the water over him.

See evidence text

“the old man of the sea comes up from under the waves, heralded by the West wind that furs the water over his head”

·Hypothetical

Idothea warns that Proteus can become every kind of land creature as well as fire and water.

See evidence text

“He will turn himself into every kind of creature that goes upon the earth, and will become also both fire and water”

·Remembered

Proteus changes successively into a great-maned lion, dragon, leopard, wild boar, running water, and a tree.

See evidence text

“changed himself first into a lion with a great mane; then all of a sudden he became a dragon, a leopard, a wild boar; the next moment he was running water, and then again directly he was a tree”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

·Remembered

“Proteus, the old man of the sea”

·Disguised

“changed himself first into a lion with a great mane; then all of a sudden he became a dragon, a leopard, a wild boar; the next moment he was running water, and then again directly he was a tree”

·Reported

“what the old man of the sea told me”