Proteus (Greek myth)

For other uses, see Proteus (disambiguation).

In Greek mythology, Proteus (/ˈproʊtiəs, ˈproʊt.juːs/ PROH-tee-əs, PROHT-yooss; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, romanized: Prōteús, lit. 'first') may refer to the following characters.

• Proteus, a minor sea god and son of Poseidon.^[1]
• Proteus, an Egyptian king in a version of the story of Helen of Troy.^[2]
• Proteus, an Egyptian prince as one of the sons of King Aegyptus. He suffered the same fate as his other brothers, save Lynceus, when they were slain on their wedding night by their wives who obeyed the command of their father King Danaus of Libya. Proteus' mother was Argyphia, a woman of royal blood and thus full brother of Lynceus, Busiris, Enceladus, Lycus and Daiphron.^[3] In some accounts, he could be a son of Aegyptus either by Eurryroe, daughter of the river-god Nilus,^[4] or Isaie, daughter of King Agenor of Tyre.^[5] Proteus either married the Danaid Scylla^[6] or Gorgophone, daughter of Danaus and Elephantis.^[3]
• Proteus, son of Oresbius and Panacea. He was Trojan soldier who was killed by Odysseus during the siege of Troy.^[7]

Notes

1. Apollodorus, 2.5.9
2. Herodotus, 2.112
3. Apollodorus, 2.1.5
4. Tzetzes, Chiliades 7.37, p. 368-369
5. Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Notes on Book 3.1689
6. Hyginus, Fabulae 170
7. Quintus Smyrnaeus, 3.303 ff.

References

• Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
• Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Herodotus, The Histories with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Greek text available at Perseus Digital Library.
• Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy translated by Way. A. S. Loeb Classical Library Volume 19. London: William Heinemann, 1913. Online version at theio.com
• Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy. Arthur S. Way. London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1913. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Tzetzes, John, Book of Histories, Book VII-VIII translated by Vasiliki Dogani from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theio.com