– John Milton’s Comus
In the name of great Oceanus,
By the earth-shaking Neptune’s mace
And Tethys’ grace majestic pace,
By hoary Nerus’ wrinkled look,
And the Carpathian wizard’s hook,
By scaly Triton’s winding shell,
And old soothsaying Glaucus’ spell,
By Leucothea’s lovely hands,
And her son that rules the strands,
By Thetis’ tinsel-slippered feet,
And the songs of Sirens sweet,
By dead Parthenope’s dear tomb,
And fair Ligea’s golden comb,
Wherewith she sits on diamond rocks,
Sleeking her soft alluring locks.
By all the nymphs that nightly dance
Upon thy streams with wily glance,
Rise, Rise, and heave thy rosy head
From thy coral-paven bed,
And bridle in they headlong wave,
Till thou our summons answered have.
Notes:
Oceanus: On of the Titans, a son of Gaia and Ouranos. He is the ruler of the seas and his children with Tethys are the sea and river nymphs.
Neptune: Roman counterpart of the Greek Poseidon. He is believed to both protect and cause earthquakes. He is depicted riding a large seashell pulled by seahorses and whales. Trident is his symbol of power and his wife is the goddess of saltwater, Salacia.
Tethys: Consort of Oceanus, queen of the sea and the mother of a plethora of minor deities called the Oceanides.
Nerus: Son of Pontus and Gaia. He represents the elemental forces and personifies calm seas. Considered benevolent, he is the father of Nereids or sea nymphs through his wife Doris.
Carpathian Wizard: Refers to Proteus who lived on the island of Karpathos, between Rhodes and Crete. He was a wizard and a prophet, who could shapeshift. He is represented as carrying a sort of crook in his hand.
Triton: Tritons are the sea deity children of Poseidon and Amphitrite. They are depicted as half men, half fish, and large whelk shells that they used as trumpets, controlling the waves with their music.
Glaucus: Son of Poseidon venerated by fishermen.
Leucothea: A deity who was originally a mortal named Ino. Through a sea change instituted by the gods, she became a sea goddess. She saves shipwrecked sailors (Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey). Her son, Palaemon, is better known as the Roman Portunus.
Thetis: Sea nymph daughter of Nerus and Doris. She was shunned by the amorous Zeus and Poseidon because of the prophecy that she would bear a son who would be greater than his father. She married the mortal King Peleus and bore him a son, Achilles. Thetis was invoked by sailors in trouble.
Sirens: Sea nymphs whose magical songs enchanted sailors and lured them off course. Odysseus had himself strapped to the mast of his ship so he could not respond to their music. The Sirens were venerated on the southwest coast of Italy, where they were known by the names of Ligea (harmony), Leucothea (white), and Parthenope (Virgin).