Oceanus In Homer's Odyssey

Oceanus "For all at last return to the sea - to Oceanus, the ocean river, like the ever flowing stream of time, the beginning and the end." When Rachel Carson made this statement, she was referring to the Greek Titan Oceanus. Oceanus is a fairly ill remembered Titan who did not participate much, although he is still important. He is recognized through his genealogy, his symbols, his attitude, and his impact not only on Greek culture, but on the Roman culture. In modern science, the world has been proved to be spherical and ruled by nature and natural events. In ancient Greece however, the world was thought to be governed by multiple gods and goddesses. These deities ruled over every action they took, every day they lived, for the Greeks. They used these idols to explain odd events, bad luck, and even how time

He was the personification of the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. He also represented unknown and uncharted waters. Furthermore, he was seen as the ruler of the river that encircled the earth and the time flow between Olympus and the Underworld. Oceanus was pictured as having "bull horns and the tail of a serpentine fish instead of legs" (GreekMythology). Another source suggests that he was a "bearded old man , not as a monster or an abstract force of nature. Locks of wavy hair frame his face. His eyes are inlaid in silver, and silver and copper inlays highlight his cheeks, nose, and forehead." It continues on to say, "Two dolphins leap from the top of his head, suggesting the form of a crown and alluding to Oceanus's role as an aquatic ruler. Two fish dive among the locks of his hair near his temples, and two others emerge from his beard" (World Myths). Oceanus is, on one hand a sea creature, and on the other hand, an extraordinarily handsome man. Oceanus was described in a multitude of ways but remains an immensely interesting character in Greek