Old Man of the Sea

In Greek mythology, the Old Man of the Sea was a primordial figure who could be identified by several names, Proteus, Nereus, Pontus, or Phorcys. There is evidence in the Iliad, Book I, line 588 (Stanley Lombardo's notation), that he is the father of Thetis, mother of Achilles.

Sindbad the Sailor encountered the monstrous Old Man of the Sea on his fifth voyage, who fastened on his back and so clung to him that he could not shake him off until he made him drunk with wine.

References in modern fiction

This tale may have helped inspire the title of Ernest Hemingway's novella The Old Man and the Sea. It inspired a creation of a card in Magic: The Gathering's first expansion set, Arabian Nights. The old man of the sea was also briefly mentioned in Michael Scott's "The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" to prevent pernelle flamel from escaping alcatraz. This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.

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