TRITON
Real Name:
Triton
Occupation:
God of the sea and tides, former king of Libya
Legal Status:
Citizen of Meranna
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Triton except as a mythological deity.
Other Aliases:
None known
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Unrevealed, possibly Separated
Known Relatives:
Poseidon
(father), Amphitrite (mother), Benthescyme, Rhode (sisters), Eryx
(half-brother), Ariel, Aquata, Katrina, Krista, Kadela, Katana, Hydra,
(daughters), Pallas (daughter, deceased), Zeus,
Hades
(uncles), Hera, Demeter,
hestia (aunts), Aphrodite,
Artemis, Athena, Hermes,
Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo,
Hercules (cousins), Thetis (aunt), Achilles
(cousin, deceased), Nereus (maternal grandfather),
Group Affiliations: The Gods of Olympus
Base of Operations:
Meranna in the North Atlantic Sea, formerly Tritonis, Libya (modern Chott Rjerid)
First Appearance: (movie) The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney Productions, 1987, (comic) Aquaman V Annual I
History: Triton is the son of Poseidon, the Olympian god of the sea, and Amphitrite, one of the Nereids, minor sea-divinities born to Nereus, the ancient sea-god who relinquished control of the sea to Poseidon. As a young god, Triton cavorted and pursued as possible mates all the sea divinities of the ocean, many of them mermaids native to pantheons of gods from beyond the Argive lands of Greece. He had several children as a result.
Although a minor sea-god, Triton was granted land on the south end of the Mediterranean by his father that later became modern Libya. Triton accepted the weary goddess, Metis, after she was expelled from Olympus by Hera and provided her sanctuary from the vengeful goddess. Metis gave birth to Athena, daughter of Zeus, and as a young goddess, Athena accidentally killed Pallas, one of Triton's daughters, in friendly combat. She later added her playmate's name to her own as Pallas Athena out of respect.
Triton also commanded all the creatures of the sea for Poseidon, many of them referred to as tritons after himself. One of them attacked the island of Tanagra, consuming cattle and turning over boats, departing only after appeased with large amounts of wine. The people of the island called upon Triton for help in exterminating the beast from ravaging the island.
Sometime in the 12th Century, Triton played host to the wayward Argonauts on their route home from Colchis. He gave them a clod of earth to guide their way home which they left at the island of Thera, once part of the island of Atlantis, the first home of the god Poseidon, founded by survivors of the lost continent of Atlantis. The descendants of the Argonauts saw the gift as an open invitation to later return to Libya to colonize it afterward.
After worship of the Olympian gods ended, Triton received or claimed part of the ruins of Post-Cataclysmic Atlantis which had sunk at the beginning of the Hyborian Age millennia before. Located somewhere in the North Atlantic, the ruins became Meranna, the home for all the sea divinities or "mermaids" of Earth following the departure of the gods from Earth. Despite his fondness for mortal man in the past, Triton held a grudge for mortal man for neglecting their deities and warned the "mer-folk" of Earth from trafficking with mortal man. Since the end of pagan worship on Earth, numerous sailors reported unconfirmed sightings of mermaids on Earth, unaware they were the descendants of the former gods of Earth.
Triton was often challenged by alien entities or beings of evil intent trying to usurp his power over the seas in the absence of Poseidon. Among them was the sea-goddess, Scylla, daughter of Phorcys, the brother of Nereus who had stepped aside for Poseidon years before. (Some accounts claim Scylla is the daughter of Triton and Lamia, a Libyan Queen.) Believing herself the rightful ruler of the Earth's oceans, Scylla made several attempts to oust Triton from power and he eventually exiled her from Meranna. In the Fifteenth Century, Scylla discovered that Triton's daughter, Ariel, had fallen in love with the young Danish prince Eric and used the incident to barter her way into Meranna where she was ousted from power by Poseidon during a visit to his son. Triton changed his views on mortals to let Ariel marry Eric and live among humanity as a mortal woman. (These incidents were loosely used as a basis of the short story, "The Little Mermaid," based on letters, notes and witness testimonies, collected by Hans Christian Andersen.)
In later years, Triton became aware of Namor the Submariner,
who Poseidon had named as the true monarch of the Atlantean civilization on the
ocean floor. Triton did not see Namor has much of a threat to his reign and
preferred to keep the sea-divinities of Earth separate from the Atlanteans;
however, he did try to teach humility to Arthur Curry (Aquaman), descendant of
the original Pre-Hyborian Age Atlanteans from whom their races had took much of
their culture. Aquaman, on the other hand, sees Triton as a unrepentant
antagonist, trying to hold on to former glories. The two have clashed on several
occasions, one incident involving the abduction of Princess Diana from Paradise
Island before she became Wonder
Woman. One another occasion, they had to be separated by Poseidon himself.
Height: 6' 10"
Weight: 535 lbs
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown, later White
Unusual Physical Features: Triton usually appears in
the form of a mer-man, having the upper body of a man and the tail and
hind-quarters of a fish.
Strength Level: Triton possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) 80 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Triton possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the Olympian gods. Like all Olympians, he is immortal: he has not aged since
reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all
Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow
wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It
would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his
bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of
Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive him. Triton also possesses
superhuman strength and his Olympian metabolism provides him with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman
strength and weight.)
Triton also has several powers mystical in nature in commanding the sea and all the life forms in it, including large schools of fish, squid, sharks and whales. He can create tidal waves and columns of water. He can also channel energy into defensive modes, creating shields and beams of destructive force. His powers are almost on par with Poseidon himself.
Triton is also mystically immune to existing underwater,
capable of adapting legs for on land or developing a fish's hindquarters for
diving to the depths of the ocean. He can see in the darkness of the ocean and
withstand its crushing depths.
Weapons/Paraphernalia: Triton sometimes carries a smaller version of
Poseidon's trident, but he was known more for his sea conch, a twisted shell
which he could blow like a trumpet to calm or raise the waves. The burst
of air he could blow through it could summon hurricane force gales.
Pets: Triton sometimes rides upon a Ichthyocentaur, a large beast
resembling a giant sea horse.
Comments: This bio largely describes Triton as he appears on the DC
Universe with undertones of the version in the Walt Disney movie, "The
Little Mermaid." He has not yet been seen in Marvel Comics.
Clarifications: Triton is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 10/05/07