Proteus was a minor sea-deity, who, like Nereus, was often called the Old Man of the Sea. His dwelling place was the depths of the sea, which he only left for the purpose of taking sea-calves of Poseidon to graze on the coast and islands of the Mediterranean. Being an aged man, he was looked on as possessed of prophetic power and the secrets of witchcraft. Proteus would not be persuaded to exercise this power except by deceit or under threat of violence. He made every effort to evade his questioners, changing himself into a great variety of shapes, such as those of a lion, panther, swine or serpent, and as a last resource, into a form of fire or water. This faculty of transformation, which both Proteus and Thetis possessed, corresponds with the great changeability in the appearance of the sea.

ACTIVITIES:
Proteus activity

KEY TEST WORDS:
Proteus' titles: Old Man of the Sea and the Shepherd of the Deep (sea). He could fortell the future and change his shape at will.

The Lesser Deities

The Underworld

Footnotes:
Nereus, an ancient sea­god, was often confused with Proteus. Nereus was a son of Pontus and Gaea, who, when the dominion of the sea fell to Poseidon, obtained a position under him, and along with it the power of prophecy. Nereus is represented in works of art as an old man with a look of dignity, his hundred daughters, the Nereids, as sweet, beautiful maidens.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Edward Tripp's "Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology"
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.