Short answer: Poseidon's wife is Amphitrite, a Nereid (sea nymph), one of the fifty daughters of the old sea god Nereus. She did not want the job: when Poseidon proposed, she fled to the far end of the sea, and only came back thanks to a very persuasive dolphin.
The dolphin that made a queen
Amphitrite hid from Poseidon near Atlas, at the edge of the world. Of all the messengers the sea god sent after her, one succeeded: Delphinus, the dolphin, who argued the marriage so gracefully that Amphitrite agreed. Poseidon put the dolphin in the sky as a constellation, where it still swims. Delphinus may hold the record as history's most successful wedding planner.
What Amphitrite actually rules
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | Queen of the sea, wife of Poseidon |
| Family | Daughter of Nereus; mother of Triton |
| Powers | The waves themselves: poets called the sea "Amphitrite" |
| Symbols | Trident, dolphins, sea-life crown |
That table hides the best fact: in early Greek poetry, "Amphitrite" simply MEANS the sea, the way "Helios" means the sun. She is not decoration next to a throne; she is the element itself, personified.
Quick questions
Did Poseidon stay faithful to her?
No, and the myths do not pretend otherwise. Like Zeus, Poseidon collected loves and children across the sea and shore. Amphitrite mostly endures it with royal calm; in one dark tale, she turned the beautiful Scylla into a monster out of jealousy.
Who are Amphitrite's children?
Triton, the merman herald with his conch-shell horn, is the famous one. Ancient lists also name Rhode and Benthesikyme.
What is the Roman name of Amphitrite?
Salacia, the goddess of the salt sea: the word "salacious" hides in her name, though the Romans meant the leaping of waves.
Hear the sea's own stories narrated like a film in MythologyNow: Poseidon is waiting.
