Tritones 3 - a medley and mix

#tritons #hippocampoi #seahorses #ichthyocentaurs

I've shown you in prior posts the oldest #GREEK depictions of #Tritons show an eel like body with fins but no forelegs

#hippocampi or #seahorses were depicted with similar eel like finned bodies.

The Romans evolved this further probably from lost hellenistic works

This work has tritones has with snaky eeel like tails and small forelegs 

however in this work the Triton has forefins !

though the Romans don't seemed to have been able to decide on a definite form 

Horses' forelegs and fins !

Why the wavering between forms ?

Note the sea horse above 

I think someone decided to combine seahorses with tritons leading to ichthyocentaurs !

Triton,Hippocampi, and other Marine Chimera - Two

#Triton #Hippocampus #hippocampi

These are some of  the earliest renderings of Triton I could find.

Heracles wrestling Triton whose body is a blend of eel and fish.

Triton carrying a boy accompanied by a dolphin

Note again the almost snake like lower body

note again the long body 

now look at this image of Poseidon with a  seahorse

a tritons body with a horse'd forelegs and head 

and this Roman Mosaic of a Sea Horse / Hippocampus 

Next time Tritons become Ichthyocentaurs

Triton, Hippocampoi, and other Marine Chimeras - One

Someone on #Classicstwitter was asking about #Ichthyocentaurs. This Roman example while labelled a Triton is very similar to an Ichthyocentaur 

Here's another example !

So how as a visual art theme did the snake or eel bodied Tritons we see on Greek ceramics become these chimeras of three creatures?

Starting with Early depictions I will show over the next couple of posts how I think it happened.

Note this image features tritons and hippocampoi - merhorses! 

I think someone decided to fuse both which I'll discuss in greater detail next time ! 

Tritons One

Since its #mermay I'm going to alternate #Tritons with #Greekverblists

This is #Heracles fighting the sea god #Triton. There is no recorded story in surviving written literature but the depiction matches written descriptions of Triton, human like from the belly upwards but like a fish or dolphin below.

Triton is also depicted with a lower body more like an eel. Here he is either kidnapping or rescuing a youth. Notice the dolphin swimming besides them.

Again dolphins swim alongside the sea god in this piece.

Next time back to Greek Verbs.

Two examples of Tritons

The Greeks seem to have preferred depicting mermen or mermaids.

#Tritons are usually shown as male though in Roman art you get pairs of both sexes or male Tritons cavorting with female Nereids or Oceanids.

Hercules wrestling with a seagod or Triton.

Another example.

The bodies are a blend of male snake eel and fish.