Greek mythology

Thalassa

Thalassa, the Greek goddess of the sea, is considered to be one of the primordial deities who came before the Olympians.

Thalassa's parents are the god Aether, the god of air and light, and the goddess Hemera, the goddess of day. Thalassa's male complement was Pontus, the pre-Olympian god of the seas. Together, the pair produced offspring including:

Telchines. These are nine beings who are also called the storm gods and typically known as the first beings to live on the island of Rhodes

Halia. A sea nymph who was the mother to seven of Poseidon's children

Aphrodite. According to numerous accounts, Thalassa conceived Aphrodite after coming in contact with Ouranos' severed manhood.
Aigaion. Some texts disagree about the parentage of Aigaion, the god of storms on the

Aegean Sea. However, several times manuscripts call Thalassa the mother of the god of storms

All of the fish in the sea

While traditional representations of Thalassa are as the sea itself, other images of the sea goddess exist.

In several mosaic works, Thalassa appears as a sturdy woman who is half under the sea. She wears seaweed in lieu of clothing, holds the oar of a ship in one hand as well as a dolphin in her other hand. Also, in these images, Thalassa has crab-claws protruding like horns from her head.

According to fables written by Babrius (although often cited as fables of Aesop) Thalassa transforms herself into the shape of a half-submerged woman, made of water rising from the sea to answer humans who are critical of her.

Thalassa is the Greek primordial goddess of the sea. According to the stories, she was the offspring of Aether, the god of air and light, and Hemera, the goddess of light. She is also said to be the mother of several sea creatures, along with her male complement Pontus.