Marine God Oceanus Rules the Atlantic

Summary of Contents: Oceanus in Mythology | Arrival and Appearance | I Owe Oceanus a Favour | How to Pay for Saving Life | The Whaler | Oceanus' Rules | Which Sea God Which Ocean? | Doomed Beach House

Festival Days - April 19 and 20

Oceanus in Mythology

When poet Homer told his epic stories, people believed the universe was surrounded by water, the vast river Ocean, source of all rivers, seas and waters within the earth; and from whose great depths the stars arose.

Homer believed Oceanus to be the essence of life.

Hesiod the poet, who also is the principal source of information on the old Gods of ancient Greece, listed in Theogony - published circa 700 BCE - as one of the twelve great Titan sons of Gaea the earth and Uranus, the starry sky.

Oceanus Mythological references

"Oceanus is a Titan God, not an Olympian?" Nick Hammond asked out-of-body survivalist Margo Williams.

Appearance and Arrival

"Oceanus didn’t ever confirm it so but he did share more information about himself than did others. He was the most affable of the ocean Gods.

He arrived in light that flooded blue green like water, and a 'whishing' sound of the ocean. Its effect carried around me, causing my body to rise and fall as if floating on a wave out at sea.

A shadowed figure formed. Mostly indistinct but I saw beard and long straggled hair, blue-green of colour though that may have been an effect of the light.

"It is unusual to have homage paid to me, but pleasant," he said. "I enter on the crest of a wave."

The water-light seeped away from his body exposing very white skin and long white hair just past shoulder-length and slightly curly, so too his beard. He wore only a green grey loincloth; bare chest, bare legs.

Strong muscular physique despite the white hair. Kindly face but there was, so it seemed to me, a sadness in his deep blue eyes.

Large swimmer's hands. He pointed one at me. "You know much about the ocean, you worked among mortals who spent their time researching the life of the ocean. You have seen cruelty. It was I who saved you from an accident."

I couldn’t recall any such danger.

Oceanus' blue eyes turned turquoise. "Do you not remember?"

I shook my head.

"You were carrying a large open-glass vessel. A slippery floor?"

I Owe Oceanus a Favour

A long-forgotten memory of a dangerous moment came to mind. More memories flooded back. An ocean research station laboratory in Warfis Bay in Southern Africa.

My husband Walter worked as an analytical chemist in the fish-meal industry. Our home was in a Namibian desert town.

"The contents would have injured you," Oceanus continued. "I made a mortal come and take it from you."

Yes, I remembered. Working in the lab. Tasked with taking a demijohn filled with sulphuric acid to the cold storage room, but was given no protective gloves or anything that would prevent harm if acid spilled on me.

By pure luck, so it seemed at the time, I passed the demijohn to an assistant barely a half-moment before I slipped and fell on the wet floor. The assistant’s timely appearance truly had saved me from serious injury.

I assumed it was just good fortune the assistant was there to take it from me moments before I fell.

How to Respond to Life-Saving Assistance

Oceanus stared interestedly at me as the memory ran its course and the new information added to the conclusion. "With this now in your memory I know you will always be of service to us Gods of the oceans."

Oceanus had leverage but I would have done what he wanted anyway. I saw what made him sad. Humanity's mess and cruelty.

He reached for my hand and pulled gently but firmly drawing me out into the sea. "Come, I will show you something."

Shock of cold water tore the breath from my body. I drifted in a cold black sea that stank of bl..d, too much for it to be mine.

The overwhelming stench came from a ship, a quarter mile away. B...d stained the water around it. Crewmen on the deck high above shouted to each other. It took a few moments for me to realise what was happening.

A whaling ship. A harpooned whale in the water. The crew hauled it onboard.

I saw something move in the water close to me, smooth against the b...d black ocean swell. A young whale calf following its helpless mother.

Nothing to be done to save the adult but the whaler crew hadn’t noticed the calf, slick with its mother’s b...d, camouflaged.

I felt Oceanus’ grip tighten, he pulled me underwater. Swam close beside me, his hair streamed in the water. I saw no gills. There were more whales in the vicinity, mostly distant but another mother and calf were close to us.

Oceanus and the Whaler Ship

Something hissed fast through the water, a harpoon heading toward the whale mother. It missed her tail by a fraction but hit the calf, causing it to suddenly stop.

Slowly it was hauled upward to the surface, then out of the water.

The mother’s distress carried through the ocean, distant whales turned in our direction. Bang! Another harpoon fired, it travelled fast through the water toward a second whale.

Oceanus reached out his huge hand, caught it, turned and surged to the surface with me in tow.

He rose fully out of the water and hurled the harpoon like a javelin back at the ship. It didn’t arc, it flew flat and fast over the waves, until the last moment when its point dipped under the surface.

Pierced the ship’s side and buried itself so deep, nothing protruded, just a hole below the waterline.

I saw panic among the crew, heard them yelling pointing down at where the damage was done. Didn’t recognise their language. Crewmen abandoned the harpoon guns and scrambled below deck.

Oceanus watched them for a while but they fired no more. "Cruelty, all for greed," he sighed and pulled me below the surface.

We dived deep to watch the whales. Three young calves playing, unaware of the danger above. "You see how beautiful life can be in the ocean?"

Truly, it was.

Oceanus' Rules

We surfaced close to a large flat rock that protruded - tennis court size - from calm blue ocean. A good swim distance from a sanded beach, perhaps as much as a mile from the shore. Oceanus gestured for me to sit on the edge.

He sat beside me, his huge bare feet in the water.

"Some mortals whether in the privacy of their own homes, or in homes for the aged, orphanages, hospitals, fish is always served on Friday. This has to stop," he said.

I felt certain I too had eaten fish on some Friday or another but he spared me any further search of memory. He watched a fishing boat chug out into deep water. He raised his big hand, fingers and thumb splayed in emphasis.

"Five men, fishermen, cannot continue plying their evil trade." Oceanus shook his shaggy head as he told me of his intervention.

"Trawler fishing is un-sporting. This will become illegal in years to come. We are angry it is not now. But that is no fault of yours." He waved dismissively at me.

"I am also responsible for sinking a pleasure craft. I pulled it down quickly," he added. "Those on board were rescued. It is hoped some of them will not put to sea again. All were wealthy men, all happily throwing bottles and rubbish into the sea."

That memory caused Oceanus to bare teeth in frustration. "The sea is a place for fish to live, salt water plants to grow and coral reefs to form. Not man’s playground."

A towering cruise liner edged along the horizon. Oceanus watched its progress but didn’t comment. Instead he told me something about our location.

He smiled for the first time. "Many centuries ago this rock was used as a temple to me. No building ever stood here, mortals came in tiny boats; some young men swam. It is a pity it is not used now."

I noticed golden glints eddied in the water around his toes.

Which Sea God Rules Which Ocean?

"I thought you should know, today is one of great celebrations," he continued. "I, Oceanus, was given power on this day nearly at the beginning of time."

The sun shone hot and high above us. The beginning of time could have been long ago, or only yesterday. He seemed in the mood to share information.

"My work is varied but I never cease to upset those who fish, one way or another. Or take revenge on those who cause pollution to the oceans. I can be the friendliest and gentlest God of any, yet I can also be the most ferocious."

He finger-stabbed my shoulder, more in friendly gesture than to cause pain.

"Some sea gods and sea monsters have been severe with you but I shall not be. I will give you a little knowledge, something you have not been told."

And so he did

"The mighty god Poseidon rules over all the oceans. The rest of the sea gods and goddesses have their own oceans or seas. We do visit others, but we have our own place where we rule."

"Mine is a large ocean, the one you know as the Atlantic."

And so we sat together on the ocean god’s sacred rock, boats and ships passed to and fro. Behind us on the shoreland people walked, some stopped to point and maybe even thought they could make that swim, or so I guessed.

A Doomed House on a Beach

Generally Oceanus wore loin cloth but sometimes he appeared dressed in long robe of the same blue green marine colour as his radiance.

When next he responded to invitation he shared with me what pleased and displeased him most in that enormous body of water over which he has responsibility.

We travelled far into the ice fields of the north and south, and explored the warmer equatorial waters in between. Pollution bothered him most, so it seemed to me. Often we came ashore to see who was doing what and where.

Oceanus waded out of the breakers onto a wide beach shore.

Behind the beach rose low mud-coloured cliffs, on top of which stood a cluster of wooden houses of clap-board design. Oceanus pointed to a house at the end of a row.

As if on cue to our arrival the door opened and a white man stepped out carrying a plastic sack. Walked from his door, down the garden to the cliff and then tipped the contents over the edge.

Tin cans, empty packets; paper, rag and lots of other rubbish. Plastic candy wrappers swirled into the air and carried down the beach.

The shoreline was a mass of debris but from only that one house, judging by the main heap though much had blown along the beach.

"Others along here take away their rubbish. He does not."

The dark-haired man shook sack and stared defiant and satisfied down at the mess, momentarily. He stepped back into his home and closed the door.

Unaware of Oceanus’ observation and prediction.

"There will be a violent storm on this coast," he said. "The other houses will remain. The ground beneath that home will be washed away. I, Oceanus, will see to this."

Thank you for your company on this short introduction to god Oceanus. If you would like to know more about Margo Williams' experiences and suggestions for how to survive in the hereafter read this book. Now available from Amazon.

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