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Original Post:
by: CopperMoon on Nov 19, 2021

I needed to share this and I couldn't find a better place to do it. I don't normally see anything for people whose patron is Triton so after some searching and learning, I wanted to put this down for anyone who also feels called by him.

Triton is the merman son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the god of the sea and a sea nymph. Much like Hermes, he is the messenger of the sea. A patron to sailors, he can calm and raise the tides with a blow of his conch horn.

He, with asea nymph, had two daughters: Pallas and Triteia. After Athena was born, Triton raised her in place of Zeus. Pallas and her foster sister grew close (some say they became lovers), and Triton trained both of them in the art of combat.

When they grew old enough, the gods arranged a mock-battle between Pallas and Athena. The two fought long and hard and a victor was unsure. Zeus, worried his daughter would lose, displayed his shield Aegeus to Pallas, who had always been curious about it. Dazed by awe, Pallas froze when Athena expected her to dodge, and then was killed by her best friend (or girlfriend)'s hand.

In regret and anguish, Athena erected the Palladium in honor of her and took her name as her own, so calling herself Pallas Athena.

In my opinion, this is where the hatred between Poseidon and Athena began. Poseidon sat and watched as his granddaughter was needlessly slain by Zeus' intervention. Unable to blame the King of the Gods, Poseidon turned his wrath against Athena herself ever since, always vengeful for the blood of Pallas.

Triton, however, couldn't bring himself to be angry with Athena, his own foster daughter. Instead, he mourned the loss of his child. His other daughter, Triteia, went to the land and became a devout priestess of Athena.

When the Troy fell to the Greeks, Cassandra, the prophetess cursed by Apollo, sought shelter with the Palladium. Ajax the lesser found her, tore her away from the statue, and had his way with her. Angered by the sacrilege, both Poseidon and Athena struck him down. I believe this supports the idea that it was Pallas that made their rivalry begin, as well as how Pallas stands as a common ground between them.

There isn't much recorded of any cult or following of Triton. There isn't much said about his patronage either. I believe he's more than the God of sailors and the tides. He's the God of fathers who needlessly lost their daughters, of daughters who fight to survive. He's the God of the lost and desperate. He's theGod of music and communication.

I hope this helps someone who also feels called by Triton, or merfolk in general. It's a story that's hidden in a variety of myths and legends that I've had to piece together.