The potamoi are the gods of rivers and large streams, sons of Okeanos, the river that encircles the earth. They are also closely tied to fertility and abundance, and the care of children, but their individual influence is usually strictly local to the river and surrounding area.
They were often depicted as [1]:
bearded, draped figure holding a cornucopia
theriomorphic man-bull hybrid
bull-horned man with the lower body of a fish
Rivers and their river gods are most often associated with bulls. Bulls represented the roaring sound of the water, the terrifying force of a flooding river, and the fertilising potential of the water [2]. Bulls are often associated with fertility throughout Ancient Greek religion.
Their sisters are the Okeaneides, the goddesses of small streams, clouds and rain, and their daughters are the nymphai of springs and fountains, the Naiads. [2]
They most well know river god who achieved Panhellenic worship was Achelous, the god of the longest river in Greece. He was often regarded as the representative of sweet water in general, and therefore as the source of all nourishment. Achelous, first as a man, then a snake, then as a bull, fought the hero Herakles in contest for Deianeira’s hand in marriage, and lost. Zeus’ oracle at Dodona often recommended sacrifice to Achelous. [3]
As protectors of children and youths, it was a common practice for a maturing youth to cut a lock of hair and offer it to the river by throwing it into the waters [4]. It was also common to name children after the local river, e.g. Kephisodotos “the gift of Kephisos”
It was customary to sacrifice and wash one’s hands in a river before crossing it [5]. Offerings to river gods included acts like growing hair in dedication and offering the cut locks to the river, but also typical offerings such as flowers, cakes, libations, and sacrifices. The purity of rivers was protected by sanctuaries and the states, and polluting a river with offerings was carefully monitored [6]. Offerings of “immersion sacrifices,” where live animals such as cattle, horses and goats were driven into the river, were not unheard of [7], as well as animal sacrifices made on the banks of the river so the blood of the victim could run into the waters. More information on common offerings to the potamoi can be found here.
“It is difficult for a mortal to tell the names of all, but those who dwell near them know their own.”
[1] Burkert, Greek Religion pg 175; Nilsson, Greek Popular Religion pg 11; Larson, Ancient Greek Cults pg 153; Theoi.com
[4] Nilsson, Greek Popular Religion; Larson, Ancient Greek Cults pg 152; Theoi.com
[5] Hesiod, Theogony 737-741
[6] Larson, Ancient Greek Cults pg 152
