Thalassa (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Thalassa (; , "sea") was the primaeval spirit of the sea, of whom it has been suggested that she was of Pre-Greek origin.  Gaius Julius Hyginus described her in the preface to his Fabulae as daughter of Aether and Hemera (Hygin. Fab. Praef, 2). With her male counterpart Pontus, she spawned the tribes of fish. The couple were later replaced by the other marine pairs, Poseidon and Amphitrite, Oceanus and Tethys. Nevertheless, fables were devoted to her by Aesop and she was to be depicted in both artistic and literary works during the Common Era.