Kymopoleia: The Unknown Sea Goddess of Greek Mythology

Kymopoleia what was her roleKymopoleia, was one of the goddesses like other deities which were not mentioned, and one of the goddesses never brought up. Although not quite famous or talked about in Greek works of literature, except for Hesiod’s Theogony, Kymopoleia, with her powers and roots, she was one of the characters with an essential role in some other works of literature. 

She had helped other characters overcome their predicaments, thus contributing to the success of the tasks they are undertaking. Learn more about this not-so-famous yet strong sea goddess of the ancient Greeks and be amazed by her capabilities.

Who Is Kymopoleia?

Kymopoleia is the goddess of violent seas and storms, hence she is known as the Goddess of Stormy Weather. She was a nymph and a goddess, these designations are from her parents—a god and a Nereid. She has the divine ability to calm seas with a command or a whisper.

Kymopoleia’s Abilities

Kymopoleia is one of the strongest sea deities. She can conjure and control storms, hurricanes, and typhoons. As a result, she can also manipulate the air. She is insusceptible to freezing temperatures underwater. With her immense strength, she amputated one of the well-known giants in Greek Mythology, Polybotes.

She helped Poseidon catch the giant Polybotes by throwing a disk that injured him, halting the chase. However, her power could not be considered as strong as that of the Olympians, like Zeus and her father Poseidon.

A Nymph and a Goddess

Some consider Kymopoleia a minor marine deity as she had not been mentioned in the broad and lengthy accounts of Greek mythology, not even in its family tree. Yet, most of the works of literature labeled her as a haliae or sea nymph. As a nymph, she possesses the beauty and splendor of a youthful woman that tantalizes not only men but demi-gods and gods. too.

At the same time, she is also acknowledged to be one of the strongest sea goddesses because of her power to create and calm violent storms and seas. She has this power likely because her father was a god while her mother was a Nereid and Goddess of the Sea herself, making Kymopoleia an immortal being.

Kymopoleia’s Family

Coming from a powerhouse family, Kymopoleia is one of the offspring of Poseidon, the god-ruler of the seas, and Amphitrite, Queen of the Sea and wife to Poseidon. As such, Gaia and Uranus were her paternal grandparents, whereas Oceanus and Thetis were her grandparents from her mother’s side.

Like the other god-ruler, Zeus, her father was also notable for his escapades with women-goddesses and nymphs alike; thus, Kymopoleia also has several siblings. The most notable was Perseus—now called times, Percy Jackson, in modern times—Triton, and Polyphemus, among others.

Moreover, she shares almost the same ability as Benthesikyme, her sister from both parents, Who was also called Goddess of the Waves or Lady of the Deep Swells. Kymopoleia and her sister Benthesikyme were powerful sea goddesses, although they were unheard of in the entire selection. Still, they were recognized as sea goddesses holding strong power, although they were not as powerful as their father Poseidon.

Kymopoleia’s husband was Briareus, a storm giant who has 100 arms and 50 heads. Briareus (also known as Aegaeon among the mortals), the hundred-hander primordial son of Uranus, is her husband. He is the most prominent among the three hundred handers who helped the Olympians win the battle against the Titans. He chose to live in the sea, whereas the two other giants were tasked to guard the gates.

It was said that she reluctantly married him as she doesn’t have affection for the man, to whom she was given against her will. It was with Briareus that she had her daughter Oiolyka, her only child. Accordingly, it was Kymopoleia’s daughter Oiolyka who owned the belt fetched by Heracles in his ninth labor.

A Daughter Not So Loved

This sea goddess has been described by writers and fans alike as someone youthful and beautiful, a quality shared in common by nymphs in particular. In fact, modern artists described this sea nymph as a twenty-foot-tall beauty with luminous, white skin.

Her hair is said to glow like a jellyfish underwater, and she possessed an ethereal beauty with gentle features while wearing a green flowing dress. One thing though is that she doesn’t smile. It’s as if she’s carrying a burden within her that prevents her from smiling at all.

Meanwhile, other writings describe Kymopoleia as someone who was hefty-sized and clumsy. It seems that wherever she goes, destruction soon follows. Maybe this was the reason why Poseidon, her father, didn’t like her that much. Hence, he gave her away to another ugly yet sturdy Hekatonkheires, Briareus.

Some writings reveal that Kymopoleia was not a favorite of her parents. In addition, her parents limited her use of her power, adding to her dismay. Her being given away by her father, Poseidon, to Briareus was another heartache that she had endured.

This misery led her to become a rebellious and vengeful character, which is why some things fell apart. Thus, she became a lone wanderer of the seas, even reaching the areas abandoned by the rule of her father. These mentioned predicaments may have led her to become a prohibited topic in the stories of the Greeks. The Greeks often highlighted only beautiful faces and bodies in their stories.

Kymopoleia in Hesiod’s Theogony

As mentioned, the despondent character of Kymopoleia was actually never cited in the lengthy lore of Greek mythology. However, Hesiod, a Greek poet, mentioned her in his 1,022 lines of didactic poems, written in 700 BCE. It is key to know that this work is now known as the Theogony.

Hesiod’s Theogony recounted the relationships, complexities, and conflicts of the many Greek gods and goddesses, their origins, as well as their state of being.

In the first 140 lines of Hesiod’s Theogony, a certain character named Kymatolege, which is an alternate of Kymopoleia,—meaning light-footed—was described to have calmed the open waters and hushed the blowing breeze, together with another sea nymph named Kymodoke and Amphitrite, her mother.

Meanwhile, line 817 of the Theogony briefly described how Kymopoleia was indeed wed to Briareus as his gift.

Briareus was one of the ancient sons of Uranus, the Hekatonkheires (giant hundred-handers) who dwell in the seas. With their help, Zeus and the other Olympians won the battle with the Titans known as Titanomachy. Titanomachy occurred to assert who would eventually rule the universe—the Olympians or the Titans. Thus, as a reward, Zeus’ brother Poseidon gave his beautiful daughter to Briareus, much to her dismay.

Kymopoleia and Percy Jackson

A modern version of the character Kymopoleia was made immortal in the contemporary book entitled The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan.

It is important to know that, Kymopoleia was revealed as someone close to her stepbrother Percy Jackson or Perseus, one of the sons of Poseidon. Together, they had undergone different adventures and tasks where Kymopoleia’s abilities and powers were put into action.

Unlike her character in the original ancient Greek literature, Kymopoleia in this series was truly celebrated, resulting in many fan fiction works written about her.

Kymopoleia and Her Name Meaning

The Kymopoloeia name meaning and its Roman counterpart Cymopoleia was derived from two Greek words, kyma and poleo, which means wave ranging. Other articles also stated that her name means wave-walker. How to pronounce Kymopoleia and Cymopoleia is just the same: kim-uh-po-ly-a.

Alternately, she is known as Kymatolege or Cymatolege in Roman, which means wave-stiller.

Conclusion

One of these goddesses was Kymopoleia, an almost unknown character, yet she possessed might and power like the other prominent gods. She is best remembered as the following:

  • Kymopoleia all you need to knowShe is the Goddess of Violent Storms and Seas, that is, she could create either calm or chaotic seas.
  • She is married to Briareus, one of the most powerful beings in the story; with his help, the Olympians defended their reign of the universe.
  • She had only appeared in passing in Hesiod’s Theogony.
  • She is noted to have reared only one daughter, Oiolyka, whose girdle was fetched by Heracles;
  • In the Percy Jackson series, she is sister to Percy Jackson (Perseus), who was really fond of her.

Despite its length and scope, Greek mythology has failed to mention some gods and goddesses, yet their very existence provides additional zest and cohesiveness to the vast legend. The next time you look out to the seas, whether calm or not, it could be the little-known goddess Kymopoleia’s doing.

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