Sea in culture sea nymphs whose parents were Nereus and Doris. The Tritons, sons of Poseidon, who were variously represented with the tails of fish or seahorses, formed Poseidon's retinue along with the Nereids. The mythic sea was further peopled by dangerous sea monsters such as Scylla. Poseidon himself had something of the shifting character of the sea, presiding not only over the sea, but also earthquakes, storms and horses. Neptune occupied a similar position in Roman mythology. Another Greek sea-god, Proteus, specifically embodies the domain of sea change, the adjectival form "protean" meaning mutable, able to assume many forms. Shakespeare makes use
Poseidon with greater frequency than does "di-u-ja" ("Zeus"). A feminine variant, "po-se-de-ia", is also found, indicating a lost consort goddess, in effect the precursor of Amphitrite. Poseidon carries frequently the title "wa-na-ka" (wanax) in Linear B inscriptions, as king of the underworld. The chthonic nature of Poseidon-Wanax is also indicated by his title "E-ne-si-da-o-ne" in Mycenean Knossos and Pylos, a powerful attribute (earthquakes had accompanied the collapse of the Minoan palace-culture). In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) "Enesidaon" is related with the cult of Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. She was related with the annual birth of the divine child. During