Triton (mythology) Triton (mythology) Triton (; "Tritōn") is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the sea. He is the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, god and goddess of the sea respectively, and is herald for his father. He is usually represented as a merman which has the upper body of a human and the tail, soft dorsal fin, spiny dorsal fin, anal fin, pelvic fins and caudal fin of a fish, "sea-hued", according to Ovid "his shoulders barnacled with sea-shells". Like his father, Poseidon, he carried a trident. However, Triton's special attribute was a twisted conch shell, on which he blew
4341 Poseidon a brightness variation of 0.08 magnitude (). A second lightcurve was obtained during the " Near-Earth Objects Follow-up Program" which gave a concurring period of hours and an amplitude of 0.07 magnitude (). A low brightness variation typically indicates that the body has a nearly spheroidal shape. This minor planet was named for the "God of the Sea", Poseidon, one of the Twelve Olympians in Greek mythology. He was also referred to as "Earth-Shaker" due to his role in provoking earthquakes, which were then thought to be caused by ocean waves beating on the shore. He was the brother of