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present and future, but was loth to tell what he knew. Those who would consult him had first to surprise and bind him during his noonday slumber in a See also:

cave by the sea, where he was wont to pass the See also:

HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat of the See also:

day surrounded by his See also:

SEALS

seals. Even when caught he would try to See also:

ESCAPE (in mid. Eng. eschape or escape, from the O. Fr. eschapper, modern echapper, and escaper, low Lat. escapium, from ex, out of, and cappa, cape, cloak; cf. for the sense development the Gr. iichueoOat, literally to put off one's clothes, hence to sli

escape by assuming all sorts of shapes: now he was a See also:

lion, now a See also:

SERPENT (Lat. serpens, creeping, from serpere; cf. "reptile " from repere, Gr.4 ml-eta)

serpent, a See also:

LEOPARD

leopard, a See also:

BOAR (0. Eng. bar; the word is found only in W. Ger. languages, cf. Dutch beer, Ger. Eber)

boar, a See also:

tree, See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire, See also:

WATER

water. But if his captor held him fast the See also:

god at last returned to his proper shape, gave the wished-for See also:

ANSWER (derived from and, against, and the same root as swear)

answer, and then plunged into the sea. He was subject to See also:

POSEIDON

Poseidon, and acted as shepherd to his " flocks." In See also:

POST

post-Homeric times the See also:

story ran that Proteus was the son of Poseidon and a See also:

king of See also:

EGYPT

Egypt, to whose See also:

court See also:

HELEN

Helen was taken by See also:

Hermes after she had been carried off, See also:

Paris being accompanied to' See also:

Troy by a phantom substituted for her. This is the story followed by See also:

HERODOTUS (c. 484-425 B.C.)

Herodotus (ii. 112, 118), who got it from See also:

EGYPTIAN

Egyptian priests, and by See also:

EURIPIDES (48o–4o6 B.C.)

Euripides in the See also:

Helena. From his See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of assuming what-ever shape he pleased Proteus came to be regarded, especially by the Orphic mystics, as a See also:

SYMBOL (Gr. o-uµ(3oXov, a sign)

symbol of the See also:

ORIGINAL

original See also:

MATTER

matter from which the See also:

WORLD

world was created. Rather he is typical of the ever-changing aspect of the sea (Homer, Odyssey, iv. 351; Virgil, Georgics, iv.

386).

End of Article: PROTEUS

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PROTEUS (Proteus anguinus)