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Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter

Amphitrite explained

Amphitrite, daughter of Nereus and Doris, becomes the wife of Neptune after he courts her while riding a dolphin.

What happens

Amphitrite, daughter of Nereus and Doris, becomes the wife of Neptune after he courts her while riding a dolphin. In gratitude, Neptune places the dolphin among the stars.

Characters to notice

  • Neptune

    Courts and marries Amphitrite, rewards the dolphin.

  • Triton

    Son of Amphitrite and Neptune.

Key passages

  • “Amphitrite was the wife of Neptune. She was the daughter of Nereus and Doris, and the mother of Triton.”

    Amphitrite, married to Neptune, is the child of Nereus and Doris and the parent of Triton.

    Introduces Amphitrite's family relations.

  • “Neptune, to pay his court to Amphitrite, came riding on a dolphin. Having won her he rewarded the dolphin by placing him among the stars.”

    Neptune courted Amphitrite by riding a dolphin, and after winning her, he honored the dolphin by making it a constellation.

    Describes Neptune's courtship and the dolphin's reward.

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