Eidothea

The daughter of the Old Man of the Sea, Proteus.

When Menelaos (Menelaus) and his companions were stranded on the island of Pharos, Eidothea appeared and told Menelaos that he must capture and question her father, Proteus, in order to find out which of the gods was responsible for his forced wanderings and what he must do to appease him.

Eidothea skinned four seals and gave the reeking skins to Menelaos and three of his shipmates; she then put ambrosia under their noses so that they could endure the terrible stench of the dead seals and showed Menelaos the cave where Proteus came out of the water to sleep; Menelaos and the three men waited until Proteus was asleep and attacked him; Proteus assumed the guise of a lion, a serpent, a leopard, a boar, fluid water and, finally, a tree but Menelaos would not release his grip; Proteus finally gave up the struggle and agreed to answer Menelaos’ questions.

• Odyssey, book 4, lines 363-460