(Greek mythology) a sea god son of Pontus and Gaea; lived in the depths of the sea with his wife Doris and their daughters the Nereids

Nereus, in Greek Mythology, was the eldest son of Pontus and Gaia, the Sea and the Earth, a Titan with whom Doris fathered the Nereids, with whom Nereus lived in the Aegean Sea.Hesiod, Theogony 233-36. He was one of the manifestations of the Old Man of the Sea, never more so than when he was described, like Proteus, as a shapeshifter with the power of prophecy, who would aid heroes such as HeraclesOr, as Proteus, Menelaus. who managed to catch him even as he changed shapes. Nereus and Proteus ("first") seem to be two manifestations of the god of the sea who was supplanted by Poseidon when Zeus overthrew Cronus.

Nereus is a walrus that was found orphaned in Alaska in 2003. His mother either abandoned him, or was caught by predators. Alaskan marine biologists found him on his fith day of living and transported him to the Indianapolis Zoo, where he was raised and taken care of by zoo trainer, Amanda Barnett.