Amphitrite and the Dolphin
In various accounts of Neptune’s marriage to Amphitrite, a dolphin plays a crucial role: it might seize and transport her against her will, but it might also persuade her to marry—playing the role of the “wing man” or go-between Pulter’s speaker takes up in “My Love Is Fair.” In Thomas Heywood’s account below, Neptune employs a dolphin “to negotiate in his behalf” and the dolphin succeeds in “reconciling” Neptune and Amphitrite. In the second excerpt presented below, a dolphin rescues Amphitrite from drowning and “gives” her to Neptune as a kind of offering. In various versions, the dolphin acts not only as a porter but as a broker, bringing the two together.
Jupiter, having expelled Saturn from his kingdom, by the help of his brothers, Neptune and Pluto, and having cast lots for the tripartite Empire, the Heaven fell to Jupiter, Hell to Pluto, and the Sea with all isles adjacent to Neptune, who solicited the love of Amphitrite, but she not willing to condescend to his amorous purpose, he employed a dolphin to negotiate in his behalf, who dealt so well in the business that they were not only reconciled, but soon after married. For which, in the perpetual memory of so great and good an office done to him, he placed him amongst the stars, not far from Capricorn, as Higinus has left remembered in his Fables, and Aratus in his Astronomics. Others contend that Venilia was the wife of Neptune. But notwithstanding his love to and marriage with Amphitrite, he had many children by other nymphs, goddesses, and wantons. … All that are high minded, and strong men, were esteemed as the sons and friends and beloved of Neptune. “Amphitrite” signifies nothing else, but the body and matter of all that moist humor which is earth above, below, or within the earth, and for that cause she is called the wife of Neptune. Euripides, in [his play] The Cyclops, takes her for the substance of water itself; Orpheus calls her Glauca and Piscosa, that is blue and full of fish, being attributes belonging solely to the goddess of the Sea. And by the dolphin’s soliciting the love of Neptune to Amphitrite, and reconciling them, is meant nothing else but to illustrate to us, that of all the fishes that belong to the sea he [the dolphin] is the swiftest, the most active, and apprehensive [intelligent].
- Thy wife Amphitrite (whose spreading breadth,
- Gave her that name because she loves the Earth),
- With watery arms which she does round disperse,
- And bravely searches all the universe;
- Her thou didst love, and to thy bed prefer,
- (The which thou ow’st a friendly dolphin for,
- Who on his back did kindly save her life,
- And gave her to thee for a virtuous wife.)
- Which dolphin after to the skies was born,
- And turned into a star near capricorn.
- After this the rumor of thy name abroad
- Did fly, and thou wert thought a mighty god
- By wretched heathens, who amazed stood,
- To see how still thou bind’st the ravenous flood.