▁any ▁literary ▁testim ony . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁late ▁appearance , ▁according ▁to ▁a ▁fragment ary ▁pap yrus , ▁Alexander ▁the ▁Great ▁paused ▁at ▁the ▁Sy rian ▁se ash ore ▁before ▁the ▁clim acter ic ▁battle ▁of ▁Iss us ▁( 3 3 3 ▁BC ), ▁and ▁res orted ▁to ▁pray ers , ▁" call ing ▁on ▁Th et is , ▁N ere us ▁and ▁the ▁N ere ids , ▁n ym ph s ▁of ▁the ▁sea , ▁and ▁inv oking ▁P ose id on ▁the ▁sea - god , ▁for ▁whom ▁he ▁ordered ▁a ▁four - hor se ▁ch ari ot ▁to ▁be ▁cast ▁into ▁the ▁waves ." ▁ ▁N ere us ▁was ▁known ▁for ▁his ▁truth ful ness ▁and ▁virtue : ▁ ▁The ▁Att ic ▁v ase - p ain ters ▁showed ▁the ▁d rap ed ▁tor so ▁of ▁N ere us ▁issu ing ▁from ▁a ▁long ▁co iling ▁scal y ▁fish like ▁tail . ▁ ▁Be arded ▁N ere us ▁generally ▁w ield s ▁a ▁staff ▁of ▁authority . ▁He ▁was ▁also ▁shown ▁in ▁scenes ▁dep ict ing ▁the ▁flight ▁of ▁the ▁N ere ides ▁as ▁Pe le us ▁wrest led ▁their ▁sister ▁Th et is . ▁ ▁In ▁A elian ' s ▁natural ▁history , ▁written ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁third ▁century ▁CE , ▁N ere us ▁was ▁also ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁a ▁wat ery ▁cons ort ▁of ▁A ph rod ite ▁named ▁N er ites ▁who ▁was ▁transformed ▁into ▁" a ▁shell fish ▁with ▁a ▁spir al ▁shell , ▁small