. ▁Be ek es ▁suggests ▁a ▁Pre - G reek ▁origin . ▁ ▁M yth ology ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁I li ad ▁the ▁Old ▁Man ▁of ▁the ▁Sea ▁is ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁N ere ids , ▁though ▁N ere us ▁is ▁not ▁directly ▁named . ▁He ▁was ▁never ▁more ▁manifest ly ▁the ▁Old ▁Man ▁of ▁the ▁Sea ▁than ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁described , ▁like ▁Prote us , ▁as ▁a ▁shapes h if ter ▁with ▁the ▁power ▁of ▁prop he cy , ▁who ▁would ▁aid ▁hero es ▁such ▁as ▁Her acles ▁who ▁managed ▁to ▁catch ▁him ▁even ▁as ▁he ▁changed ▁shapes . ▁N ere us ▁and ▁Prote us ▁( the ▁" first ") ▁seem ▁to ▁be ▁two ▁manifest ations ▁of ▁the ▁god ▁of ▁the ▁sea ▁who ▁was ▁supp l anted ▁by ▁P ose id on ▁when ▁Ze us ▁over th rew ▁C ron us . ▁ ▁The ▁earliest ▁poet ▁to ▁link ▁N ere us ▁with ▁the ▁lab ours ▁of ▁Her acles ▁was ▁Ph ere ky des , ▁according ▁to ▁a ▁sch ol ion ▁on ▁Ap oll on ius ▁of ▁Rh odes . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁ 5 th ▁century ▁BC , ▁N ere us ▁was ▁gradually ▁replaced ▁by ▁T rit on , ▁who ▁does ▁not ▁appear ▁in ▁H omer , ▁in ▁the ▁imag ery ▁of ▁the ▁struggle ▁between ▁Her acles ▁and ▁the ▁sea - god ▁who ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁rest rained ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁deliver ▁his ▁information ▁that ▁was ▁employed ▁by ▁the ▁v ase - p ain ters , ▁independent ▁of