Glaucus is a sea nymph who used to be a fisherman. One day while fishing, he laid his fish out on a magical pasture, and they started jumping back into the waves. Glaucus ate a few blades of grass and suddenly transformed into a fish-like creature with the urge to live in the sea. As a nymph, Glaucus is furious when he is rejected by Scylla and asks Circe to put a love spell on Scylla. Circe, falling love with Glaucus, poisons Scylla and turns her to stone, causing Glaucus to get angry and reject Circe.
Get the entire Metamorphoses LitChart as a printable PDF.
Glaucus Character Timeline in Metamorphoses
The timeline below shows where the character Glaucus appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 13: Glaucus and Scylla (1)
...and Scylla returns to land and walks along the beach. Suddenly, a sea nymph named Glaucus notices Scylla and finds her very beautiful. He tries to talk to her, but she...
(full context)
Noticing Scylla’s wonder, Glaucus beaches himself against a rock and calls up to her. Glaucus says that he is...
(full context)
Glaucus wondered if the meadow had magical powers. He picked some grass and ate it. Suddenly,...
(full context)
Glaucus wonders what good his new form is if it doesn’t impress Scylla. Interrupting Glaucus’s speech,...
(full context)
Book 14: Glaucus and Scylla (2)
Glaucus swims across the sea to the green hills where Circe lives. He greets Circe and...
(full context)
Glaucus explains that while Scylla is alive, he can’t love anyone else. Circe is enraged by...
(full context)