Alpheus

views updated May 21 2018

Alpheus in Greek mythology, a river-god who fell in love with the nymph Arethusa. Having fled to Ortygia to escape him, she was turned into a fountain; according to the legend, Alpheus then flowed under the sea to reach the fountain, and this gave rise to the ancient belief that the water of the river Alpheus flowed through the sea without mixing with it.