Pontus

Greek mythology personifies the systems of the universe.  Eros is the personification of Divine love, but because the systems of the universe are based on contrasts and the need for contrast, there had to be an equal and opposing system to counterbalance Divine Love and LOVE its human counterpart - the opposing system is of course HATE.

Divine love and LOVE are also the systems of creation thus to counterbalance this system one needed a personification for the System of destruction and its driver HATE.

Interestingly, the Hindus encapsulate creation, destruction and maintenance as a whole in the Trimurti, in Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. But in the Greek system there superficially appears to be no one god with all its offspring that represents all the sub-functions of destruction, dissolution and decay.

 

In Greek myth, the systems of destruction are personified by a number of Titans.  A Titan is a very powerful function – a large system as opposed to a little process.

In Greek mythology, for example, Eurybia (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυβία, Εὐρυβίη), had "a heart of flint within her" – so she personified an aspect of HATE – hard heartedness.  She was the consort to the Titan Crius and gave birth to Astraeus, Perses, and Pallas.  Pallas and Perses were also both Titans – so again enormously powerful systems.  Perses was the Titan of Destruction in mythology and Pallas is associated with war.

Perses had one child noted in mythology, Hecate, honoured by Zeus above all others as the goddess of wilderness, witchcraft and magic, indicating that the Greeks believed magic to be a force for destruction.

If we return to Eurybia, her parents were Pontos  and Gaia.  Gaia is the Mother of the Mother and Father symbolism.  The Creator and Created.

Pontus is now regarded as a sort of vague sea god, but one rather suspects that the symbolism he once had has been lost.  The phrase 'without sweet union of love' may simply mean that Pontus is a god born of hate [thus symbolically not representing hate] - a raging figure, a dark figure [depths and deep].  There is thus the possibility that Pontus is the symbolic equivalent to Shiva.