Thalassa was a primordial deity in Greek mythology, goddess of the sea. She was the daughter of Aether and Hemera (day). She was married to the Titan god of the sea Pontus, with whom she had ten children; nine of them were called Telchines and were considered the original inhabitants of the island of Rhodes, while the tenth was a daughter, Halia. Being a personification of the sea, she was also considered to be the mother of the goddess Aphrodite, when Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus, and his genitals were thrown into the sea.