King Triton (also known as the Sea King) is a major character in Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid. He is the ruler of Atlantica, an undersea kingdom inhabited by merpeople. As king, he wields the all-powerful trident, which grants him control over the seas. By his late wife Queen Athena, he is also father to seven daughters, the most notable of which is Ariel. Equal parts over-protective and well-meaning, Triton initially disapproves of Ariel's admiration for the human world on account of his misanthropia.