The Nymphs By Shaye Wells

What is a Nymph?

A nymph in Greek mythology is a female often seen associated with nature but different from the goddesses. Nymph is also the Greek word for bride. They are commonly called the divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young maidens who love to dance and sing. Nymphs are also different from the Greek Gods’ wife; they are less restricted as they wives and daughters are. Although they would never die of old age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms. Charybdis and Scylla were once nymphs.

O c e a n id s

Oceanids were the nymphs of the great ocean, the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. There were well over 4,000 of these water nymphs. The most famous Oceanid was the beautiful Amphitrite, the Queen of the sea. She is married to Poseidon and their children are Triton, who is half-man/half-fish, and two daughters called Rhode and Benthesicyme. Rhode married the Sun god, Helios, and gave birth to the Heliades, who used their knowledge of the stars to introduce new practices in seamanship, and were the first to divide the day into hours.

Myths

Nymphs rarely had a central role in Greek myths. Usually they played supporting parts as the companions of gods and satyrs. The goddess Artemis, for example, often had nymphs attending her when she went hunting. Nymphs also became the lovers or wives of gods or heroes. The Dryad Eurydice married the poet and musician Orpheus. After Eurydice died from a snakebite, Orpheus tried to retrieve her from the underworld but failed to meet the conditions set for her return. But there is one myth. It was said that nymphs were born of the blood from Cronus when he got castrated.

Types

• Acheloids (from the river Achelous)

• Alseids (groves)

• Dryads (forests)

• Hamadryads (trees)*

• Hydriads (water)

• Leimoniads (meadows)

• Meliads (ash trees)

• Naiads (springs and rivers)

• Napaea (valleys)

• Nereid (the Mediterranean)

• Oceanids (the sea)

• Oreads (mountains)

Famous Nymphs

Amalthea (of cornucopia fame)

Anna Perenna (known in connection with another Ides of March holiday)

Arethusa (a follower of Artemis who sacrificed much for her chastity)

Calypso (Nymph-Goddess who entertained Odysseus)

Creusa (Daughter of Gaia and the river god Peneus)

Echo (whose name we hear in certain repetitions)

Egeria (cared for Athens' founder-hero, Theseus' son Hippolyte; she taught the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius)

Harmonia (mated with Ares to produce the Amazons; Harmonia's necklace features in the story of Cadmus of Thebes)

Syrinx (a wind instrument and an attribute of Pan)

Thetis (connected with Achilles and Hephaestus)

Thousa (mother of Polyphemus, the cyclops in the Odyssey who eats several of Odysseus' companions when they were uninvited houseguests)

The nurturing Nymphs

It was said that when anyone was in need a nymph would come to take care of you.

• Thetis, not only a Nereid but the mother of Achilles, also helped Zeus and Dionysus when they were in trouble.

• Nymphs of Nysa tended to Dionysus when he was young.

• When Hephaestus was tossed off Olympus and landed in Lemnos by a parent (either Hera or Zeus), Eurynome and Thetis, who were Nereids, which is a class of nymphs, tended him.

Videos

www.youtube.com/watch?v=89s8oEuTS_o

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeoNQ9GoqSU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS5rwiYzwA

QUIZ

1. Were the nymphs treated and restricted like the wives of the Gods’ were?

2. Can a nymph die from old age or illness?

3. There were over _____ water nymphs (oceanids)

4. How were nymphs born?

5. What was the Greek word for Nymph?

Answers

1. No they had much more freedom.

2. No they are eternally beautiful and young.

3. 4,000

4. Born of the blood from when Cronus was castrated.

5. Bride