Meet with us the Nymphs in Greek Mythology. Discover their origins, legends and most fascinating myths that still survive.
Nymphs in Greek Mythology
Such is the importance of the nymphs in Greek mythology to the sacred landscape of the Greeks that when in the Iliad Zeus summons the gods to the assembly on Mount Olympus, it is not only the well known Olympians who attend, but also all the nymphs and river gods.
Unlike other goddesses, the nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits that animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek polis.
They are beloved by many and inhabit mountainous regions and forests by springs or rivers; as Walter Burkert points out (Burkert 1985:III.3.3), “The idea that rivers are gods and springs of divine nymphs is deeply rooted not only in poetry, but also in belief and ritual; the worship of these deities is limited only by the fact that they are inseparably identified with a specific locality.”
Other nymphs, always in the form of young maidens, were part of the retinue of a god, such as Dionysus, Hermes, or Pan, or a goddess, usually the huntress Artemis. Nymphs were frequent targets of satyrs.
What are Nymphs in Greek mythology?
A nymph (Greek: νύμφη, nymphē) in Greek and Roman mythology is a young female deity typically identified with natural features such as mountains (oreads), trees and flowers (dryads and meliae), springs, rivers and lakes (naiads) or the sea (nereids), or as part of the divine retinue of a comparable god such as Apollo, Dionysus or Pan, or goddesses, such as Artemis, who was known as the tutelary deity of all nymphs.
Nymphs are often the mothers of heroes, as in the case of Achilles and Temries, because of the tendency of Greek males to fall in love with their preternatural beauty and seductive charm, so different from the reserved and chaste wives and daughters of the polis or city-state.
There are many prominent legends about their relationships with mortal men and gods, as in the tale of Echo and Narcissus, the abduction of Hylas, Salmacis and Hermaphoditus, and the legend of the shepherd poet Daphnis. Like Pan, nymphs within their natural habitat can drive mortals mad or insane (known as nympholepsy), particularly at midday.
Where nymphs came from
There are several ideas about the origin of the nymphs. In some literature, they were all known as the Daughters of Zeus. Some sources say that they emerged from the very nature they molded. One thing is certain; the ancient Greeks valued and worshiped nature, and these beautiful minor goddesses came from those beliefs.
The role of nymphs
The nymphs were beautiful creatures whose sole purpose was to shape and protect nature. Each nymph settled in an area in the forest and became the sole caretaker.
Types of Nymphs
As a result, there were groups of nymphs for each type of natural phenomenon. In general, there were three basic groups, water nymphs, soil nymphs and tree nymphs. The groups were divided as follows:
Water nymphs
– Acheloides were the river nymphs, specifically for the Achelous River.
– The hydriads were a type of water nymph.
– Naiads were the nymphs of springs and rivers.
– Napaea were the nymphs in the valleys.
– Nereids were the nymphs specific to the Mediterranean Sea.
– Oceanians were the nymphs of the sea in general.
Terrestrial nymphs
– The alseids and leimonads were the nymphs that lived in the groves.
– The Dryads were the nymphs of the forest.
– The Oreads were the mountain nymphs.
Tree Nymphs
– The Hamadryads were the nymphs that protected the trees.
– The meliads were the nymphs of the ash trees.
Celestial Nymphs
These nymphs consisted of two main groups known as the Heliads, the Fairies and the Pleiades. Also among them were the smaller groups. These were called the Auriae or ‘breezes’ and also known as the Aetae or Pnoae, also the Asteriae or ‘stars’ which included the daughters of Atlas known as the Atlantides, and the Nephele or ‘clouds’.
The Heliades or Heliadai were the offspring of Helios, the octopus of the sun and the oceanic nymph called Clymene and Rhodos. Known as the ‘Sons of the Sun’, the best known were the sisters of Phaethon, the son of Clymene. These sisters were named Aregle, Aetheria and Aegiate.
Other nymphs
The Lampadas are the nymphs of the underworld and the torch-bearing companions of Hecate in her nightly walks, fantasies and visits. Hecate was the goddess of Greek mythology who was a deity of crossroads and sorcery. These nymphs were a gift from Zeus in recognition of Hecate’s loyalty to the Titanomachy and were believed to be the daughters of a number of gods of the underworld.
The Lamusidean nymphs were nursed by Dionysus as daughters of Lamus. It was Hermes who rescued the child Dionysus from them. The Dodanid nymphs or Dododododaeas were the ones who nurtured the child Zeus with an oracle of Zeus at Dodona. The Thias were the bee nymphs who raised Apollo and used honey to make prophecies.
How the nymphs were represented
The word, nymph, derives from a Greek word meaning “bride”. They were shown with long hair and beautiful, flowing garments. Nymphs were always young and other creatures were always attracted to them. This included gods and goddesses, humans and other mythological creatures. They were also able to shape-shift to blend in with their environment.
Dionysus, the god of wine, was always associated with various beautiful nymphs who helped fuel his zest for life. Pan, like Dionysus, also possessed the same lust for life and also attracted certain nymphs. In addition, Artemis had a following of some sixty oceanic ones who became part of her followers. Poseidon was often associated with the Nereids, the sea nymphs.
Were they really goddesses?
Although they were called goddesses, that description is not entirely accurate. They were considered spirits and ethereal beings. Although this made them deities, they were not goddesses because most of them were not immortal. Rather, they lived a long time. However, some of them could die.
Nymphs were spiritual beings who made their way into Greek mythological stories and legends. Although there is some variation as to who and what they are, one thing remains consistent: these creatures are depicted as beautiful females protecting a specific domain. Some of them were also associated with gods and goddesses such as Poseidon and Artemis.
Myths of Nymphs in Greek Mythology
Nymphs rarely played a central role in Greek myths. They usually played supporting parts as the companions of gods and satyrs. The goddess Artemis, for example, often had nymphs to attend her when she went out hunting. Nymphs also became lovers or wives of gods or heroes. The dryad Eurydice married the poet and musician Orpheus. After Eurydice died of a snakebite, Orpheus attempted to retrieve her from the underworld but failed to meet the conditions set for her return.
Another nymph who gained mythical status as a wife was Oenone . Married to Paris, prince of Troy , Oenone predicted that if Paris departed on a journey to Greece, the trip would be disastrous for Troy. During that journey, Paris eloped with Helen, the wife of the Spartan king , which set in motion the events that led to the Trojan
The story of the nymphs is one of the stories about the history of ancient gods and goddesses that appear in mythology and ancient legends. Such stories serve as a gateway to the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
The names of many of the heroes and characters are known today through movies and games, but the real story about such characters are unknown. Reading a myth story about nymphs is the easiest way to learn about the history and stories of the classics.
Nymphs in Art, Literature and Everyday Life
Although the idea of nymphs in general has endured in art and literature, only a few specific nymphs have remained well-known. Eurydice is perhaps the most famous, appearing in paintings, operas and even films. Echo was another nymph famous for her love for the vain Narcissus, a myth often reflected in art and literature.
The Muses are also nymphs and are popular in their own right as the goddesses who inspire creativity. More often, however, nymphs are depicted less specifically, and many authors and artists depict unnamed nymphs of a certain type, such as dryads or nereids.
he dryads have been the best known of the nymphs and have appeared in literary works such as The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and the poems of Sylvia Plath. They have also appeared in numerous video games, including the Warcraft, Dungeon Siege and Castlevania series, and are considered a race in the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.
Nereids have also appeared as charactersin many video games, and in modern times the term “nereid” is commonly used to represent all nymphs, regardless of their origin.
Cutting down trees
In ancient times, it was believed that a person who cut down a tree that housed a nymph would be punished by the gods. In modern times, some environmentalists chain themselves to trees or install themselves in long-lived trees in an effort to protect them from destruction by timber or construction equipment.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the worship of nymphs in the Archaic period was a primary concern of the rural poor, and centered on water sources, which later became widespread and combined with other fertility deities and their rites.
In this earliest rural form, it was customary for anyone passing by a fountain shrine to leave an offering, usually in the form of a sacrifice of an animal, such as a portion of a boar, goat, or sheep, which preceded a meal.
Over time, these offerings became increasingly bloody, culminating in the now-familiar tradition of leaving coins at the fountain shrine for the resident nymph.