Extra Credit 3 - Research
Alexander Bowne
Nereids
The Nereids were a specific subset of sea nymphs, being the fifty daughters of the sea-god Nereus and the okeanid Doris. They generally could be found as part of Poseidon's retinue, meaning anywhere from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. However, with one notable exception, they did live with their father at the bottom of the sea, and were known to be beautiful, even when compared to the gods. They were generally kind hearted, and were known to help sailors by calming dangerous storms, though they could obviously not be counted on completely. They were also believed to be prophetic, although that ability was demonstrated infrequently.
Despite their general gentleness and helpfulness to sailors, the Nereids did have a darker side. For example, when a beautiful woman named Cassiopeia claimed that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the Nereids grew incredibly angry and convinced Poseidon to send both storms and a monster to ravage the land. This was only stopped when the woman's daughter (Andromeda) was offered as a sacrifice to the monster, though she was saved.
There are two Nereids which stand out: Thetis and Amphitrite. Thetis seems to have been the unofficial leader of the Nereids. The fact that she appears more important may be simply due to more exposure as the mother of Achilles and the influence of the Iliad, but she demonstrates more powers than most of the Nereids, who lack stories about them individually. She was both a shapeshifter, as seen in her attempts to avoid being married to Achilles' father Peleus and prophetic as seen in her interactions with Achilles. One tale also mentions that she was reared by Hera, who loved "loved [her] more than any other Lady of the Sea" and another claims once freed Zeus from a trap set by the other gods. Amphitrite stands apart from her sisters as well, although this is more through marriage than anything else. Amphitrite is Poseidon's wife and Queen, and in that role is perhaps most remarkable because she largely avoids the jealousy issue with all of Poseidon's lovers, unlike the relationship between Zeus and Hera. She actively helped her husband's bastard Theseus on several occasions, for example.
All fifty Nereids have names. Unfortunately, with conflicting sources, there are roughly twice as many names as there are Nereids, so most people simply use the list from Hesiod's Theogony.
Sources: http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Nereides.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereids, Hesiod's Theogony
The Nereids were a specific subset of sea nymphs, being the fifty daughters of the sea-god Nereus and the okeanid Doris. They generally could be found as part of Poseidon's retinue, meaning anywhere from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. However, with one notable exception, they did live with their father at the bottom of the sea, and were known to be beautiful, even when compared to the gods. They were generally kind hearted, and were known to help sailors by calming dangerous storms, though they could obviously not be counted on completely. They were also believed to be prophetic, although that ability was demonstrated infrequently.
Despite their general gentleness and helpfulness to sailors, the Nereids did have a darker side. For example, when a beautiful woman named Cassiopeia claimed that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the Nereids grew incredibly angry and convinced Poseidon to send both storms and a monster to ravage the land. This was only stopped when the woman's daughter (Andromeda) was offered as a sacrifice to the monster, though she was saved.
There are two Nereids which stand out: Thetis and Amphitrite. Thetis seems to have been the unofficial leader of the Nereids. The fact that she appears more important may be simply due to more exposure as the mother of Achilles and the influence of the Iliad, but she demonstrates more powers than most of the Nereids, who lack stories about them individually. She was both a shapeshifter, as seen in her attempts to avoid being married to Achilles' father Peleus and prophetic as seen in her interactions with Achilles. One tale also mentions that she was reared by Hera, who loved "loved [her] more than any other Lady of the Sea" and another claims once freed Zeus from a trap set by the other gods. Amphitrite stands apart from her sisters as well, although this is more through marriage than anything else. Amphitrite is Poseidon's wife and Queen, and in that role is perhaps most remarkable because she largely avoids the jealousy issue with all of Poseidon's lovers, unlike the relationship between Zeus and Hera. She actively helped her husband's bastard Theseus on several occasions, for example.
All fifty Nereids have names. Unfortunately, with conflicting sources, there are roughly twice as many names as there are Nereids, so most people simply use the list from Hesiod's Theogony.
Sources: http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Nereides.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereids, Hesiod's Theogony
Hailey Potter
I chose oceanids because I’ve always loved water. Oceanids live exactly where their name would make you think… oceans and seas! They are the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Apparently there were well over 4000 of oceanids. They are shy and helpful but can also be vengeful. You would find them swimming and playing around keels of ships. They lived for a very long time but were not immortal.
The most famous was Amphitrite, the Queen of the Sea, who is married to Poseidon. Her children are Triton, Rhode, and Benthesicyme. Some Oceanids were seduced by gods or married to mortals. They bore sons who were heroes and princes.
They weren’t always protectors of water. They did protect a particular spring, river, sea, lake, or pond, but they could also protect pastures, flowers, or clouds.
There is also a famous Oceanid that Zeus fell in love with when he took over Olympus. Her name was Metis. He tried to seduce her, but she was not interested. She eventually tired of running away from him and became his first wife. However, there was a prophecy that she would give birth to a son that would replace his father as the lord of Heaven. Zeus in turn was upset by this and swallowed her!
Another was Clytie, who was an Oceanid Nymph of the heliotrope. She was loved by the sun-god Helios. He eventually abandoned her because he loved another, so she transformed into the heliotrope.
Tyche the Oceanid is known as Fortuna, who enjoyed dashing immoderate hopes. She keeps beauty and virtue and good fame. If you are blessed by Tyche you are fortunate but she can also be cruel if you take her for granted.
It’s also nice to note that Styx was an Oceanid!
It also seems that they might also be known as Oceanides.
The most famous was Amphitrite, the Queen of the Sea, who is married to Poseidon. Her children are Triton, Rhode, and Benthesicyme. Some Oceanids were seduced by gods or married to mortals. They bore sons who were heroes and princes.
They weren’t always protectors of water. They did protect a particular spring, river, sea, lake, or pond, but they could also protect pastures, flowers, or clouds.
There is also a famous Oceanid that Zeus fell in love with when he took over Olympus. Her name was Metis. He tried to seduce her, but she was not interested. She eventually tired of running away from him and became his first wife. However, there was a prophecy that she would give birth to a son that would replace his father as the lord of Heaven. Zeus in turn was upset by this and swallowed her!
Another was Clytie, who was an Oceanid Nymph of the heliotrope. She was loved by the sun-god Helios. He eventually abandoned her because he loved another, so she transformed into the heliotrope.
Tyche the Oceanid is known as Fortuna, who enjoyed dashing immoderate hopes. She keeps beauty and virtue and good fame. If you are blessed by Tyche you are fortunate but she can also be cruel if you take her for granted.
It’s also nice to note that Styx was an Oceanid!
It also seems that they might also be known as Oceanides.
Prof. Scarlet Leslie
The naiads are the freshwater nymphs. Naiad translates to "flowing ones," suggesting that they inhabit flowing water, like streams, brooks, and fountains. However, the distinguishing factor is that the naiad lives in a body of freshwater (including marshes and springs) rather than salt water. If a naiad's water supply dried up, she would die. Naiads are considered protectors of girls and nurses for the young. Towns and cities were named after naiads, since they were the protectors of the local water supplies.
Naiads are further divided into subcategories. Pegaeae are the naiad nymphs of the springs. They are the daughters of river gods and they each inhabit a distinctive spring. These springs are commonly worshiped. Crinaeae are the naiad nymphs living in fountains. Each town worships its fountain nymph. Eleionomae are the marsh and wetland naiads. They are fond of using illusions to trick travelers. Limnades are the naiads of lakes. Potameides are the naiads of rivers and streams.
The Oracle at Delphi, whose waters have prophetic powers, is inhabited by naiads. One naiad is Castalia, who was pursued by Apollo and threw herself into a well. Aganippe is one of many naiads who lives in a spring on Mount Helicon. The waters in the Helicon springs are believed to bring poetic inspiration. The Anigrides are nymphs who inhabit the river Anigrus in Elis. People with skin diseases were able to be cured if they bathed in the river and gave sacrifices to the Anigrides.
Styx is a naiad who inhabits the river Styx that becomes a marsh. It is the entrance to the underworld. The Corycian nymphs are three naiads who live in the sacred springs in the Corycian Cave. They are sisters. Corycia, who the cave is named after, is loved by Apollo and the mother of Lycoreus. Kleodora mothered Parnassos with Posiedon. Parnsssos eventually founded the city of Paranssus. Melaina was loved by Apollo. She presided over the underworld nymphs.
I wanted to make sure I hit the 300 word mark before I started rambling. So yes, I choose naiads because many, many years ago, I did this science competition where one of my events involved identifying insects in freshwater. Dragonfly nymphs with no tails, mayfly nymphs with 3 tails, and damselfly nymphs with 2, sometimes 3, tails. Sometimes, the sources my partner and I used said naiad instead of nymph, so now I know why! Naiad is very appropriate because these insects can only survive in freshwater. Mayflies in particular are only seen by clean freshwater.
Naiads are further divided into subcategories. Pegaeae are the naiad nymphs of the springs. They are the daughters of river gods and they each inhabit a distinctive spring. These springs are commonly worshiped. Crinaeae are the naiad nymphs living in fountains. Each town worships its fountain nymph. Eleionomae are the marsh and wetland naiads. They are fond of using illusions to trick travelers. Limnades are the naiads of lakes. Potameides are the naiads of rivers and streams.
The Oracle at Delphi, whose waters have prophetic powers, is inhabited by naiads. One naiad is Castalia, who was pursued by Apollo and threw herself into a well. Aganippe is one of many naiads who lives in a spring on Mount Helicon. The waters in the Helicon springs are believed to bring poetic inspiration. The Anigrides are nymphs who inhabit the river Anigrus in Elis. People with skin diseases were able to be cured if they bathed in the river and gave sacrifices to the Anigrides.
Styx is a naiad who inhabits the river Styx that becomes a marsh. It is the entrance to the underworld. The Corycian nymphs are three naiads who live in the sacred springs in the Corycian Cave. They are sisters. Corycia, who the cave is named after, is loved by Apollo and the mother of Lycoreus. Kleodora mothered Parnassos with Posiedon. Parnsssos eventually founded the city of Paranssus. Melaina was loved by Apollo. She presided over the underworld nymphs.
I wanted to make sure I hit the 300 word mark before I started rambling. So yes, I choose naiads because many, many years ago, I did this science competition where one of my events involved identifying insects in freshwater. Dragonfly nymphs with no tails, mayfly nymphs with 3 tails, and damselfly nymphs with 2, sometimes 3, tails. Sometimes, the sources my partner and I used said naiad instead of nymph, so now I know why! Naiad is very appropriate because these insects can only survive in freshwater. Mayflies in particular are only seen by clean freshwater.
Sky Alton
Potamides (I had to) are a specific type of Naiad who were associated with specific fresh water rivers and streams all over the ancient world in Greeko-Roman mythology. Like all other Naiads, they enjoyed long lifespans (which Plutarch estimated at 9720 years-always wondered whether he just picked that figure out of the air) And were the daughters of water gods. Nearly every creak had its own potamide, though I haven't been able to find any specific examples of named Nymphs. However, each was differentiated by reference to the river or stream they lived in, such as the Pactolides from the River
Pactolus and sometimes by the country in which they resided (there must have been much nymph confusion if that practice was wide spread). I'm not entirely sure all these Nymphs would appreciate being lumped together but unfortunately my sources are so limited I can't help but cause offence through generalisations. Apparently, even the rivers of the underworld weren't without their potamides; I'm not sure I would have liked that shift (quite literally The Graveyard shift). These 'hellish potamides' (avernales) were said to possess not only prophetic powers but the ability to share them with chosen beings. Temperamentally, Potamides seem to have been quite friendly as Nymphs go, though only if you were young and of the female persuasion. They
also seem to be quite vain as their main concession towards being kind deities for their community was to gently remove the freckles of said young females who bathed in their pools. Unsurprisingly, they could turn pretty hostile towards men. Unsurprisingly, again, this hostility extended to dragging them down below the water; I'm starting to wonder whether all water dwelling creatures see this as their birth right (perhaps there are prizes for the greatest number of poor unfortunate souls collected in a century). The potamides further show themselves as strong, independent women as they worked for a living, carrying water to their parents which could be seen as the trickle of a spring. Along with other nymphs, they did show themselves as not holy against the male sex as it was said that they would share their powers with those who drank their waters (I'm hoping this isn't an ancient
euphemism that has been hopelessly misinterpreted). Accordingly offerings of honey and oil and the like (but never of wine-apparently Nymphs were a very responsible race as a whole) were left for them at spots of natural beauty along forest streams or in water gardens.
Pactolus and sometimes by the country in which they resided (there must have been much nymph confusion if that practice was wide spread). I'm not entirely sure all these Nymphs would appreciate being lumped together but unfortunately my sources are so limited I can't help but cause offence through generalisations. Apparently, even the rivers of the underworld weren't without their potamides; I'm not sure I would have liked that shift (quite literally The Graveyard shift). These 'hellish potamides' (avernales) were said to possess not only prophetic powers but the ability to share them with chosen beings. Temperamentally, Potamides seem to have been quite friendly as Nymphs go, though only if you were young and of the female persuasion. They
also seem to be quite vain as their main concession towards being kind deities for their community was to gently remove the freckles of said young females who bathed in their pools. Unsurprisingly, they could turn pretty hostile towards men. Unsurprisingly, again, this hostility extended to dragging them down below the water; I'm starting to wonder whether all water dwelling creatures see this as their birth right (perhaps there are prizes for the greatest number of poor unfortunate souls collected in a century). The potamides further show themselves as strong, independent women as they worked for a living, carrying water to their parents which could be seen as the trickle of a spring. Along with other nymphs, they did show themselves as not holy against the male sex as it was said that they would share their powers with those who drank their waters (I'm hoping this isn't an ancient
euphemism that has been hopelessly misinterpreted). Accordingly offerings of honey and oil and the like (but never of wine-apparently Nymphs were a very responsible race as a whole) were left for them at spots of natural beauty along forest streams or in water gardens.
St.John Aloisius Sloots
Working on the NaNoWriMo project of this November placed the seed in my head of doing some research on nymph lore, or more specifically the apsarasah of Hindu legend and myth, but Greek nymph-ology was definitely on the list of to-do research as well, so this is kinda cool.
There are so many nymphs in the Greek mythos and quite a few divisions amongst the horde, some subgroups are very narrow and can contain only nymphs associated with a specific place or geographic feature. Acheloids, for example, only inhabit the river Achelous. Generally they seem to be associated with water, trees and mountains or valleys.
Oreads are mountain nymphs whereas their sister-nymphs, the Napaea, live in valleys and Leimoniads are identified as meadow dwelling. Though water nymphs are referred to as Hydriads, Naiads are associated with various springs and rivers; Oceanids, the sea and Nereids, the Mediterranean specifically.
The dryads interest me due to their tree associations. Some Celtic myths feature trees which, coupled with the ephemeral nature of reliable druidic lore, has given rise to modern interpretations of so called ‘Celtic tree oracles’ and other dubious totemic guides. Be that as it may, it is undeniable that holly, oak, ash and thorn, along with many other tree types, were sacred to the ancient Gael. This maybe why I chose to look into dryads.
Dryads as you mentioned are forest nymphs. Alseids, however, inhabit sacred groves. Hamadryas was mother to a further dyadic subgroup and these, her ‘children,’ were associated with specific tree types: Aegeirus of the black poplar tree; Ampelus, nymph of the vine; Balanus, the oak; Caryatids, the nut-bearing or walnut tree; Craneus, the cornel-tree; Morea, the mulberry; Epimeliad, the apple tree; Kraneia, the dogwood; Orea, the ash; Ptelea, the elm and Suke/Syke, the fig-tree.
The Meliai are also identified as inhabiting ash trees. As these tended infant Zeus, they were given a special place in Greek mythology, but I wonder if they weren’t just a family of Orea unto themselves.
The Hamadryads were tied to specific trees and could not move too far beyond them without risking death. If their tree died so too did the hamadryad. The gods and nymphs were therefore rather touchy about the treatment of trees. If a tree or a portion thereof was desired for crafting or building purposes, the inhabiting hamadryad had to be placated with offerings. If they were not, the gods and dryads could extract a dreadful toll.
In the ranks of famous dryads stands Chrysopeleia, a hamadryad of the balanus variety, whose tree was saved from a flood by a minor Greek hero, Arkas—himself the son of the nereid-nymph Calypso. Arkas built a dam to divert the water. Grateful the two struck up a relationship and she later married the bloke.
Dyrope was a mortal who would later become an aegeirus-dryad. In brief she was unfortunate enough to attract the attention of Apollo. The sun god turned himself into a tortoise who Dyrope and her nymph companions kept as a pet. Later, however, when Dyrope was holding the tortoise, Apollo turned into a ‘snake’ –yeah, sure—and when she tried to run for it, tangled her legs, held her down and raped her. Why these myth tellers call her “…lover of Apollo…” is beyond me, more like “…victim of Apollo…” With the loss of her virginity, the nymphs sorta gave her up as a friend…hooches! Her son by Apollo, Amphissus built a temple to his father, and I guess feeling she was back in the good graces of the gods, the nymphs once again started to hang out with her. She became priestess of the temple—why she would want to, I have no clue!—and everything was going well until Apollo got the itch once more to put on his snake-skin suit and went for Dyrope again while she was bathing in a spring. Having just about enough of the sun god’s silliness, Dyrope was turned into a black poplar tree and became, technically, a hamadryad.
Resources:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/godsandgoddesses/a/Nymphs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopeleia_(mythology)
http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheKhrysopeleia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryope
There are so many nymphs in the Greek mythos and quite a few divisions amongst the horde, some subgroups are very narrow and can contain only nymphs associated with a specific place or geographic feature. Acheloids, for example, only inhabit the river Achelous. Generally they seem to be associated with water, trees and mountains or valleys.
Oreads are mountain nymphs whereas their sister-nymphs, the Napaea, live in valleys and Leimoniads are identified as meadow dwelling. Though water nymphs are referred to as Hydriads, Naiads are associated with various springs and rivers; Oceanids, the sea and Nereids, the Mediterranean specifically.
The dryads interest me due to their tree associations. Some Celtic myths feature trees which, coupled with the ephemeral nature of reliable druidic lore, has given rise to modern interpretations of so called ‘Celtic tree oracles’ and other dubious totemic guides. Be that as it may, it is undeniable that holly, oak, ash and thorn, along with many other tree types, were sacred to the ancient Gael. This maybe why I chose to look into dryads.
Dryads as you mentioned are forest nymphs. Alseids, however, inhabit sacred groves. Hamadryas was mother to a further dyadic subgroup and these, her ‘children,’ were associated with specific tree types: Aegeirus of the black poplar tree; Ampelus, nymph of the vine; Balanus, the oak; Caryatids, the nut-bearing or walnut tree; Craneus, the cornel-tree; Morea, the mulberry; Epimeliad, the apple tree; Kraneia, the dogwood; Orea, the ash; Ptelea, the elm and Suke/Syke, the fig-tree.
The Meliai are also identified as inhabiting ash trees. As these tended infant Zeus, they were given a special place in Greek mythology, but I wonder if they weren’t just a family of Orea unto themselves.
The Hamadryads were tied to specific trees and could not move too far beyond them without risking death. If their tree died so too did the hamadryad. The gods and nymphs were therefore rather touchy about the treatment of trees. If a tree or a portion thereof was desired for crafting or building purposes, the inhabiting hamadryad had to be placated with offerings. If they were not, the gods and dryads could extract a dreadful toll.
In the ranks of famous dryads stands Chrysopeleia, a hamadryad of the balanus variety, whose tree was saved from a flood by a minor Greek hero, Arkas—himself the son of the nereid-nymph Calypso. Arkas built a dam to divert the water. Grateful the two struck up a relationship and she later married the bloke.
Dyrope was a mortal who would later become an aegeirus-dryad. In brief she was unfortunate enough to attract the attention of Apollo. The sun god turned himself into a tortoise who Dyrope and her nymph companions kept as a pet. Later, however, when Dyrope was holding the tortoise, Apollo turned into a ‘snake’ –yeah, sure—and when she tried to run for it, tangled her legs, held her down and raped her. Why these myth tellers call her “…lover of Apollo…” is beyond me, more like “…victim of Apollo…” With the loss of her virginity, the nymphs sorta gave her up as a friend…hooches! Her son by Apollo, Amphissus built a temple to his father, and I guess feeling she was back in the good graces of the gods, the nymphs once again started to hang out with her. She became priestess of the temple—why she would want to, I have no clue!—and everything was going well until Apollo got the itch once more to put on his snake-skin suit and went for Dyrope again while she was bathing in a spring. Having just about enough of the sun god’s silliness, Dyrope was turned into a black poplar tree and became, technically, a hamadryad.
Resources:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/godsandgoddesses/a/Nymphs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopeleia_(mythology)
http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheKhrysopeleia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryope