Naiads – Mythopedia The Naiads were water nymphs, generally associated with bodies of fresh water such as springs, rivers, and lakes Many of them were the daughters, lovers, or mothers of famous heroes and gods
Nymphs – Mythopedia The nymphs were minor divinities who took the form of beautiful young women They represented diverse aspects of nature, including water, mountains, trees, and even specific locales They were also frequently divided into subgroups (such as Dryads, Naiads, and Nereids) according to the type of environment they inhabited
Scylla – Mythopedia Scylla was a multi-headed, hybrid monster who haunted a narrow strait opposite the whirlpool Charybdis With her darting heads and sharp teeth, Scylla would pick off unwary sea creatures or sailors who passed too close
Oreads – Mythopedia Naiad by Antonio Canova (1815 1817–1820 1823) National Gallery of Art (US) Public Domain The Oreads represented one of the main categories of nymphs, alongside the Naiads (water nymphs associated with springs) [9] However, “Oread” was a very loose classification within the Greek taxonomy of nymphs
Daphne – Mythopedia Daphne was a virginal nymph, the daughter of a Greek river god In her most famous myth, she was desired by the Olympian god Apollo and was only able to escape his advances by transforming into a laurel tree
Centaurs – Mythopedia Centaurs were hybrid creatures, human from the waist up but with the body and legs of a horse They lived an untamed and brutal existence in the forests and mountains of Greece, where they battled many famous Greek heroes
Penelope – Mythopedia Penelope was the wife of the hero Odysseus, ruler of the small island of Ithaca She remained faithful to her husband for twenty years while awaiting his return from the Trojan War, holding off many suitors with her cunning
Callisto – Mythopedia Callisto was a princess or nymph from Arcadia and a companion of the goddess Artemis After being seduced by Zeus, she bore him a son named Arcas; but she was soon transformed into a bear by either Artemis, Hera, or Zeus In her new form, Callisto was either shot down by Artemis or made into a constellation
Iliad: Book 6 (Full Text) - Mythopedia Two twins were near, bold, beautiful, and young, From a fair naiad and Bucolion sprung: (Laomedon’s white flocks Bucolion fed, That monarch’s first-born by a foreign bed; In secret woods he won the naiad’s grace, And two fair infants crown’d his strong embrace:) Here dead they lay in all their youthful charms; The ruthless victor stripp
Sirens – Mythopedia The Sirens were sea monsters whose beautiful singing caused sailors to forget their home and throw themselves into the sea Some heroes, including the cunning Odysseus, managed to outsmart them and escape their seductive song intact