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
Dryads and Hamadryads – Mythopedia Orpheus Charming the Nymphs, Dryads, and Animals by Charles Joseph Natoire (1757) The Metropolitan Museum of Art Public Domain At first, Dryads and Hamadryads were distinguished not only from other tree nymphs (such as Meliae, the nymphs of ash trees) but also from one another While Dryads, like most other tree nymphs, simply lived in forests
Oreads - Mythopedia References to these nymphs can also be found in several of the Homeric Hymns (mostly sixth fifth century BCE), including the fourth Hymn—the Hymn to Hermes—where Hermes’ mother Maia is described as a mountain nymph Mountain nymphs continued to show up in the literature of the Classical period (ca 479–323 BCE) and beyond
Nereids - Mythopedia Certain mythological figures usually described simply as “nymphs” were occasionally listed as Nereids by less traditional sources For example, Arethusa—catalogued as a Nereid by Hyginus—is the name of several water nymphs, the most famous of whom was transformed into a subterranean stream to escape being raped by the river god Alpheus
Naiads - Mythopedia Minoides (nymphs of the Minoan Fountain on Delos) The Romans also knew of several nymphs connected with Italian springs, such as the Aqua Ogulnia and the Aqua Alexandriana In addition, a handful of nymphs from Latin literature, including Carmentis, Egeria, and Juturna, were clearly connected with springs
Oceanids – Mythopedia The Oceanids were born to the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, two early sea gods Though these nymphs did not play a significant role in Greek mythology, their impressive pedigree still gave them a place among the gods Sometimes the Oceanids were portrayed as companions or attendants of more important gods
Amalthea – Mythopedia The nymphs in this tradition were named Adrastea and Ida ↩; Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 5 70 3ff; Hyginus, Astronomica 2 13 (citing Parmeniscus); Lactantius Placidus on Statius’ Thebaid 4 105; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 27 290ff, 28 312ff, 46 14ff Amalthea is probably also envisioned as a goat in Callimachus, Hymn 1 48
Satyrs and Silens - Mythopedia They were usually regarded as woodland creatures (similar to Maenads, nymphs, and Centaurs) Nymphs and Satyr by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1873) Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Public Domain Satyrs and silens were typically imagined with the ears, tail, and occasionally legs and coat of a horse (or goat)
Hesperides – Mythopedia The Hesperides—daughters of Nyx and Erebus or, in later traditions, of Atlas and Hesperis—were Greek sky goddesses who were represented as beautiful young nymphs They were associated with the evening and the West and served as the guardians of the golden apples that Hera had received from Gaia as a wedding gift
Pan – Mythopedia Pan was the infamous god of shepherds and goatherds who hailed from Arcadia He was part-human and part-goat, and his days in the woods and countryside were spent singing, dancing, hunting, chasing nymphs, and playing his reed pipes