Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The curiosity of the Naiads proved deadly, for example, for one of the Argonauts that took part in Jason’s famous quest for the golden fleece. The nymph Salmacis raped Hermaphroditus and fused with him when he tried to escape. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) As goddesses, most nymphs had some supernatural abilities. If any knife has robbed a grove of a shady bough to give ailing sheep a basket of leaves: forgive my offence. They were quick to anger but also cared for humans and gods alike. The story of Salamancis and Hermaphroditus presents a notable reversal of the usual dynamics between nymphs and men in Greek mythology. Myths are…, Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. Swamps and lakes were the places where one could find much older, often malevolent, powers. While the nymphs were generally depicted as gentle maidens, they could have a dangerous side. They were typically shy, however, so they were rarely seen by mortal humans. Salamancis attempted to force herself on the handsome young man, but he refused her advances. Nymphs were also associated with their male counterparts, the rustic satyrs and panes. Acheloides Arethusa – A sea nymph who fled a pursuing river god. Although they were far removed from their homeland, colonists believed that the water they drank had a link to the familiar rivers and streams they had left behind. When the goddess accidentally killed her, she took her name as an epithet in remembrance. The Naiads were one of several classes of nymphs in the Greek world. They were often depicted as uncouth, uninhibited, and menacing. The Naiads were one class of nymphs who were associated with freshwater springs, streams, and wells. Like the waters they protected, the Naiads could be unpredictable. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Naiad-Greek-mythology. Almost any body of water could be their home. The Naiads and Dryads often enjoyed the free-spirited company of the satyrs and happily took them as lovers, but just as often the maidens fled from their male companions’ lustful advances and expressed true fear of them. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th–4th century bce. The nymphs were often attendants to the gods. Thebe – She gave her name to the great city-state of Thebes. The female spirits of nature, the Naiads were particularly the goddesses of fresh water. Because they controlled drinking water, Naiads were more closely associated with human culture than their more wild cousins. Unlike most other nymphs, the Naiads were not found exclusively in isolated places. Any tree, stream, or cave could be the home of a nymph. Almost everything in the landscape could have a living goddess attached to it. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Bragi – God of Poetry or Man Immortalized? Poseidon was one of the most venerated gods in all of the Greek world, but who... Like many Greek gods, Poseidon was worshiped under many names that give insight into his importance... What Was the Effect of Prometheus’s Gift to Humans? In general, however, in the popular piety…. By and large, however, the naiads remained in their own home waters. Sometimes, however, the Naiads were immigrants. The Oceanids lived in the salty water of the seas and the Nereids specifically made the Mediterranean their home. As companions of Artemis, the nymphs were particularly concerned with the protection of the young. The Greek word is Ναϊάς (Nāïás, pronounced [naːiás]), plural Ναϊάδες (Nāïádes, [naːiádes]). The Naiads were depicted as beautiful young women, usually seated, standing or reclining beside a spring, and holding a water-jug or frond of lush foliage. It is distinguished from symbolic behaviour (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons). So, in the back-story of the myth of Aristaeus, Hypseus, a king of the Lapiths, married Chlidanope, a naiad, who bore him Cyrene. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She came up instead as a freshwater spring near Syracuse. The Naiads and their wild male counterparts existed in a balance in which they both delighted and disgusted one another, often fueled by the free-flowing alcohol of Dionysus and his retinue. Being water spirits (Hydriads) of individual streams, they tend to be loyal to their locality, and often seem to end up marrying or otherwise dallying with the local king or hero. As such they, and the other nymphs, were often seen in the company of the rustic gods. The naiads were water nymphs, known not only for their service to men, but also their roles as wives and mothers of notable heroes and villains. While not always immortal, they generally lived far longer than humans. Pallas – The naiad of Lake Tritonis in Libya was a playmate of Athena when they were young. The nymphs were minor goddesses who were almost always tied to a specific place or feature of the landscape. Like the other classes of nymphs, they were Animals were ritually drowned there. The naiads were also known to exhibit jealous tendencies. The nymphs of Pegae, a spring int he land of Mysia, fell in love with Hylas and wanted a closer look at the human man’s beautiful features. Euboea – The goddess of the island that bore her name, she was originally the naiad of another place before being. They resided in streams, pools, fountains, and natural wells. Although the nymphs were more gentle and calm than the rustic gods, they still enjoyed the revelries of Dionysus and the freedom of life outside of civilization. Many towns and cities had a Naiad that was associated with the community. Nymphs existed everywhere in the Greek countryside. In Greek mythology the Naiads were the nymphs of rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, fountains and springs. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Some were the ancestors of great kingdoms or famous heroes. Oracles might be situated by ancient springs. Inhabiting lakes, rivers and pools, they are also seen ministering to Olympians like Artemis, Hera, Dionysus and Apollo. This was especially true for the classes of nymphs that lived in water. In this way, the far-flung colonies retained a connection to the Greek peninsula. At others, the Naiad invited herself and gave fresh water as a gift to the people. These lovely ladies are the sparkly Nymphs of running waters, babbling brooks, silvery streams and rippling rivers. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. In the Greek view of the world nymphs could be found almost everywhere. The Greeks believed that all the waters of the world were connected, so Naiads had the ability to travel anywhere water was found. The water nymph associated with particular springs was known all through Europe in places with no direct connection with Greece, surviving in the Celtic wells of northwest Europe that have been rededicated to Saints, and in the medieval Melusine. Animals were ritually drowned there. They enjoyed the wild, avoided humans and civilization, and took delight in games and dancing. 5. Keep from our sight the Dryades and Diana’s [Artemis’] bath and Faunus [Pan] lying in the fields at noon. Aegle – By the sun god Helios she became the mother of the Charites, or Graces. 1, Pausanias, Guide to Greece 10.8.9; 10.24.7, "Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, v. 3, page 238", Treatises on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naiad&oldid=985579075, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, lived in the Appian Well outside the temple to, others called her the daughter of Zeus and, daughters of the river god Lamos; nurses of the god Dionysus, others called her the daughter of Zeus; loved by Poseidon, also called the daughter of Peneus' son Hypseus and mother of Aristaeus and, daughter of the river-god Simoïs and the wife of, loved by the god Poseidon by whom she became the mother of, presumably one of the daughters of the river-god, one of the daughters of the river-god Nilus; wife of, one of the daughters of the river-god Nilus; wife of Aegyptus who bore him fifty sons, a childhood companion of the goddess Persephone, daughter of the river-god Sangarius; she was impregnated by an almond from the tree sprung from the severed genitals of, daughter of Oceanus; one of the nurses of infant, daughter of the river god Imbrasus and Chesias; she was pursued by the god Apollo, daughters of the river god Anigros, were believed to cure skin diseases, dwelled in the spring of Pegae near the lake Askanios and were responsible for the kidnapping of, others called her the daughter of the river god, transformed into a spring (presumably into a nymph personifying it) after her death, may have been the wife of the river god Ladon, possibly the daughter of the river-god Cephissus, mother of, daughter of the river-god Cephisus; the wife of the Athenian lord, daughter of the river god Eurotas; mother of Amyclas and Eurydice by, This page was last edited on 26 October 2020, at 19:00.
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