Sea nymph from ancient Greek myths. Nymph - who is this? What does a nymph look like

Since ancient times, the nymphs of ancient Greece were considered the goddesses of fertility and love. The great ancient writers imprinted their names and images on parchments. The creatures were presented as beautiful young girls with long luxurious hair. A nymph is a magical mythical creature in ancient Greek stories and descriptions, which personifies a certain natural phenomenon or living objects - the wealth of the Earth. You can find out what a beautiful female looks like, on which Olympus had many hopes, on the pages of reconstructed books. Types of nymphs are different. They embodied all the best that can be on earth, in air and water, so the ancient Greek writers divided them according to the elements.

Water element

This area includes wonderful representatives of the water elements: the nymph of lakes, seas, oceans, rivers. They control all the waters of the planet and protect all water creatures. Their main goal was considered to be the leadership of all water flows on the ground and under it.

The sea nymph is the mistress of water and everything connected with it. These include more than 3 thousand daughters of Oceanus and Tethys.

The most famous sea goddesses were 3 beautiful maidens. They were beautiful and strong.

Oceanida, who gave birth to her elderly husband 50 daughters.
Amphitrite was the wife of the main lord of the oceans and seas - God Poseidon.
Metis is the wisest of all goddesses, who became the first wife of the conqueror of all living Zeus.

The river nymph is the mistress of all water terrestrial sources: streams, lakes and rivers. Representatives of this class were called "naiads". The non-poison nymph is considered the successor of the genus Zeus. In her environment one could meet the previously mentioned oceanids and nereids.

The ancient Greek water queen had power over all living things living in the water. The duration of the existence of river nymphs in the world was determined by the period of the living state of their controlled object. The artists imagined them as semi-naked, luxurious girls with magnificent forms and loose curls, which were intertwined with water elements in waves.

The water nymph, like all other sea naiads, extends its possessions and powers to streams and similar water elements.

earth element

Their habitat is trees. They are able to skillfully hide in them. Even if you stand close to the tree, you can not find the goddess. Tree nymphs guarded their possessions. There were legends that people who planted trees and cared for them were protected by ancient Greek nymphs. This area includes wood nymphs and tree nymphs. Often the names were given to them according to the tree on which they were located: ash, meliads and hamadryads, which had the upper part of the body in the form of a girl, and the lower part - from a tree. However, their life expectancy was short.

Dryad is a forest nymph in Greek mythology. The literal meaning of the word "dryad" is translated as oak.

The appearance of nymphs in ancient Greek mythology changed depending on the seasons:

in winter their skin became dark and their hair blond as snow;
in autumn - a bunch of multi-colored curls appeared on the head;
in the summer, the braids fluttered with green foliage.

The most famous nymphs

What are the nymphs in ancient mythology: you can name a whole list of types of nymphs and satyrs that could be found in the ancient world.

Echo

It was also called Oreada, it was the successor of mountain rocks. There were several legends according to which the nymph Oread was in love with the forest prince Pan, reminiscent of Faun, the national deity of Italy. The fruit of their love was the daughter of Yamba, who, perhaps, gave the name to the poetic size. According to another version, the nymph Echo was cursed by the first wife of the Thunderer Zeus because Echo distracted Hera during her husband's betrayal with pretty nymphs.

The punishment was to deprive the nymph of mountains of voice, she could only repeat the words after someone. Her second love was Narcissus, with whom she could not speak, and died of unrequited love. In these moments, she strongly resembled Shakespeare's character - Ophelia, who died from unhappy love. Rocky mountains formed from her remains, which to this day mean that the beautiful nymph suffers for love.

Calypso

Nymph weaver. This is the goddess of the island of Ogygia, where Odysseus was at one time, fleeing the battle with the Greeks. On the surface in the middle of the ocean, she always appeared in new silver dresses that she wove herself. Calypso kept Odysseus in her imprisonment for 7 long years, during which she tried to get his reciprocity in exchange for immortality and a long carefree life.

The warrior, on the other hand, longed to return to his homeland to his family as soon as possible. His salvation was Hermes, who helped Odysseus build a raft and get home. The Chinese people also believe in this creature.

Aganippa

She was the wife of the Argos lord Acrisius and belonged to the types of water goddesses. She was also considered a nymph of the rivers, because she was the mistress of the Aganippa spring, which, according to stories, arose as a result of a blow from the hoof of Pegasus, a flying snow-white horse.

The nymph of rivers and streams served as a muse for all poets who drank water from this tributary. The image of Aganippa was immortalized in a stone statue - this is a girl who holds a jug of water on her shoulder, pouring out to the foot of the sculpture.

Callisto

She occupied a place of honor in the army of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. According to the first story, she made a promise to her leader that she would remain innocent until the end of her days, and she herself took on her appearance and crept into the bed of Zeus. For this transgression, Artemis killed her with a shot from a gun.

According to another story, the nymph Callisto visited the temple of Zeus when the Arcadian army was chasing her. God turned her into a star bear, which can be seen in the sky today. At the head of the army was her son Arcada, whom Zeus decided to place in the sky next to his mother in the constellation Ursa Minor.

Egeria

A divinatory goddess who was of great importance to the ancient Greeks and Romans. She was the faithful wife of the Roman king Numa Pompilius and helped him in resolving issues related to religion and laws. Vladyka built two sanctuaries for her, where he would come to pray in difficult times.

She possessed prophetic abilities that helped her husband in developing a strategy. After the death of Numa, Egeria moved to the forest grove of Diana, where the goddess turned her into a life-giving spring.

Syringa

She belonged to the ancient Hamadryads and was distinguished by her chastity. When trying to hide from the aforementioned Pan, she turned into a swamp reed, which Pan later used to make such a musical instrument as a flute.

Subsequently, the names of the nymph were given in honor of the muse - syringa, siren, etc.

Dionyra

Daughter of the god Dionysus and Alfea, wife of Hercules. She was nimble with weapons tackle and knew how to drive a chariot. The main enemy of the strongman was Aheloy - the river god. He was passionately infatuated with Dionira, who constantly refused him because of her ugly appearance. That is the only reason why the goddess of the ancient Greeks agreed to be the companion of Hercules.

Mayan

The famous nymph is the beloved of Zeus, who gave birth to his successor Hermes, famous for his beauty and strength. In the first days of his birth, the boy stole the flock from Apollo.

By nature, she was a teacher who taught the son of Zeus and Callisto.

As a result, Maya took pride of place in the sky in the constellation Pleiades. She is called a Russian nymph.

Sylph, or Sylph

Nymph of the air, living in spiritual balance with the air space. There are many stories about what a nymph looks like: it was believed that she lived in mountain peaks, where rocks smoothly sink into light cirrus clouds.

Many researchers wrote what the spirit of air looks like: she was depicted as a beautiful girl with wings shimmering in the sun. To many, she resembled fairy fairies, but her purpose was completely different. She did not need wings, because Sylph did not fly. Luxurious long curls of blue or greenish shades fluttered smoothly in the wind.

Often she suddenly appeared and just disappeared. Its life expectancy is great. Maybe this is due to the fact that she never descended to the ground and lived without men, and she was engaged in procreation herself, laying eggs for 6 months in her nests.

In ancient Greek mythology, there are the goddesses of fire, the Salamander, like a fire-breathing dragon, the nymph of the sea Amphitrite, the river goddess Io, and Greek satyrs, presented in the form of lazy and dissolute forest deities who followed the beautiful nymphs. They appeared at night, so as not to frighten away the goddesses.

All creatures cannot be counted. They have unique powers and live in all corners of the earth. Each of them is responsible for a certain element. Their mission is to protect and protect all living things. Because of their magical abilities, they often became the wives and helpers of the gods.

- (Nimphae, Νύμφαι). The lower female deities, who, according to the Greeks, lived in the seas, rivers, springs, grottoes, mountains, groves and meadows. They were divided into several classes according to the places they inhabited. 1) Sea nymphs, to ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the deities of nature, its life-giving and fruitful forces. There are nymphs of rivers, seas, springs (these are water nymphs oceanids, nereids, naiads), lakes and swamps (limnad nymphs), mountains (agrostina nymphs, orestiads), groves (alseid nymphs), ... ... Historical dictionary

- (Greek nymphe). Greek young demigods who personified natural objects, from which they received names, for example, Nymphs of forests, mountains, rivers, etc. 2) one of the outer parts of the female genital organs. Dictionary of foreign words included in ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (inosk.) women of easy virtue (a hint at the nymphs of mythological cheerful beauties, demigods, long-lived, but not immortal). Wed Sitting with her... one of the youngest... glib-tongued nymphs of the half world. Markevich. Out… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

Nymphs, in Greek mythology, female deities of nature living in the mountains, forests, seas, springs (nereids, naiads, dryads). They were considered the daughters of Zeus, companions of Artemis or Dionysus ... Modern Encyclopedia

In Greek mythology, female deities of nature, living in the mountains, forests, seas, springs. They were considered the daughters of Zeus, companions of Artemis or Dionysus ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

In Greek mythology, female deities of nature, living in mountains, forests, seas, springs. They were considered the daughters of Zeus, companions of Artemis and Dionysus. Big explanatory dictionary of cultural studies .. Kononenko B.I .. 2003 ... Encyclopedia of cultural studies

nymphs- Nymphs, in Greek mythology, female deities of nature living in mountains, forests, seas, springs (Nereids, naiads, dryads). They were considered the daughters of Zeus, companions of Artemis or Dionysus. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

nymphs- (from the Greek nymphe maiden, bride) in Greek mythology, numerous deities in the form of young maidens, personifying the forces and phenomena of nature; considered the patroness of marriage. Distinguished N. sources, n. river, sea, mountain, forest, etc. ... ... Antique world. Dictionary reference.

Nymphs- in Greek mythology, young and beautiful female spirits that were believed to inhabit certain places. If Paracelsus limited their possessions to the elements of water, then the ancients believed that the whole world was inhabited by nymphs. They gave the nymphs different names... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia

Books

Nymphs, Oikkonen Mikko, Luhtanen Sari. Responding to the kisses of her lover, Didi did not know that by doing so she dooms him to death ... After all, she is a nymph! Nymphs are immortal, but they need energy to stay young and beautiful...
Nymphs (2014 ed.), Mikko Oikkonen, Sari Luhtanen. Responding to the kisses of her lover, Didi did not know that by doing so she dooms him to death ... After all, she is a nymph! Nymphs are immortal, but they need energy to stay young and beautiful...

Nymphs in Latin - "bride". These are small natural deities from ancient Greek myths, appearing as beautiful girls, each of which was the personification of various life-giving and fruitful earthly forces, natural objects and phenomena. All of them are the patrons of specific objects or natural phenomena that embody their soul.

In the article:

Nymphs - general information

Nymphs are the most extensive mythological group, because only the oceanids, nymphs of salt water, number at least three thousand virgins. The ancient Greeks believed in their existence, attributing natural guardians to the seas, rivers, springs, grottoes, mountains, groves and meadows. They were divided into different subspecies according to their habitats. Often they had their own names.

Oreads and Agrostines- mountain dwellers; forest and tree - Dryads and Hamariads; naiads- keepers of freshwater sources; Nereids, Oceanids, Dayads- sea spirits that live in salt waters. Napei- keepers of the valleys, limeades- inhabitants and defenders of swamps and lakes, alseides- spirits of the groves. Pleiades- heavenly. Distinguished separately meliad- ash nymphs. The main among the divine natural creatures were considered the inhabitants of the waters, fresh and salty. Ancient lexicographers indicate that "nymph" is translated as "source".

Perhaps the most famous representative is an oread named Echo, who did not have her own speech, but could repeat someone else's. When an echo is heard in the mountains after a loud sound, it is the voice of a nymph. According to the legends, all the islands and valleys were once inhabited by nymphs.

The ancient Greeks combined their vision of the mystical world with real-life natural objects. Ancient Greek poets did not describe nature with delight and aspiration, like modern writers, because in those days nature did not have an abstract appearance - nymphs of all guises personified it, spoke with the voice of nature.

Nymphs and gods

The gods lived on Mount Olympus, and the nymphs preferred to live in forests, groves, and fields. But they could leave their dwellings when they were called by the Olympians to feasts, hunting, or other business. Nymphs could live both the simple life of the spirits of nature, and have fun among the high society of the immortals.

The fate of small goddesses was determined by their appearance. Someone lived in meadows, forests and swamps, keeping them from invasions, and someone was part of the retinue of the Olympic gods. Nymphs often had romantic relationships with gods and minor deities, heroes, and sometimes people they especially liked. Many heroes of ancient Greek myths were born from nymphs, such as the famous Achilles, son Thetis. Most often, the unions of gods and nymphs turned out to be short-term, but there were also long-term relationships. For example, Nereid Amphitrite She became the wife of the god of the seas, Poseidon. Through marriage, she became revered as a sea goddess. Pallas Athena's mother was an Oceanid Metis, the former wife of Zeus before his marriage to Hera.

Most of the legendary creatures are immortal, but for those living in trees, the life span is the same as that of their habitat - a tree. Naiads living in rivers, streams and lakes also came to death if their dwelling dried up or overgrown with mud. The Oreads lived the longest, because the destruction of mountains is an extremely slow process.

Sanctuaries dedicated to minor goddesses were called nymphaeums. They were in deep grottoes and caves, where darkness reigned. The victims were lambs and goats, calves and cows, milk, honey, wine and oil. Depending on the type of nymphs, the type of victims changed. Places such as the beginnings of streams, mountains and rivers, sources, were considered sacred by the Greeks. Homer described the nymphaeum at Ithaca, home of Odysseus. The philosopher Porfiry in his work "On the Cave of the Nymphs" interpreted it as the center of cosmic forces.

On frescoes, paintings, mosaics, in sculpture, nymphs were depicted as beautiful naked or semi-naked virgins. They always had their hair loose - an element of natural, erotic beauty. Mortal girls were forbidden to let their hair down, unlike the spirits of nature. Nymphs decorated themselves with wreaths of flowers, often danced. The Oread were often shown as pensive maidens, spending their days on the rocks.

Nymphs as embodiments of nature

Nature spirits are very ancient creatures that appeared at the dawn of mankind. The most ancient of them are Meliades, or Melian nymphs. When Chronos castrated his father Uranus, the god's blood fell to the ground, and the first ash maidens were born from it. The Oceanids are the descendants of the god of the seas Ocean and Tethys, the Nereids are the daughters of Dorida and Nereus. All oceanides embody this or that quality of the seas, their strength, self-will, unpredictability. Hesiod listed them in his Theogony.

Some springs fed by underground waters have healing properties. Therefore, the nymphs began to enter the retinue of the healer god Asclepius, received the gift of healing and healing. Despite their frivolous appearance and easy disposition, they kept ancient wisdom, knew the secrets of life and death. The Delphic oracle was replaced by the oracle of Gaia, and after - Daphne, a mountain nymph.

Since ancient times, people have been at springs, rivers, streams. In case of violation of the laws, there was a punishment with water - a person was thrown into the river so that the nymphs, incorruptible and fair, would decide his fate. Sometimes they guessed by the water - they threw a tablet covered with letters into the whirlpool. Depending on whether the tablet sank, floated, or was thrown out of the whirlpool, they predicted the fate of a person. Often, Apollo taught the nymphs the ability to guess. Often soothsayers and oracles called the spirits of nature their mothers - the same Tiresias believed that the nymph Chariklo gave birth to him.

Rudeness and disrespect the earthly goddesses punished, like the Olympic celestials, with madness. But madmen could be revered as soothsayers, respected and revered. The Pythians breathed hallucinogenic vapors emanating from the earth's clefts, falling into temporary madness and predicting the future. Possession was considered the highest state, helping the madman to acquire supernatural hearing, vision, parse the language of animals and listen to bird speech.

Legends about nymphs

There is a well-known story according to which in the Poebiya family a man committed a great sin - he cut down an oak tree where the Hamariad lived. The maiden begged him in vain to stop and not to destroy her abode. For this crime, a curse was imposed on the whole family. To atone for guilt, an altar was erected on the site of the felled oak and sacrifices were made to soften the wrath of the nymph.

Hamadryad

When an oak tree was cut in the sacred grove of Demeter, the goddess of all living things, human blood flowed through the bark, and the branches turned pale, like the skin of a dying man. The blood belonged to a nymph who lived in an oak trunk. Before her death, she cursed the killer - he began to feel hunger, which he could not satisfy with anything.

shy hamariad Syringa turned into a reed, running away from Pan. Equally sad is the fate of the nymph Cops, the beloved concubine of Hades, whom Persephone was jealous of, turned into mint and trampled. Many celestials and heroes played a sad role in the fate of beautiful nymphs. According to legend, the famous Hercules, in order to get apples from the garden of the Hesperides, seduced one of the sisters and stole the treasured fruits with her help. And he left the nymph - he no longer needed her.

Nymphs

- female deities of nature, living in the mountains, forests, seas, springs. They were considered the daughters of Zeus, companions of Artemis or Dionysus. These include: Agannipa, Adrastea, Arethusa, Britomartida, Daphne, Caissa, Calypso (she is the daughter of Atlanta), Callirea, Callisto, Castalia, Cyrene, Lotida (according to Ovid), Maya Pleiades, Marika ?, Melissa, Melia, Muta (Lara ), Orseida, Periboea, Salmakida, Filira, Foos, Chariklo, Egeria, Aegina, Echo, Yuturna, etc.

In general, there are several types of nymphs:

hyades (Nisean nymphs) - daughters of Atlanta and Pleione

dryads - tree nymphs

lemoniades - goddesses of the meadows

Meliades (Melian nymphs) - generated by Gaia from drops of blood of castrated Uranus

naiads - river nymphs

Nereids - sea nymphs, daughters of the sea elder Nereus

oceanides - sea nymphs, daughters of the titan Ocean

oreads - nymphs of the mountains (they had the right to be called by the name of the mountain: Kiferonides, Peliades, etc.)

At a later time, a new kind of nymphs arose: the Pleiades, the daughters of the titan Atlanta and the oceanides Pleione, began to be considered among the celestial nymphs.

// Edward Burne-Jones: Perseus and the Sea Nymphs // Adolphe-William BUGREAU: Nymphs and Satyr // Arnold Böcklin: Nymph on Pan's Shoulders // Arnold Böcklin: Bathing Nymphs // TITIAN: Shepherd and Nymph // José Maria de HEREDIA: Bathing of the Nymphs

Myths of Ancient Greece, dictionary-reference book. 2012

Who are the nymphs?

Nymph is a Greek maiden, bride. The god of thunder Zeus and Gaia (Earth) are considered the parents of the nymphs. In ancient times, people treated nature very carefully, considering it to be alive in all manifestations and forms. Nymphs are ancient Greek lower deities who patronize the source of nature in which they settled. At the initial stage, the spirits did not have names, but some of them had a strong influence on the life of the gods and people that became famous. Basically, the nymphs were named after the halo of their habitat.

What does a nymph look like?

The nymph is a child of nature, not tolerating fuss and crowded places. People knew where the nymphs lived, but few mortals saw with their own eyes what the virgins of nature look like, and there was a belief: to see a frolicking nymph, you can go blind to a simple person, and if she is naked at the same time, then imminent death awaited. Fairy nymphs are very delicate and fragile creatures. The sources of ancient Greek mythology describe the appearance of nymphs:

young half-naked or naked beauties;
long hair flowing in a stream of different shades, in which flowers, shells or tree branches are woven;
skin is white, pink or greenish;
enchantresses, with their eyes and gentle iridescent laughter enchanting a person.

What are nymphs?

The ancient Greeks associated the beautiful maidens of nature with their habitat and activities. What are the nymphs:

Nereids are sea maidens.
Oceanids are ocean spirits.
Limnades are nymphs of swamps and lakes.
Naiads are divas of rivers and springs.
Oreads, Orestiades and Agrostinas are nymphs of mountains and gorges.
Nanen, Napei - virgins of the valleys.
Alseids - nymphs of groves.
Dryads, Hamadryads - tree girls.
Hyades - rain spirits

forest nymphs

The forest lives its own secret life, and in the minds of ancient people, strong and mighty centuries-old trees, especially oaks and ash trees, which stood out against the background of all the others, were the receptacle for the beautiful soul of the dryad. The forest nymph is closely connected with the life of her tree, and if the dryad can choose another tree after its death, then the hamadryads (lower nymphs) died along with the destroyed tree. In ancient Greece, cutting down a century-old tree was considered blasphemy and was punishable by death. According to legend, the forest nymph Orsinoe gave birth to the goat-legged Pan from Hermes, who became the god of wildlife and shepherds for the Greeks.

Nymph of rivers and lakes

The river nymph is a capricious and tender creature. Naiads settle in streams, small rivers and springs, do not live in stagnant water. Fragile creatures that can die if a spring dries up or is impounded. People who revered the water element tried in every possible way to propitiate the maidens of the water, for this they built sanctuaries and nymphaeums (complexes with fountains). Bread, vessels with milk, cheeses were left along the banks of rivers and lakes, and animals were sacrificed. Naiad Syringa, fleeing from the harassment of the pan, turned into a reed, but the god cut it off and made a beautiful flute that delighted the ear.

sea nymph

The nymph of the sea on the canvases of ancient artists is depicted with a sea shell at the bosom. Nereids are the daughters of the god Nereus, revered by the Greeks, who patronizes sea travelers and the nymph Dorida. According to various sources, there were from 50 to 100 of them. The personification of the calm sea element - the Nereids lead a measured life, lead round dances at the bottom of the sea, at night they can go to the surface of the earth and sing, dance with the land nymphs. Notable sea nymphs:

Galatea - her story of unhappy love is sung by the poet Philoxenus in the work "Cyclops". Nereid fell in love with Akida, the son of the nymph Semitida, but the Cyclops Polyphemus, also deeply in love with Galatea, in anger tore off a rock from the volcano Etna and crushed the unfortunate one. The saddened nymph turned the blood of her lover into the Akid River.
Amphitrite is the wife of the lord of the seas Poseidon. She was revered by the Greeks along with her husband and was depicted with him in a chariot drawn by tritons.
Panopia is a sea diva that sailors turned to during severe storms to gain patronage and protection.

Heavenly nymphs

Nymphs are all the beauty of nature, inspired by people. The celestial maidens of the Pleiades are the daughters of the Titan Atlanta and the oceanic nymph Pleione. Initially, they served the goddess of hunting Artemis, accompanied her on trips. In a later period, the ancient Greeks transformed them into celestial nymphs. Their names, forever imprinted in the Pleiades constellation of the same name:

Mayan;
Steropa;
Elektra;
Taygeta;
Alcyone;
Keleno;
Merope.

There are various myths about the transformation of sisters:

The Pleiades, saddened by the fate of Atlanta to hold the entire sky, decided to commit suicide in order to be close to their beloved father.
Atlas, who participated in the battle against the gods, was defeated and, as a punishment, was forever condemned to support the whole weight of the firmament with himself. In the absence of the titan, the hunter Orion began to harass and harass his daughters. The Pleiades turned to the gods for help, and Zeus took pity on them, turning them into seven doves on the condition that they would bring him a heavenly drink - ambrosia.
Another myth tells that from the persecution of Orion, Zeus helped the Pleiades - he turned them into a constellation, and Orion was punished by turning into the constellation of Orion, in the guise of which he pursues the Pleiades, but will never overtake them.

Nymphs of the mountains

Mountains, grottoes, gorges and caves are home to another kind of nymphs - Orestiad or Oread. Mountain divas are depicted sitting in thought on the rocks, they patronize miners and shepherds. A well-known representative of the Oreads is the beautiful nymph Echo, according to legend, cursed by the mistress of Olympus -. Zeus's wife convicted Echo of distracting Hera while her husband had fun and cheated on her with the nymphs. Hera deprived the Oread of her voice, and she could not speak first, but only echo the last sounds of the words of those who spoke.

Nymphs - mythology

The lower deities of the nymph are not immortal, unlike the gods, but their life expectancy can reach up to 7000 years, which in the human mind looks like immortality. In mythology, the beautiful maidens of nature, being lower in the rank of the gods, nevertheless cooperate with them, exert their influence on them and participate in divine feasts and councils. In unions between nymphs and gods, heroes, new gods and mythological entities are born. The Greeks endowed the nymphs with various:

fair (not always) arbiters of destinies;
patroness of shepherds and cattle;
those who have the power to endow people with the gift of foresight and poetry;
predicted the future;
healed wounds;
sent madness, blindness or rabies on those who are cruel to nature.

Nymphs in Slavic mythology

The Slavic nymph in Russian folklore is a mermaid, a vodnik or a vilia. These ancient spirits of nature, unlike the ancient Greek nymphs, are not entirely friendly and are often openly hostile to people. During life, the virgins knew a bitter fate: they were ruined by men, died prematurely, before they lived to the wedding. were associated with the Slavs with the cult of fertility, and there was a holiday of Rusalia, it was believed these days mermaids and waterwomen lead round dances - you can’t work in the field, because in anger they could trample all the crops.

Nymph in Greek mythology

The nymphs of Ancient Greece had a huge influence on the gods, sometimes they replaced their mothers, others became wives and the gods listened to their opinion - you can’t argue with nature. The nymphs of water sources were considered the most important, and this is understandable - water is the source of life. Nymphs, famous and captured in Greek mythology:

Kinosura - became the nurse of Zeus, who hid from her on Mount Crete during the persecution of Kronos' father. Zeus, feeling a sense of gratitude, placed her in the sky in the form of the constellation Ursa Minor.
Daphne - the myth of Apollo and the nymph Daphne is one of the most popular and beloved by the Greeks. The light-bearing god Apollo mocked Eros with his bow and arrows, for which he decided to teach him a lesson and struck an arrow of love for the mountain maiden Daphne, and struck her heart with an arrow of rejection. Apollo, burning with feelings, began to pursue the nymph and Daphne prayed to her mother Gaia to change her appearance - this is how the laurel tree appeared. The god of light, in memory of his beloved, proclaimed the laurel his sacred tree. On the statues of ancient sculptors - a laurel wreath is one of the attributes of Apollo.
Dodona nymphs (hyades) - raised and nurtured the god of winemaking and all vegetation Dionysus. In gratitude, Dionysus asked the sorceress Medea to make them forever young. In another version, Zeus placed them in the sky in the form of an open star cluster of Hyades. In modern Greece, it is still generally accepted that as soon as the Hyades cluster becomes visible, this is the beginning of the rainy season.

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