In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; ; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters to their brother Nerites.Aelian, De Natura Animalium 14.28 They often accompany Poseidon, the god of the sea, and can be friendly and helpful to sailors (such as the Argonauts in their search for the Golden Fleece).
Name
It is not known whether the name Nereus was known to Homer or not, but the name of the Nereids is attested before it, and can be found in the Iliad.; ; ; Since Nereus only has relevance as the father of the Nereids, it has been suggested that his name could actually be derived from that of his daughters;; while the derivation of the Nereids from Nereus, as a patronymic, has also been suggested. According to Martin Litchfield West (1966), Nereus is much less important than his daughters, mentioning that Herodotus offered "the Nereids, not Nereus, as an example of a divine name not derived from Egypt".
The name of the Nereids has survived in modern Greek folklore as νεράιδες, .; ;
Mythology
The Nereids symbolized everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. Their melodious voices sang as they danced around their father. They are represented as beautiful women, crowned with branches of red coral and dressed in white silk robes trimmed with gold.
These nymphs are particularly associated with the Aegean Sea, where they dwelt with their father Nereus in the depths within a golden palace. The most notable of them are Thetis, wife of Peleus and mother of Achilles; Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon and mother of Triton; Galatea, the vain love interest of the Cyclops Polyphemus, and lastly, Psamathe who became the mother of Phocus by King Aeacus of Aegina, and Theoclymenus and Theonoe by Proteus, a sea-god or king of Egypt.
In Homer's Iliad XVIII, when Thetis cries out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for the slain Patroclus, her sisters appear.Homer, Iliad 18.39–18.51 Four of her siblings, Cymodoce, Thalia, Nesaea and Spio were also among the nymphs in the train of Cyrene.Virgil, Georgics 4.338 Later on, these four together with their other sisters Thetis, Melite and Panopea, were able to help the hero Aeneas and his crew during a storm.Virgil, Aeneid 5.825–5.826
In one account, Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereides, who were enraged by the claim. Poseidon, in sympathy for them, sent a flood and a sea monster to the land of the Aethiopians, demanding as well the sacrifice of the princess.Apollodorus, 2.4.3; Hyginus, Fabulae 64, De Astronomica 2.10 with Euripides and Sophocles as the authority; Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.16 ff. These sea goddesses also were said to reveal to men the mysteries of Dionysus and Persephone.Orphic Hymns 24.10
List of Nereids This list is correlated from four sources: Homer's Iliad,Homer, Iliad 18.39–18.51 Hesiod's Theogony,Hesiod, Theogony 240–262 the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-ApollodorusApollodorus, 1.2.7 and the Fabulae of Hyginus.Hyginus, Fabulae Preface Because of this, the total number of names goes beyond fifty. No.NameSourcesNotes Others1Actaea✓✓✓✓2Agaue✓✓✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.3Amatheia✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.4Amphinome✓✓Feeds Poseidon's flock5Amphithoe✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.6Amphitrite✓✓Consort of PoseidonThe name of an OceanidApollodorus, 1.2.2 & 1.4.5 7Apseudes✓✓8Arethusa✓Virgil, Georgics 4.3469Asia✓Virgil, Georgics 4.343The name of an OceanidHesiod, Theogony 349–361; Apollodorus, 1.2.210Autonoe✓✓Only mentioned by name11Beroe✓The name of an OceanidVirgil, Georgics 4.341; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 41.15312Callianassa✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.13Callianeira✓Only mentioned by name on the Iliad.14Calypso✓The name of an OceanidHesiod, Theogony 349–361; Homeric Hymn to Demeter, 418–42315Ceto✓The name of an OceanidNonnus, Dionysiaca 26.355 Only mentioned by name16Clio✓The name of an OceanidVirgil, Georgics 4.34117Clymene✓✓Virgil, Georgics 4.345The name of an Oceanid;Hesiod, Theogony 349–361; Hyginus, Fabulae 156; Tzetzes, Chiliades 4.19.359 appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.18Cranto✓19Creneis✓20Cydippe✓Virgil, Georgics 4.339In the train of Cyrene along with her other sisters21Cymatolege✓Only mentioned by name22Cymo✓✓Only mentioned by name23Cymodoce✓✓✓Virgil, Georgics 4.338; Aeneid 5.826; Statius, Silvae 2.2.2024Cymothoe✓✓✓✓Valerius Flaccus, 2.605; Quintus Smyrnaeus, 5.394 ff.Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.25Deiopea✓26Dero✓Only mentioned by name27Dexamene✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.28Dione✓The name of an OceanidHesiod, Theogony 349–36129Doris✓✓✓The name of an Oceanid30Doto✓✓✓✓Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 1.130 ff.31Drymo✓Virgil, Georgics 4.336One of the nymphs in the train of Cyrene32Dynamene✓✓✓✓33Eione✓✓Only mentioned by name34Ephyra✓The name of an OceanidHyginus, Fabulae 275.6; Eumelus, fr. 1 Fowler (apud Pausanias, 2.1.1)35Erato✓✓36Euagore✓✓37Euarne✓38Eucrante✓✓39Eudore✓✓The name of an Oceanid40Eulimene✓✓41Eumolpe✓Only mentioned by name42Eunice✓✓43Eupompe✓Only mentioned by name44Eurydice✓45Galene✓46Galatea✓✓✓✓47Glauce✓✓✓48Glauconome✓✓Only mentioned by name49Halie✓✓✓50Halimede✓✓51Hipponoe✓✓52Hippothoe✓✓Only mentioned by name53Iaera✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.54Ianassa✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.55Ianeira✓✓The name of an Oceanid; appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.56Ione✓57IphianassaLucian, Dialogi Marini 14Only mentioned by name58Laomedeia✓Only mentioned by name59Leiagore✓Only mentioned by name60Leucothoe✓61Ligea✓62Limnoreia✓✓✓63Lycorias✓64Lysianassa✓✓65Maera✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.66Melite✓✓✓✓Virgil, Aeneid 5.825The name of an OceanidHomeric Hymn to Demeter, 418–423; Hyginus, Fabulae Th. 867Menippe✓The name of an OceanidHyginus, Fabulae Th. 6 (Smith and Trzaskoma, p. 95), except where otherwise indicated.68Nausithoe✓69NeaeraThe name of an Oceanid70Nemertes✓✓✓71Neomeris✓72Nesaea✓✓✓✓Virgil, Georgics 4.338; Aeneid 5.82673Neso✓Only mentioned by name. Gives her name to Neso, one of Neptune's moons.74Opis✓75Oreithyia✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.76Panope✓✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.77Panopea✓✓78Pasithea✓Only mentioned by name79Pherusa✓✓✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.80Phyllodoce✓81Plexaure✓The name of an OceanidHesiod, Theogony 35382Ploto✓Only mentioned by name83Polynoe✓84Polynome✓Only mentioned by name85Pontomedusa✓Only mentioned by name86Pontoporeia✓Only mentioned by name87Pronoe✓Only mentioned by name88Proto✓✓✓✓89Protomedeia✓Only mentioned by name90Psamathe✓✓91Sao✓✓Means 'the rescuer'; only mentioned by name92Speio✓✓✓✓Appeared to Thetis when she cried out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for Patroclus.93Thaleia✓✓94Themisto✓Only mentioned by name95Thetis✓✓✓Mother of Achilles96Thoe✓✓✓The name of an OceanidHomeric Hymn to Demeter, 418–42397Xantho✓The name of an OceanidTotal34504547
Iconography
In ancient art the Nereides appear in the retinue of Poseidon, Amphitrite, Thetis and other sea-divinities. On black-figure Greek vases they appear fully clothed, such as on a Corinthian hydra (sixth century BCE; Paris) where they stand near the bier of Achilles. Later vase-paintings depict them nude or partially nude, mounted on dolphins, sea-horses or other marine creatures, and often grouped together with Tritons. They appear as such on Roman frescoes and sarcophagi. An Etruscan bronze cista from Palestrina depicts winged Nereides.
Famous is the Nereid Monument, a marble tomb from Xanthos (Lycia, Asia Minor), partially in the collection of the British Museum. At the top is a small temple surrounded by pillars between which Nereides stood. They were depicted in motion and with billowing, transparent clothes. The style is Attic-Ionian and dates to .
In the Renaissance and baroque periods the Nereid was frequently used to decorate fountains and garden monuments.
Worship
Nereides were worshiped in several parts of Greece, but more especially in seaport towns, such as Cardamyle,Pausanias, 3.2.5 and on the Isthmus of Corinth.Pausanias, 2.1.7 The epithets given them by the poets refer partly to their beauty and partly to their place of abode.
Modern use In modern Greek folklore, the term "nereid" () has come to be used for all nymphs, fairies, or mermaids, not merely nymphs of the sea.
In modern folklore The appears in modern Greek folktales as a kind of supernatural wife, akin to the swan maiden, and gives its name to the homonymous type in the Catalogue of Greek Folktales: tale type ATU 400, "The Neraïda". She has been compared to the nymph, the female character of ancient Greek mythology.Mitakidou, Soula; Manna, Anthony L.; Kanatsouli, Melpomeni. Folktales of Greece: A Treasury of Delights. Greenwood Press/Libraries Unlimited, 2002. p. 15. .Blagojevic, Gordana. "Женидба вилом и нерајдом: јужнословенско-грчке фолклорне паралеле" [Marrying a Fairy and a Nereid: South Slavic-Greek Folk Parallels]. In: Заједничко у словенском фолклору: зборник радова [Common Elements in Slavic Folklore: Collected Papers, 2012]. Београд: Балканолошки институт САНУ, 2012. p. 178. . She is said to inhabit water sources (rivers and wells), similar to their ancient mythical counterpart, the Nereids (water nymphs). However, in modern speech, the term also encompasses fairy maidens from mountains and woodlands.
Greek folklorist Nicolaos Politis amassed a great amount of modern folkloric material regarding the . In modern tales from Greek tellers, the are said to dance at noon or at midnight; to have beautiful golden hair; to dress in white or rose garments and to appear wearing a veil on the head, or holding a handkerchief. Due to their beauty, young men are drawn to the and steal their veils or kerchiefs to force their stay in the mortal realm. The women marry these men, but later regain their piece of clothing back and disappear forever.Lawson, John Cuthbert (1910). Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 132–133, 135–136, 138–139. Greek scholar Anna Angeloupoulos terms this storyline The Stolen Scarf, one of four narratives involving the . Also, this sequence is "the most frequent and stable introductory episode" in Greek variants of tale type 400.
In a tale from Greece, a human goatherd named Demetros, dances with ten fairies three nights, and in the third night, on a full moon, he dances with them and accidentally touches the handkerchief of Katena. Her companions abandon her to the mortal world and she becomes Demetros's wife, bearing him a daughter. For seven years, Demetros has hidden the handkerchief, until his wife Katena asks him for it. She takes the handkerchief and dances with it in a festival, taking the opportunity to return home and leave her mortal husband. Years later, their daughter follows her mother when she turns fifteen years old."III. The Fairy Wife". In: Gianakoulis, Theodore P. and MacPherson, Georgia H. Fairy Tales of Modern Greece. New York City: E. P. Dutton & Co. . pp. 34–47.