Greek nymph of a tree or stream. Nymphs - the embodiment of the forces of nature from Greek legends

In Greek mythology, we meet creatures similar to fairies - nymphs. These are lower deities, personifying the forces of nature, its life-giving and fruitful forces. The ancients sacrificed honey, olive oil and milk to them. Nymphs were minor deities, but temples were not erected in their honor.

Forest nymphs

Beliefs about nymphs

Paracelsus limited their possession to the element of water; the ancients, however, believed that the whole world was inhabited by nymphs. They gave the nymphs various names according to their habitats. Dryads, or hamadryads, lived in trees, were invisible and died along with the trees. It was believed that those who planted trees and cared for them enjoyed the special protection of dryads. Other nymphs were considered immortal or, as Plutarch briefly mentions, lived nine thousand seven hundred and twenty years. Among them were the Nereids and Oceanids - they owned the seas. Nymphs of lakes and springs were called naiads, nymphs of caves - oreads. There were also nymphs of the hollows, called napeys, and nymphs of groves - alseids. The exact number of nymphs is unknown; Hesiod gives the number three thousand. These were strict, beautiful young women; their name perhaps simply means “maid of marriageable age.” Anyone who saw them could go blind, and if he saw them naked, he would die. So says one verse of Propertius.

Forest nymphs

“The second dryad silently appeared from behind a spruce trunk covered in juniper bushes, no more than ten steps from him. Although she was small and very thin, the trunk seemed even thinner. It is completely incomprehensible how he could not have noticed when she approached. Perhaps she was disguised by clothing - a not disfiguring combination of strangely sewn scraps of fabric in many shades of green and brown, strewn with leaves and pieces of bark. The hair, tied on the forehead with a black scarf, was olive in color, and stripes of walnut peel crossed the face. The one who shot first jumped out of the thorn bush, ran along the fallen trunk, deftly jumping over the fallen roots. Although there were a bunch of dry branches lying there, he didn’t hear even one crunch under her feet.”

(Andrzej Sapkowski
"Sword of Destiny".)

Nymphs in the mythology of the peoples of the world

The main nymphs were considered to be water nymphs.

The most ancient - meliads

Born from drops of the blood of Uranus. Names of water nymphs for the most part indicate one or another property or quality of the water element. Heroes are born from the marriages of Nymphs with gods. The nymphs live far from Olympus, but by order of Zeus they are summoned to the palace of the father of gods and people. They are the owners ancient wisdom, the mysteries of life and death. They heal and heal, predict the future. They were depicted as beautiful naked or half-naked girls.

Naiads

In Greek mythology, nymphs of sources, streams and springs, guardians of water. Swimming in their waters heals diseases. They belong to the descendants of Oceanus and Tethys; there are up to three thousand of them. Naiads are very ancient creatures. One of the naiads, Menta, bore the name Kokehida, was associated with the water of the kingdom of the dead and is the beloved of Hades. Naiads have the ability to prophesy. The waters of the springs where the Naiads live have cleansing properties and even have the ability to bestow immortality.

Flora

IN Ancient Rome- the goddess-protector of blossoms and flowers, was depicted with a cornucopia, from which she scatters flowers all over the earth. According to the poem of Ovid (43 BC - 17 BC), Flora during the Golden Age was a nymph named Chloris (Chloris - ringing), but the western wind Zephyr kidnapped her and made her his wife. His wedding gift was eternal spring, as a result of which she became the goddess of nature's youth (youth), beginning the year.

Scylla

Before she became a monster and turned into rock, Scylla was a nymph whom Glaucus, one of the sea gods, fell in love with. In order to conquer her, Glaucus asked for help from Kirk, who was famous for her knowledge of herbs and magic. However, Kirka herself fell in love with Glaucus, but she just couldn’t make him forget Scylla. And, to punish her rival, she poured the juice of a poisonous herb into the spring in which the nymph was bathing. Further, according to Ovid (“Metamorphoses”, XIV, 59 - 67):

Scylla came and plunged into the depths of the backwater up to her waist,
But suddenly he sees that some disgusting monsters
They bark around her bosom. Not believing at first that they became
Part of her, runs, drives away, fears
The dog's insolent faces, but he takes them to flight with him,
He feels his body, his thighs, his calves, and his feet.
- Instead of familiar parts, it acquires only the mouths of a dog.
Everything is just the fury of dogs; no crotches, but monsters
Backs in her place fly out of the full womb.

She feels that she stands on twelve legs, that she has six heads and in each head there are three rows of teeth. This metamorphosis frightened her so much that Scylla threw herself into the strait separating Italy and Sicily, where the gods turned her into a rock. When, during a storm, the wind drives ships into rocky rock crevices, sailors, according to them, hear a terrible roar coming from there.

This legend can also be found in Homer and Pausanias.

Nymphs(Greek “virgins”) - deities of nature, its life-giving and fruitful forces, personifying everything that moves and grows in nature, everything that gives life to plants.

Several types of nymphs were distinguished: nymphs of the seas, springs (oceanids, nereids, naiads), lakes and swamps (limnads), mountains (restiads), groves (alseids), trees (dryads, hamadryads) and their individual species (meliads - ash nymphs) . Valleys and islands also had their nymphs.

The main nymphs were considered to be aquatic; according to ancient lexicographs, the word “nymph” means “source”.

Nymphs, with rare exceptions, are very strong physically, difficult to vulnerable, have excellent hearing and vision, extraordinary speed and excellent memory, surpassing in this regard not only people, but also many Guardians and Carriers.

The Hellenes believed that some nymphs were immortal, like the gods, while others died, just like people. For example, it was believed that a dryad lives as long as the tree itself, which it protects.

Residents Ancient Greece, or Hellas, imagined these mythical creatures in the form of beautiful gentle girls. They believed that there were tree nymphs - dryads; nymphs of the valleys - napei; nymphs of meadows - limnades; nymphs of mountains and grottoes - oreads; nymphs of springs, rivers and lakes - naiads (they are also called mermaids); and even oceanids - as you might guess, nymphs of the oceans.

They also believed that nymphs knew the future and could predict it. There was such a common method of fortune telling: tablets with various texts were thrown into a stormy stream (where, of course, nymphs live!); that sign that will not sink or be washed ashore says the truth.

The ancient Greeks had a unique, as we would now say, investigative experiment. If a person was suspected of having committed a crime, but it was not possible to prove it, he was thrown into the river. If the suspect surfaced, no one had any doubt about his innocence - of course, it was the naiads, knowing that he was innocent, who helped him!

Sacrifices were even made to the nymphs - wine and milk, goats and calves.

It was believed that the springs near which the nymphs live have healing properties. Therefore, the ancient Greek god of healing Asclepius appeared surrounded by these beautiful creatures.

Along with them appeared the god Bacchus, who was responsible for feasts, wine and other carnal pleasures; these nymphs were called bacchantes.

Although the nymphs lived lower than Olympus, inhabited by the gods, by order of the most important god Zeus, they appeared in his divine palace.

This image and concept - the nymph - have firmly entered European and Russian culture. A charming girl can be called a nymph; a portrait of a beautiful woman can be painted in the form of a nymph...

Peter Paul Rubens - Diana and the Nymphs Caught by the Fauns

Since ancient times, the nymphs of Ancient Greece were considered 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. Nymph - a magical mythical creature in ancient Greek stories and descriptions, which personifies a certain a natural phenomenon or living objects - the riches of the Earth. You can find out what a beautiful female specimen, on whom Olympus pinned many hopes, looks like on the pages of reconstructed books. The types of nymphs are different. They embodied all the best that can be on earth, in air and water, so ancient Greek writers divided them according to the elements.

Water element

This area includes wonderful representatives of the water elements: nymphs of lakes, seas, oceans, rivers. They manage all the bodies of water on the planet and protect all aquatic creatures. Their main goal was considered to be leadership over all water flows on and under the earth.

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

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

1. An oceanid who gave birth to 50 daughters to her elderly husband.
2. Amphitrite was the wife of the main ruler of the oceans and seas - the God Poseidon.
3. Metis is the wisest of all goddesses, who became the first wife of the conqueror of all living things, Zeus.

The river nymph is the mistress of all water land sources: streams, lakes and rivers. Representatives of this class were called “naiads”. The non-venomous nymph is considered the successor of the line of 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 duration of the living state of their controlled object. Artists imagined them as half-naked, luxurious girls with curvaceous figures and loose curls that 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 may not find the goddess. Tree nymphs guarded their possessions. There were legends that people who planted trees and cared for them were protected ancient greek nymphs. This area includes wood nymphs and tree nymphs. Often names were given to them according to the tree on which they were located: ash trees, meliads and hamadryads, which had top part the torso is in the form of a girl, and the lower one is from a tree. However, their life expectancy was short.

A 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 light as snow;
• in the fall - a bunch of multi-colored curls appeared on the head;
• V summer time- the braids fluttered with green foliage.

The most famous nymphs

What types of nymphs are there? 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, and was the successor of the mountain rocks. There were several legends according to which the nymph Oread was in love with the forest prince Pan, who resembled a Faun - the national deity of Italy. The fruit of their love was the daughter Yamba, who may have given the name to the poetic meter. According to another version, the nymph Echo was cursed by the first wife of the thunderer Zeus due to the fact that Echo distracted Hera during her husband’s infidelity with pretty nymphs.

The punishment was to deprive the nymph of the mountains of her voice; she could only repeat words after someone. Her second love was Narcissus, with whom she was unable to speak and died of unrequited love. In these moments, she strongly resembled Shakespeare's character - Ophelia, who died from unhappy love. From her remains rocky mountains were formed, which to this day signify that the beautiful nymph suffers for love.

Calypso

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

The warrior longed to quickly return to his homeland to his family. Hermes turned out to be his salvation, helping Odysseus build a raft and get home. Chinese people also believe in this creature.

Aganippa

She was the wife of the Argive ruler Acrisius and belonged to the species of water goddesses. She was also considered a river nymph, because she was the mistress of the Aganippus spring, which, according to stories, arose as a result of the blow of 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 an honorable place 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 sneaked into Zeus’s bed. For this offense, Artemis killed her with a shot from a gun.

According to another story, the nymph Callisto visited the temple of Zeus while an Arcadian army was chasing her. God turned her into the star bear, which can be seen in the sky today. At the head of the army was her son Arkada, whom Zeus decided to place in heavenly space 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 2 sanctuaries for her, where he came to pray in difficult times.

She had prophetic abilities that helped her husband develop strategy. After Numa's death, Egeria moved to Diana's forest grove, where the goddess turned her into a life-giving spring.

Syringa

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

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

Dionira

Daughter of the god Dionysus and Althea, wife of Hercules. She was agile with weapons and knew how to drive a chariot. The strongman's main enemy was Aheloy, the river god. He was passionately infatuated with Dioniira, who constantly rejected him because of her ugly appearance. This 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 herd 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 Pleiades constellation. She is called the Russian nymph.

Sylph or Sylph

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

Many researchers wrote what the spirit of the air looked 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 locks of blue or greenish shades flowed smoothly in the wind.

Often she would suddenly appear and disappear just as quickly. Her life expectancy is long. This may be due to the fact that she never descended to earth and lived without men, and took care of procreation herself, laying eggs in her nests for 6 months.

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

It is impossible to count all the creatures. They have unique powers and live in all corners of the earth. Each of them is responsible for a specific element. Their mission is to protect and preserve all living things. Because of their magical abilities, they often became wives and helpers of the gods.

The nymphs of the ocean were called oceanids, there were three thousand of them, all of them were daughters of the ocean. Oceanids were associated not only with the ocean, but also with seas and rivers. Nereids - nymphs of the seas. They were born by the god of the sea, Nereus, and one of the oceanids, Doris. The ancient Greeks called the nymphs of springs and streams Naiads. Limnades are nymphs of small bodies of water located in meadows. Among the water nymphs, the most famous are the Nereids Galatea and Amphitrite, the oceanids Clymene, Styx and Lethe, and the naiads Pirene, Cocytis and Alope. Leta – nymph famous river oblivion. According to one version, the nymph Clymene is the mother of Prometaeus and Atlas.

Plant nymphs

Dryads and hamadryads are the patroness of trees and forests. Tree nymphs are one with their tree. The Greeks believed that if you hit a tree, the nymph living in it would also be injured. The most ancient of the forest spirits were the Meliads, who lived in the ash tree. Alseids are nymphs that live in groves. In ancient Greek myths the names of tree nymphs Eurydice, Syringa and Melia are mentioned. The sad story of Eurydice and her husband Orpheus is known.

The nymphs, the guardians of the mountains, were called orestiades. In the mountains, when shouting words, an echo is heard; perhaps the name of one mountain nymph came precisely from this phenomenon. Echo died from unrequited love for Narcissus, leaving behind only her voice. The names of other orestiads are known - Daphne, Maya, Ido. Daphne was considered the first lover of the god Apollo. But she did not reciprocate his feelings, and in order to escape from his love she fell into a laurel tree. Nymphs became mothers of gods and soothsayers. Thus, the Mayan Orestiad gave birth to the god Hermes, the patron of messengers and traders, from Zeus.

Other nymphs

Hesperides are the most famous nymphs. Their habitat was the garden of the gods, in which they guarded golden apples. The number of Hesperides varied from myth to myth. It is known that no more than seven of them existed.

Pleiades or Atlantis - nymphs, daughters of Atlas. A group of stars in the constellation Taurus is named after them. There are several myths associated with the Pleiades about how they got to the sky. Merope's husband was a man of whom the nymph was ashamed. It is for this reason that the ancient Greeks explained that the star Merope is the dimmest because of its confusion. Other names of the Pleiades are Electra, Sterope, Taygeta, Alcyone, Keleno, Maya. The nymph Adarsteya took care of Zeus when he was a baby.

As personifications of nature, nymphs had a dual essence. They brought benefits to people, healed, gave advice, and predicted the future. At the same time, the nymph could send madness to a person, thereby killing him.

The ancient Greeks believed that natural forces manifested themselves in spirits. These spirits are beautiful, young maidens who prefer to hide from people in mountains, valleys, grottoes, sea ​​depths, where there are no people. You won't meet a nymph in the middle of a noisy square.

What do nymphs look like?

People depicted nymphs as beautiful maidens with long hair. They did not wear clothes, their young bodies were entwined with seaweed and herbs, and they wove flowers and shells into their hair.

What do nymphs do

Beautiful maidens sing and dance, they dance in circles, love the noisy orgies of Dionysus, help Artemis on the hunt and fight annoying satyrs. From time to time they help people.

Calypso, Amarillo, Odysseus, and Daphnis are familiar with nymphs. In addition, they are endowed with magic. Nymphs can inspire achievements or help reveal the gift of foresight, but they can also drive a person to madness.

Types of nymphs

1. Dryads and hamadryads are spirits of trees and forests, born from drops of the blood of Uranus.
2. Nereids are spirits of the sea, the embodiment of all the beauty of the seas and oceans.
3. Naiads are the spirits of springs, daughters of Zeus, who give people health and protect the family.
4. The Oreads, the spirits of the mountains, raised Dionysus.

Nymphs are fragile, like nature, and need to be treated with care. They are not gods and therefore mortal, although they live long. People built sanctuaries and sacrificed wine, milk, goats and calves to the nymphs.