Nymphs In Greek Literature

The presence of Nymphs in Greek literature and religion is everywhere; from whom people pray to, to the way they impact the stories of authors, and all the way to impacting how people speak like Socrates and Homer. Describing what a nymph is however, is a very difficult process. In Greek literature and religion, the main way of identifying a nymph is the formula “Daughter of Asopos” (Larson 4). Other common ways of identifying these divine beings are if they are the daughter of Zeus or other river gods/nymphs. Nymphs usually had a “superhuman lifespan” and were basically immortal to a certain degree, but have been transformed by the gods if they acted in a way that they disapproved of, such as Diana and Calisto in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Another …show more content…
In classical Athens, Nymphs are more companions to the gods in the Greek pantheon, however, the worship of Nymphs aligned mostly with rural and non-elite populations (Larson Preface). In Athens, Nymph’s relationships with male gods were more on the basis of sexual contact or were bounded by a familial sense such as a lover or daughter. Nymphs who were in close proximity to female goddesses acted more as a supportive being and helped the goddess in a functional sense, like the nymphs that surround Diana (Larson Preface). The purpose of nymphs around Artemis are mostly tasks that do not take much thought, like cleaning her boots or watching her dogs (Larson 108). In Ovid’s version of the Aktaion myth, the Nymphs take care of Diana’s armor; they dress her, do her hair, and get water for her bath. Nymphs however are not involved in the cults that worship Diana. There are sources that mention cults sacrifices to Artemis, and the Nymphs are never mentioned in these stories. On the other end of the scale, cults that worship Nymphs do not usually honor Diana. Greek inscriptions to Artemis and the Nymphs together are extremely rare (Larson 108). The actual worship of nymphs were more seen outside the city-states, more in rural areas and non-elite populations. Cults thrived off the worship of Nymphs, and a lot of that was because of how tied nymphs are to nature. They are inseparable and known to be closely related to water, streams, and lakes. The cults of Nymphs actually have no necessary association with the cities, and they do not usually need that many resources, but are tied close to natural features such as caves which is why they flourished in rural areas (Larson 110). Caves were the main place of worship for cults who idolized Nymphs. Caves that hosted cults of Nymphs have been found all over the main land of Greece, such as the Polis cave in Ithake and at the summit of Mount Pentelikon,