Nereid

For other uses, see Nereid (disambiguation).

The Nereid Monument. From Xanthos (Lycia), modern-day Antalya Province, Turkey. 390–380 BCE. Room 17, the British Museum, London

In Greek mythology, the Nereids (/ˈnɪəriɪdz/ NEER-ee-idz; Greek: Νηρηΐδες Nereides, sg. Νηρηΐς Nereis) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of Nereus and Doris, sisters to their brother Nerites. 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).

Mythology

Nereid riding a sea-bull (latter 2nd century BC)

Nereids 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; and Galatea, the vain love interest of the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Greek deities series
Primordial deities Titans and Olympians Chthonic deities Mycenaean deities Personified concepts Other deities
Aquatic deities
Amphitrite Ceto Glaucus Nereus Oceanus Phorcys Pontus Poseidon Proteus Tethys Thetis Triton Nereids Naiads Oceanids Potamoi
Nymphs
Alseid Auloniad Aurae Crinaeae Dryads Eleionomae Hamadryads Hesperides Limnades Lampads Meliae Melinoë Naiads Napaeae Nereids Oceanids Oreads Pegaeae Pegasides Pleiades Potamides

They symbolized everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. Their melodious voices sang as they danced around their father. They are represented as very beautiful girls, crowned with branches of red coral and dressed in white silk robes trimmed with gold, but who went barefoot. They were part of Poseidon's entourage and carried his trident.

In Homer's Iliad XVIII, when Thetis cries out in sympathy for the grief of Achilles for the slain Patroclus, her sisters appear. The Nereid Opis is mentioned in Virgil's Aeneid. She is called by the goddess Diana to avenge the death of the Amazon-like female warrior Camilla. Diana gives Opis magical weapons for revenge on Camilla's killer, the Etruscan Arruns. Opis sees and laments Camilla's death, and kills Arruns with an arrow in revenge as directed by Diana.

Modern use

In modern Greek folklore, the term "nereid" (νεράιδα, neráida) has come to be used for all nymphs, fairies, or mermaids, not merely nymphs of the sea.

Nereid, a moon of the planet Neptune, is named after the Nereids. Nereid Lake in Antarctica is named after the nymphs.

Names

French Empire mantel clock (1822) depicting the nereid Galatea velificans

This list is correlated from four sources: Homer's Iliad, Hesiod's Theogony, the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus and the Fabulae of Hyginus. Because of this, the total number of names goes beyond fifty.

List of nereids

No.	Name	Sources
		Hom.	Hes.	Ps-Apol.	Hyg.	Others
1	Actaea	✓	✓	✓	✓
2	Agaue	✓	✓	✓	✓
3	Amatheia	✓			✓
4	Amphinome	✓			✓
5	Amphithoe	✓			✓
6	Amphitrite		✓	✓
7	Apseudes	✓			✓
8	Arethusa				✓
9	Asia				✓
10	Autonoe		✓	✓
11	Beroe				✓
12	Callianassa	✓			✓
13	Callianeira	✓
14	Calypso			✓
15	Ceto			✓
16	Clio				✓
17	Clymene	✓			✓
18	Cranto			✓
19	Creneis				✓
20	Cydippe				✓
21	Cymo		✓	✓
22	Cymatolege		✓
23	Cymodoce	✓	✓		✓
24	Cymothoe	✓	✓	✓	✓
25	Deiopea				✓
26	Dero			✓
27	Dexamene	✓			✓
28	Dione			✓
29	Doris	✓	✓		✓
30	Doto	✓		✓	✓
31	Drymo				✓
32	Dynamene	✓	✓	✓	✓
33	Eione		✓	✓
34	Ephyra				✓
35	Erato		✓	✓
36	Euagore or Evagore		✓	✓
37	Euarne		✓
38	Eucrante		✓	✓
39	Eudore		✓	✓
40	Eulimene		✓	✓
41	Eumolpe			✓
42	Eunice		✓	✓
43	Eupompe		✓
44	Eurydice				✓
45	Galene		✓
46	Galatea	✓	✓	✓	✓
47	Glauce	✓	✓		✓
48	Glauconome		✓	✓
49	Halie	✓	✓	✓
50	Halimede		✓	✓
51	Hipponoe		✓	✓
52	Hippothoe		✓	✓
53	Iaera	✓			✓
54	Ianassa	✓			✓
55	Ianeira	✓		✓
56	Ione			✓
57	Iphianassa					✓
58	Laomedeia		✓
59	Leiagore		✓
60	Leucothoe				✓
61	Ligea				✓
62	Limnoreia	✓		✓	✓
63	Lycorias				✓
64	Lysianassa		✓	✓
65	Maera	✓			✓
66	Melite	✓	✓	✓	✓
67	Menippe		✓
68	Nausithoe			✓
69	Nemertes	✓	✓		✓
70	Neomeris			✓
71	Nerea					✓
72	Nesaea	✓	✓	✓	✓
73	Niso		✓
74	Opis				✓
75	Oreithyia	✓			✓
76	Panopea		✓
77	Panope	✓		✓	✓
78	Pasithea		✓
79	Pherusa	✓	✓	✓	✓
80	Phyllodoce				✓
81	Plexaure			✓
82	Ploto		✓
83	Polynome			✓
84	Pontomedusa			✓
85	Pontoporeia		✓
86	Poulynoe		✓
87	Pronoe		✓
88	Proto	✓	✓	✓	✓
89	Protomedeia		✓
90	Psamathe		✓	✓
91	Sao		✓	✓
92	Speio	✓	✓	✓	✓
93	Thaleia	✓			✓
94	Themisto		✓
95	Thetis	✓	✓	✓
96	Thoe	✓	✓		✓
97	Xantho				✓
Number of Nereids		34	50	45	47	2

External links

• Nereids in classical literature and art
• Nereid and Triton Mosaic from Ephesus Terrace Home -2
• 3D stereoview of Nereid and Triton relief from Temple of Apollo in Didim
• Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (ca 600 images of Nereids and other sea deities)