The Glossary

a river god; eldest son of Okeanos; in some stories, he is father of the nymphs; often depicted as a bull with a horned man's head, bulls being a symbol of fertility and power, a great river rushing forth and nourishing the land; a river located in western Greece

the River of Misery or Woe, one of the 5 rivers of the Underworld; the entrance to the Underworld, where Charon would ferry souls to Hades; site of the ancient Oracle of Necromanteion; both the Kokytos (River of Lamentation) and the Phlegethon (Flaming River) flowed into the Acheron; a river located in Epirus, western Greece

(1) Hamadryad nymph of the wild Grapevine

(2) young, beautiful Satyr whom Dionysos loved; in one story, he died while harvesting Grapes and Dionysos immortalized him among the stars as the Grape-Gatherer constellation; in another story, he was thrown from a bull and gored to death, and Dionysos poured ambrosia on his wounds so that when Ampelos transformed into a Grapevine, he would pass the ambrosia on through his fruit — and thus produced the first wine (see the Grapevine for more)

a rustic god credited with gifting humans with the crafts of Olive cultivation, beekeeping, herbcrafting, cheesemaking, and other “pastoral” or rural arts, such as herding, hunting, and foraging

an Underworld daemon and orchardist who told Hades that Persephone had eaten a Pomegranate, thus binding her to return to the Underworld each Winter. Demeter, enraged by his tattling on her daughter, buried him under a rock in the Underworld. Herakles later released him, but Demeter then transformed him into a screech owl, a bird sacred to Hades and a messenger of ill omen

a breeze or wind nymph (plural: aurae, αυραι); dwells in the air and is responsible for cooling breezes and swift winds

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a nymph of the Oak tree. See also: hamadryad.

a region in central Greece (learn more)

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a nymph of the Bay Laurel tree who, while running from Apollo’s advances, was transformed into a sacred tree of prophecy and ritual cleansing. In one story, she is the beautiful daughter of the River Peneos in Thessaly, and in another version she belongs to the River Ladon in the Peloponnese. But it is her connection to Mount Parnassos and the oracular Bee nymphs which links her quite intimately with the Pythia — that ancient Oracle of Delphi. (learn more)

a tree nymph (plural: dryads, δρυάδες); protects and dwells in trees, woodlands, and groves; although the term dryad has come to mean any tree nymph, it is also specifically used for nymphs of the Oak tree, while other names are associated with other types of trees. For example, oreiad (coniferous trees), daphnis (Bay Laurel), morea (Mulberry), aigeiros (Black Poplar), ptelea (Elm), syke (Fig), balanos (Oak), and many more. See also: hamadryad

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an oreiad of a conifer grove on Mount Kithairon in Boeotia of central Greece (learn more)

daughter of Ikarios; hung herself from a tree after her father’s dog, Maira, led her to her father’s body (see the Grapevine for more)

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a tree nymph (plural: hamadryades, άμαδρυάδες), specifically one of the eight (or more) children of Oxylos (whose name is connected to the Greek word for Beech tree) and Hamadryas (whose name means “one with tree”). According to Atheneaus, the hamadryades were Karya (the nut-tree, presumably Walnut), Balanos (the acorn-bearing Oak), Kraneus (the Cornelian Cherry tree), Orea (the Ash), Aigeiros (the Black Poplar), Ptelea (the Elm), Ampelos (the Grapevine), and Syke (the Fig)

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Attican man who was shown the art of viticulture by Dionysos and wrongly murdered; father of Erigone (see the Grapevine for more)

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god of the river Kifisos; the river, called Boeotian Kifisos, runs through central Greece starting on Mount Parnassos and flowing east through the region of Boeotia; father of Narcissus by the naiad Liriope

a mountain in central Greece, in the region of Boeotia; the alleged location of Echo’s grove and the place of Narcissus’s demise

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an underworld nymph (plural: lampads or lampades, λαμπάδες); they carry torches and accompany Hekate on her night wanderings

a naiad of Phokis, a region of central Greece; mother of Narcissus by the river god Kifisos

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a nymph of Dionysos (plural: maenads, μαϊνάδες); known for their frenzied devotion, their name literally means “raving ones;” they reach an ecstatic state through intoxication and dance in honor of their god; most often seen bearing a thyrsus (a Giant Fennel stalk wrapped in Ivy), wearing deer or wildcat skins, crowned with Ivy or Pine wreaths or bull helms, and handling or donning serpents; usually dancing or depicted with heads thrown back and their bodies in ecstatic states, sometimes holding krotala (a type of castanet or rattle that produces a trance-inducing sound; unlike other nymphs, they’re said to be humans who are wholly transformed by their frenzied devotion, leaving behind social norms to become primal and free; an important aspect of them is sparagmos — their superhuman ability to tear apart wild animals or even other humans — and omophagia — their consuming of raw, bloody meat; also called bacchae or bacchantes

a Bee nymph that nurtures, protects, and embodies the essence of Honeybees (plural: melissae, μέλισσαε); considered divine messengers, conduits for prophecy, speakers of divine truths, and a source for inspired thought and song; found in many of the same places as other nymphs (mountains, forests, and meadows), but especially near shaded, freshwater springs (learn more)

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a freshwater nymph (plural: naiads, ναϊάδες); protects and dwells in freshwater springs, streams, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, and marshes; often acts as a guardian to youths as they transition from childhood to adulthood

a sea nymph (plural: nereids, νηρεΐδες); protects and dwells in the sea, waves, current, seafoam, sea rocks, and sand; often acts as a guardian to fisherfolk, sailors, and seafarers; often seen accompanying Poseidon

a beautiful youth of the town of Thespiae in Boeotia; child of Liriope and Kifisos; cursed by the goddess Nemesis to fall in love with his own reflection (learn more); considered the namesake of the narcissus flower

a nature spirit of a mountain, forest, meadow, sea, freshwater source or other region (plural: nymphs, νύμφαι); responsible for growing, nurturing, and guarding natural habitats and the plants and animals within it; they often group together to form a deity’s retinue (example, Dionysos’ maenads or Hekate’s lampades) and sometimes are known to nurse a god as an infant. See also: aura (breeze nymph), dryad (forest or tree nymph), lampada (underworld nymph), maenad (nymphs of Dionysos), melissa (bee nymph), naiad (freshwater nymph), nereid (sea nymph), okeanid (river nymph), oreiad (conifer nymph) (learn more)

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a freshwater nymph (plural: okeanides, ωκεανίδες); protects and dwells in rainclouds, underground rivers, freshwater springs, streams, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, and marshes. See also: naiad

the earth-encircling river god; a Titan and a primordial source of all freshwater: rivers, springs, and rain clouds; husband to Tethys and father of all river gods; often depicted as bull-horned with a sea-serpent’s tail

the consuming of raw, bloody meat; most often associated with the Maenads and stories of Dionysos

a mountain conifer nymph (plural: oreiads or oreiades, όρειάδες); protects and dwells in coniferous forests of the mountains, often seen accompanying Artemis. See also: dryad

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a region in central Greece (learn more)

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fertility spirits of the wild (plural: satyrs, σάτυροι); often depicted as balding men with pug noses, equine ears and tails, and prominent erections; often carrying drinking cups (a kylix or a kantharos), dancing harmoniously with or harassing Maenads, playing instruments, or supporting a drunken man (usually Silenus)

the drunken, elder god of wine-making; often depicted as a bald older man with a potbelly, hairy body, and pug-nose; the etymology of his name links Silenus to the treading of Grapes to make wine; tasked with caring for the infant Dionysos and raised the god with the help of the nymphs of Mount Nysa; considered the wisest of Dionysos’ retinue, his drunkenness bestowing prophetic powers; credited with being either the father or grandfather of the Satyrs; presumably always drunk, often depicted riding on a donkey or being supported by Satyrs (see Grape for more)

the tearing apart or rending of wild animals or humans; most often associated with the Maenads and stories of Dionysos

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three prophetic nymphs of Mount Parnassos near Delphi in Phokis; they governed the art of divination by pebbles and birds of omen; they are strongly associated with bees and are said to have influenced Apollo as a child and also taught the oracular gift to Hermes

a Giant Fennel stalk wrapped in Ivy, sometimes said to be Pinecone-tipped, most often carried by the Maenads

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god of the sky and just rulership; as the King of Mount Olympus, Zeus oversaw law, justice, order, and fate; his animal familiar was the regal eagle and his sacred trees were the Oak and Olive — two trees associated with wisdom and wise council; as the god of the sky, Zeus oversaw its weather phenomena, most notably thunder and lightning; often depicted holding a lightning bolt, a tangible symbol of his quick and fiery justice

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