Nymph classification
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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As H.J. Rose states, "all these names are simply feminine adjectives, agreeing with the substantive nympha, and there was no orthodox and exhaustive classification of these shadowy beings." He mentions dryads and hamadryads as nymphs of trees generally, meliai as nymphs of ash trees, and naiads as nymphs of water, but no others specifically.
The following is not the Greek classification, but is intended simply as a guide:
- Land nymphs
- Wood nymphs
- Dryads (trees)
- Hamadryads (oak tree and others)
- Epimeliad (apple tree)
- Leuce (white poplar tree)
- Meliae (manna-ash tree)
- Dryads (trees)
- Water nymphs ("Ephydriads")
- Helead (fen)
- Maia (partner of Zeus and mother of Hermes)
- Naiads (usually fresh water)
- Crinaeae (fountains)
- Eleionomae (marshes)
- Hyades (rain)
- Limnades or Limnatides (lakes)
- Pegaeae (springs)
- Potameides (rivers)
- Corycian Nymphs (Corycian Cave)
- Nereids (daughters of Nereus, the Mediterranean Sea)
- Oceanids (daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, any water, usually salty)
- Other nymphs
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