Inconsistent Symptoms/Signs – The symptoms of nymphomania are not the same for all women, and the severity of the symptoms also varies. While the common belief is that a nymphomaniac is simply a woman who is a compulsive sex addict, there are many other mental health conditions that go along with her behaviour.
Focusing on sexual desire and activities so much that they interfere with other aspects of life – job, family, finances, friends, personal care, etc. Engaging in sex indiscriminately without concern for possible negative consequences, including danger to physical health Being unsatisfied with sexual activity and constantly needing more sex Having conflicts and other stressors in her life because of her constant need to fulfill sexual urges Having multiple sexual partners all at the same time, often one-night stands
However, remember too that nymphomania is a mental health medical condition, and there are other behaviors that can go along with the sexual behaviors. These can be the results of earlier life events, hereditary, brain chemistry imbalance, childhood traumas (e.g, rape), other mental disorders, or even the absence of a solid, loving relationship with a father figure. These things can result in :
Feelings of inadequacy, guilt, loneliness, or depression Suicidal thoughts Feelings of inadequacy in relationships or other areas of life Manic episodes of sexual encounters, especially for women who have bipolar disorder Having urges and engaging in sex or fantasies of sex, as a means of escape from difficult emotional situations or life stressors Difficulty with concentration
Contents
What kind of woman is the nymph?
Nymphs in Greek myth came in various forms. They populated and beautified the stories of Greek heroes, descriptions of the ancient Greek landscapes, and the home of the gods. “Nymph” translates from the ancient Greek as “young girl”, as nymphs took the form of young women that were also nature spirits.
Do nymphs fall in love?
by | Monday, August 14, 2017 | Nymphs, in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, were minor goddesses or semidivine beings represented as lovely maidens. The word nymph comes from Greek and Latin words describing a young girl of marriageable age, or a young bride. In ancient stories, the nymphs inhabited and guarded the different realms of nature.
For example, oreads watched over hills and mountains. D ryads and hamadryads took care of trees and forests. Nereids (daughters of the sea god Nereus) kept watch over the Mediterranean Sea, and the Oceanids (daughters of the Titan Oceanus ) protected the oceans. Naiads were nymphs of brooks, rivers, and streams.
Some nymphs were associated with a particular hill, tree, or other natural feature, to which their lives were linked. Nymphs lived for a long time but usually were not considered immortal. Nymphs often figured in stories about love, as the pursuer or the pursued.
- Some nymphs or groups of nymphs shied away from amorous affairs, but others were passionate—and sometimes vengeful—lovers.
- They became involved with both gods and humans.
- Nymphs often were represented as associating with satyrs and fauns, mischievous, playful, goatlike gods of the countryside and forest.
Metamorphoses, a collection of stories in verse by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, includes multiple tales of relentless lovers pursuing nymphs who transform to escape. The work’s title— Metapmorphoses —means transformations, In one story, the god Eros shot the god Apollo with an arrow that made him fall in love with the nymph Daphne,
- Eros shot Apollo in revenge for insulting his skill as an archer.
- He also shot Daphne with an arrow that made her flee Apollo.
- Daphne, pursued by Apollo, prayed for escape and was transformed into a laurel tree.
- Apollo made the laurel his sacred tree and wore a crown of laurel leaves on his head in her honor.
In another tale, the god Pan tried to start an affair with the nymph Syrinx, but she ran away from him in terror and begged the gods to help her. The gods changed Syrinx into a bed of reeds, from which Pan made a musical instrument called a panpipe. He became famous for the beautiful music he played on the panpipe.
- In some ancient tales, nymphs pursued young men and would not take “no” for an answer.
- Some nymphs were downright dangerous.
- In the story of the Argonauts, a group of heroes on a quest for the golden wool of a flying ram, the ship Argo stopped at a place called Mysia.
- There, the handsome young hero Hylas left the ship to find fresh water.
Nymphs attracted by his beauty lured Hylas away and abducted him. In another story, a young Sicilian herdsman named Daphnis pledged his loyalty to a nymph. But a princess tricked Daphnis into becoming her own lover instead. The betrayed nymph then blinded or killed Daphnis in revenge.
- The Odyssey, a work by the Greek poet Homer, tells of the Sirens, sea nymphs whose sweet singing lured sailors to destruction on rocky shores.
- The hero Odysseus ( Ulysses in Latin) put wax in his sailors’ ears so they could not hear the Sirens.
- Then Odysseus was tied to the mast so he could listen to the Sirens safely.
The Argonauts also encountered the Sirens. They escaped because the hero Orpheus’s beautiful singing countered the Sirens’ song and saved his comrades. These and many other ancient stories describe the often perilous attraction of the nymphs. Untitled Document World Book Online delivers a progressive sequence of core databases supported by supplemental tools, such as language translation, graphic organizers, and unique Webquests. Moving from Early World of Learning to World Book Advanced, World Book Online aligns end-users with their appropriate learning levels.
What is the personality of a nymph?
Description – Originally, there was no distinction among the nymphs; they were all treated as almost identical creatures. They were generally depicted as young and beautiful, but more importantly as healthy females who were are the perfect stage to begin reproducing, a significant connection between them and fertility deities.
- They were said to be enchanting to humans, particularly males, and had ethereal qualities: A living legend of eternal beauty and grace, they are the image of the ideal woman in the fiery imagination of mortals.
- Much like the cyclical aspect of nature, nymphs were not immortal; they lived extremely long lives, but were prone to the processes of aging and death,
Beautiful and fun personages, the nymphs could be childlike in their playful, cheerful, generous behavior. However, they could also feel anger, jealousy, and great sadness; even dying of a broken heart. As time went on, the nymphs evolved into several different categories, based on the type of environment they inhabited, which is how they are generally depicted today.
Why are nymphs sexualized?
Nymphs and Mortal Men – It is clear from the etymological nature of the term ‘nymph’, which, as discussed above, eludes to the sexual maturity of a maiden or bride, that these beings held some sort of sexual significance. The nymphs were seen as sexually desirable, but ‘free of the familial restrictions applied to mortal women and could therefore rarely be fully domesticated,’ (Larson, 2001, p.5).
- Mythology suggests, such as in Homer’s Iliad, that nymphs were capable of pursuing sexual relationships with mortal men.
- They were generally depicted as the sexual aggressor in these scenarios, which could sometimes be viewed as dangerous, such as in the cases of Daphnis, who was said to have been turned to stone by a jealous nymph.
There is no evidence of how common this was believed to have taken place, however, Kalypso, a character in the Odyssey, states that relationships of this nature were often frowned upon by the gods. This was potentially due to the power imbalance between a female deity and a mortal man, or, a sign of his failure to marry a Greek woman and produce the typical family that would have been economically and militaristically useful for Greek society.
- In the majority of cases where the nymphs bore children to mortal men, the offspring were male, and therefore could not inherit their mothers’ status of nymph even if they were able.
- Despite this, nymphatic offspring were often heavily associated with topography in the same way that their mothers were.
Another reason that men may have hesitated to engage in these affairs may have been due to the nymphs’ elevated status, and their resulting immunity to punishment or violence. In other words, their hypersexual or suggestive acts could not be regulated by Greek society in the same way that mortal women would have been monitored.
In a similar way, Greek nymphs, due both to their supernatural powers and their elusiveness, were not vulnerable to the violence or threats of mortal men like mortal Greek female citizens would have been. These factors propose an interesting theoretical glimpse into what may occur when gendered power dynamics are reversed.
When the male power is no longer the infallible common denominator of Greek relationships, the affair was viewed as unstable, dangerous and was frowned upon. What may not be considered is the fact that ordinary relationships where men held power and could make threats of violence at any time were equally as ‘dangerous’ and ‘unstable’ for women, yet these relationships were still considered the norm that all females were expected to engage in. Hylas and the Nymphs, c.3 BCE On the other hand, however, nymphatic sexual encounters with mortal men also benefitted one significant area of society. Well-known nymphs were often included in genealogies as the earliest ancestor, which not only tied Greek families together as residents entitled to citizenship, but also provided descendants with an infallible claim to both the land on which the nymph is said to live, as well as all of its resources.
Do nymphs look like adults?
During this time, the insect will hatch into a form called a nymph. The nymph is basically a small version of the adult insect. This is very similar to how a child looks like his or her parents. Nymphs usually have a thin exoskeleton and no wings.
Are all nymphs girls?
nymph, in Greek mythology, any of a large class of inferior female divinities. The nymphs were usually associated with fertile, growing things, such as trees, or with water. They were not immortal but were extremely long-lived and were on the whole kindly disposed toward men.
They were distinguished according to the sphere of nature with which they were connected. The Oceanids, for example, were sea nymphs; the Nereids inhabited both saltwater and freshwater; the Naiads presided over springs, rivers, and lakes. The Oreads ( oros, “mountain”) were nymphs of mountains and grottoes; the Napaeae ( nape, “dell”) and the Alseids ( alsos, “grove”) were nymphs of glens and groves; the Dryads or Hamadryads presided over forests and trees.
Italy had native divinities of springs and streams and water goddesses (called Lymphae) with whom the Greek nymphs tended to become identified. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn,
What is the weakness of a nymph?
Weaknesses – Nymphs, being related to the fay, share their weaknesses, however, there is one weakness that is unique to their species.
Nature life force: A nymph’s life force is connected to the specific part of nature that they control (e.g. a dryad with a tree, a myceliad with a mushroom, etc). As such, if that specific part of nature is destroyed, then the nymph will die.
What does a nymph lack?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Two Schistocerca gregaria nymphs beside an adult In biology, a nymph (from Ancient Greek νύμφα nūmphē meaning “bride”) is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis ( hemimetabolism ) before reaching its adult stage.
Unlike a typical larva, a nymph’s overall form already resembles that of the adult, except for a lack of wings (in winged species). In addition, while a nymph moults, it never enters a pupal stage. Instead, the final moult results in an adult insect. Nymphs undergo multiple stages of development called instars,
This is the case, for example, in Orthoptera ( crickets, grasshoppers and locusts ), Hemiptera ( cicadas, shield bugs, whiteflies, aphids, leafhoppers, froghoppers, treehoppers etc.), mayflies, termites, cockroaches, mantises, stoneflies and Odonata ( dragonflies and damselflies ).
Nymphs of aquatic insects, as in the Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Plecoptera, are also called naiads, an Ancient Greek name for mythological water nymphs, Some entomologists have said that it the terms larva, nymph and naiad should be used according to the developmental mode classification (hemimetabolous, paurometabolous or holometabolous) but others have pointed out that there is no real confusion.
In older literature, these were sometimes referred to as the heterometabolous insects, as their adult and immature stages live in different environments ( terrestrial vs. aquatic ).
Are nymphs rare?
The Nymph is a rare enemy that spawns in the Cavern layer of any biome.
Do nymphs like men?
What is a Nymph? – Describing what a “nymph” is in Greek or Latin is a little tricky, mainly because the word simply meant “young marriageable woman” and could often be applied to the completely mortal heroine of a story (as well as a sexually active woman).
- However, in Ancient Greek (and to a lesser extent Roman) mythology, nymphs were rather distinct and semi-divine beings that were intrinsically part of nature and its topographical features.
- Indeed, they usually occupied, and in some ways personified the rivers, springs, trees, and mountains associated with them in the Graeco-Roman world of myth.
Whilst they lived for a very long time and often possessed many divine qualities and traits, they were in fact able to die; sometimes when a tree died for example (or was cut down), its nymph was said to die with it. Hesiod also tells us that certain types of nymphs had a normal lifespan of around 9,720 human generations! As you may expect, they were always depicted as female or feminine beings and were referred to by the Epic poet Homer, as the “daughters of Zeus.” In later depictions, they are almost always pictured as scantily clad or completely naked young women, resting on a tree or in some other natural setting.
- In such depictions they are either grouped together, or on their own, nestled by their tree or spring, seemingly waiting for an onlooker to notice them.
- Although they tended to remain on the fringes of the more famous myths and stories of Graeco-Roman mythology, there are quite a few romantic stories and folktales where they play very prominent roles.
Moreover, in broader Greek (and later Christian) folklore, nymphs were said to seduce young male travelers and strike them with infatuation, dumbness or madness, having first caught their attention by their dancing and music!
Who is the most famous nymph?
Famous Nymphs and Nereids – Although the stories are full of Nymphs and Nereids, there are some that stand out. Maybe the most important of all was Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon and mother of Triton, as well as Thetis, the wife of Peleus and mother of Achilles.
Are nymphs evil?
Nymph Water Nymph Other names: Dryad, Hamadryad Nymphs were an important part of Greek mythology and religion. They were revered as the spirits of specific natural features – mountains, rivers, and even groves were usually associated with a type of nymph.
How big do nymphs get?
Broad-winged damselfly nymphs (order Odonata, suborder Zygoptera, family Calopterygidae) – Feeding: All damselfly nymphs are predators. Calopterygid nymphs wait until the prey comes into their reach.
- Habitat: Nymphs live in flowing waters of streams and rivers.
- Movement: They mostly hold on roots or slowly climb on overhanging vegetation.
- Size: Mature nymphs can grow up to sizes around 40 mm (not including gills).
Life cycle: Damselflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Their life cycle includes three stages – egg, nymph and adult. Most species require 1 or 2 years for one generation. Introduction: Nymphs of the family Calopterygidae need flowing and well-oxygenated water for living and development.
- They occur in parts of rivers and streams, where the current is moderate.
- Calopterygid nymphs are bad swimmers and can be washed away, when get to the stronger current (which makes them vulnerable to predators).
- They are mostly found climbing on overhanging vegetation or among the root masses.
- Precisely roots of terrestrial vegetation, extending in tangles into the water, provide the best foothold and cover.
Calopterygid nymphs, with very slender and elongated bodies, mostly occur in shades of brown. Legs are long, thin and end with two claws. They move very slowly and do not often change their position in a habitat (therefore are covered with a layer of sediments).
- Lack of movement, colour and body shape make them perfectly camouflaged in accumulations of roots and twigs.
- Long antennae are bent to the sides.
- The first antennal segment (closest to the head) is longer than the length of all subsequent segments.
- Caudal gills, without visible veins, are triangular in cross section.
Gill in the middle is slightly shorter than the side gills. Extendable labium, with large cleft in the middle, is narrowed and lacks the setae. Labial palps terminate in sharp thorns and one movable hook. Nymphs feed on worm-like larvae, black fly larvae and other small invertebrates inhabiting flowing waters.
What special abilities do nymphs have?
Many of these presided over waters or springs which were believed to inspire those that drank of them, and hence the nymphs themselves were thought to be endowed with prophetic or oracular power, and to inspire men with the same, and to confer upon them the gift of poetry.
What is a nymph average height?
Nymph Traits – Your nymph character has a variety of supernatural abilities, due to their fey blood. Ability Score Increase, Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1. Age, Nymphs grow until they hit their physical maturity, before they stop aging entirely.
Alignment, They tend towards the Chaotic Good, being fickle with an abhorrence towards evil. Size, Nymphs range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds, weighing only 90 to 145 pounds. Your size is Medium. Speed, Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision, You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light,
You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Nature’s Empathy. You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill and in the Nature skill. Blinding Beauty. As an action, you may cast the charm person spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
- Once you use this trait, you can not use it again until you finish a long rest.
- Fey Blood.
- You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
- Nymph Resilience.
- Nymphs are known for being young, ageless and healthy.
- A nymph is immune to diseases and illness.
- One with Nature.
Being connected to nature and animals, they’ve gotten use to poison plants and animal liquids that can be made into poison giving them immunity to this damage type. Languages, You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan, and of the people from the closest humanoid land.
What makes a nymph a nymph?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the creatures of Greek mythology. For other uses, see Nymph (disambiguation),
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Nymphs and Satyr, 1873. Clark Art Institute, | |
Grouping | Mythological |
---|---|
Sub grouping | Nature spirit |
Similar entities | Mermaid, hellois, huldra |
Country | Greece |
A nymph ( Ancient Greek : νύμφη, romanized : nýmphē, Modern Greek : nímfi ; Attic Greek :, Modern Greek : ), sometimes spelled nymphe, in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity, Different from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are typically tied to a specific place or landform, and are usually depicted as maidens.
- They were immortal like other goddesses, except for the Hamadryads, whose lives were bound to a specific tree.
- They are often divided into various broad subgroups, such as the Meliae ( ash tree nymphs), the Dryads ( oak tree nymphs), the Naiads (freshwater nymphs), the Nereids (sea nymphs), and the Oreads (mountain nymphs).
Nymphs are often featured in classic works of art, literature, mythology, and fiction. Since the Middle Ages, nymphs have been sometimes popularly associated or even confused with fairies,
Can a nymph get pregnant?
Nymphs are all females and can give birth from mortal fathers or immortal fathers their children aren’t really Nymphs. If mortal man the mortal children with lots of talents like poets, great soldiers, painters and other artist!
How do nymphs look like?
The Nymphs THE NYMPHS. The graceful beings called the Nymphs were the presiding deities of the woods, grottoes, streams, meadows, etc. These divinities were supposed to be beautiful maidens of fairy-like form, and robed in more or less shadowy garments.
- They were held in the greatest veneration, though, being minor divinities, they had no temples dedicated to them, but were worshipped in caves or grottoes, with libations of milk, honey, oil, etc.
- They may be divided into three distinct classes, viz., water, mountain, and tree or wood nymphs.
- WATER NYMPHS.
OCEANIDES, NEREIDES, AND NAIADES. The worship of water-deities is common to most primitive nations. The streams, springs, and fountains of a country bear the same relation to it which the blood, coursing through the numberless arteries of a human being, bears to the body; both represent the living, moving, life-awakening element, without which existence would be impossible.
- Hence we find among most nations a deep feeling of attachment to the streams and waters of their native land, the remembrance of which, when absent in foreign climes, is always treasured with peculiar fondness.
- Thus among the early Greeks, each tribe came to regard the rivers and springs of its individual state as beneficent powers, which brought blessing and prosperity to the country.
It is probable also that the charm which ever accompanies the sound of running water exercised its power over their imagination. They heard with delight the gentle whisper of the fountain, lulling the senses with its low, rippling tones; the soft purling of the brook as it rushes over the pebbles, or the mighty voice of the waterfall as it dashes on in its headlong course; and the beings which they pictured to themselves as presiding over all these charming sights and sounds of nature, corresponded, in their graceful appearance, with the scenes with which they were associated.
OCEANIDES The OCEANIDES, or Ocean Nymphs, were the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, and, like most sea divinities, were endowed with the gift of prophecy. They are personifications of those delicate vapour-like exhalations, which, in warm climates, are emitted from the surface of the sea, more especially at sunset, and are impelled forwards by the evening breeze.
They are accordingly represented as misty, shadowy beings, with graceful swaying forms, and robed in pale blue, gauze-like fabrics. THE NEREIDES The NEREIDES were the daughters of Nereus and Doris, and were nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea. They are similar in appearance to the Oceanides, but their beauty is of a less shadowy order, and is more like that of mortals.
They wear a flowing, pale green robe; their liquid eyes resemble, in their clear depths, the lucid waters of the sea they inhabit; their hair floats carelessly over their shoulders, and assumes the greenish tint of the water itself, which, far from deteriorating from their beauty, greatly adds to its effect.
The Nereides either accompany the chariot of the mighty ruler of the sea, or follow in his train. We are told by the poets that the lonely mariner watches the Nereides with silent awe and wondering delight, as they rise from their grotto-palaces in the deep, and dance, in joyful groups, over the sleeping waves.
Some, with arms entwined, follow with their movements the melodies which seem to hover over the sea, whilst others scatter liquid gems around, these being emblematical of the phosphorescent light, so frequently observed at night by the traveller in southern waters. The best known of the Nereides were Thetis, the wife of Peleus, Amphitrite, the spouse of Poseidon, and Galatea, the beloved of Acis.
THE NAIADES The NAIADES were the nymphs of fresh-water springs, lakes, brooks, rivers, etc. As the trees, plants, and flowers owed their nourishment to their genial, fostering care, these divinities were regarded by the Greeks as special benefactors to mankind.
- Like all the nymphs, they possessed the gift of prophecy, for which reason many of the springs and fountains over which they presided were believed to inspire mortals who drank of their waters with the power of foretelling future events.
- The Naiades are intimately connected in idea with those flowers which are called after them Nymphæ, or water-lilies, whose broad, green leaves and yellow cups float upon the surface of the water, as though proudly conscious of their own grace and beauty.
We often hear of the Naiades forming alliances with mortals, and also of their being wooed by the sylvan deities of the woods and dales. DRYADES, OR TREE NYMPHS The tree nymphs partook of the distinguishing characteristics of the particular tree to whose life they were wedded, and were known collectively by the name of the Dryades.
- The HAMADRYADES, or oak nymphs, represent in their peculiar individuality the quiet, self-reliant power which appears to belong essentially to the grand and lordly king of the forest.
- The BIRCH NYMPH is a melancholy maiden with floating hair, resembling the branches of the pale and fragile-looking tree which she inhabits.
The BEECH NYMPH is strong and sturdy, full of life and joyousness, and appears to give promise of faithful love and undisturbed repose, whilst her rosy cheeks, deep brown eyes, and graceful form bespeak health, vigour, and vitality. The nymph of the LINDEN TREE is represented as a little coy maiden, whose short silver-gray dress reaches a little below the knee, and displays to advantage her delicately formed limbs.
The sweet face, which is partly averted, reveals a pair of large blue eyes, which appear to look at you with wondering surprise and shy mistrust; her pale, golden hair is bound by the faintest streak of rose-coloured ribbon. The tree nymph, being wedded to the life of the tree she inhabited, ceased to exist when it was either felled, or so injured as to wither away and die.
NYMPHS OF THE VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS. NAPÆÆ AND OREADES The Napææ were the kind and gentle nymphs of the valleys and glens who appear in the train of Artemis. They are represented as lovely maidens with short tunics, which, reaching only to the knee, do not impede their swift and graceful movements in the exercise of the chase.
- Their pale brown tresses are fastened in a knot at the back of the head, whence a few stray curls escape over their shoulders.
- The Napææ are shy as the fawns, and quite as frolicsome.
- The OREADES, or mountain nymphs, who are the principal and constant companions of Artemis, are tall, graceful maidens, attired as huntresses.
They are ardent followers of the chase, and spare neither the gentle deer nor the timid hare, nor indeed any animal they meet with in their rapid course. Wherever their wild hunt goes the shy Napææ are represented as hiding behind the leaves, whilst their favourites, the fawns, kneel tremblingly beside them, looking up beseechingly for protection from the wild huntresses; and even the bold Satyrs dart away at their approach, and seek safety in flight.
Narcissus himself also met with an unhappy fate, for Aphrodite punished him by causing him to fall in love with his own image, which he beheld in a neighbouring fountain, whereupon, consumed with unrequited love, he wasted away, and was changed into the flower which bears his name. The LIMONIADES, or meadow nymphs, resemble the Naiades, and are usually represented dancing hand in hand in a circle. The HYADES, who in appearance are somewhat similar to the Oceanides, are cloudy divinities, and, from the fact of their being invariably accompanied by rain, are represented as incessantly weeping.
The MELIADES were the nymphs who presided over fruit-trees. Before concluding this subject, attention should be drawn to the fact that, in more modern times, this beautiful idea of animating all nature in detail reappears under the various local traditions extant in different countries.
Thus do the Oceanides and Nereides live again in the mermaids, whose existence is still believed in by mariners, whilst the flower and meadow nymphs assume the shape of those tiny elves and fairies, who were formerly believed to hold their midnight revels in every wood and on every common; indeed, even at the present day, the Irish peasantry, especially in the west, firmly believe in the existence of the fairies, or “good people,” as they are called.
From: Berens, E.M. The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, New York: Maynard, Merril, & Co., 1880. Text in the public domain. : The Nymphs
What does nymph girl means?
1 : any of the minor divinities of nature in classical mythology represented as beautiful maidens dwelling in the mountains, forests, trees, and waters 2 : girl Fair nymphs, and well-dressed youths around her shone — Alexander Pope
Are nymphs exclusively female?
First of all Nymphs are inferior gods in Greek mythology that are exclusively female. But while there are no de facto male nymphs, there are three male counterparts to the female nymphs: these male nature spirits and gods include the Satyrs from woodlands, the Tritons from the sea and the Potamoi from rivers.
- Even though nymphs and these male nature spirits have some similarities they are definitely different creatures, especially when it comes to their looks and behaviour.
- The main thing that differentiates the male versions from most nymphs (most of them look like humans) is the fact that they often are half-animal or at least have some animal parts.
Hence, you might have seen this guy on top of the article – called a satyr – before. In archaic and classical Greek art, satyrs are shown with the ears and tails of horses. They walk upright on two legs, like human beings and are usually shown with bestial faces, snub noses, and manelike hair.
Like other Greek nature spirits, satyrs are always depicted nude.Sometimes they also have the legs of horses and their genitals are always depicted as either erect or at least extremely large. In the most common depictions, satyrs are shown drinking wine, dancing, playing flutes, chasing nymphs, or consorting with Dionysus.
Sounds like a regular party animal, doesn’t it? But why were we wondering this at all? Well, we got a great product from Earth Harbor in our September Out’n’Proud packs – the NYMPH NECTAR Superfruit Radiance Balm, Yes, it comes straight from the loving arms of nymphs! True story. It’s a deeply moisturising wax-free balm that you can use all over your body to make your skin healthy. This coral cutie doubles as a superior rescue treatment and a luxurious sleeping mask (your vegan, bee-friendly alternative to honey-based masks). And did we mention she smells like a walk through a tropical garden.
How are nymphs different from adults?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Two Schistocerca gregaria nymphs beside an adult In biology, a nymph (from Ancient Greek νύμφα nūmphē meaning “bride”) is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis ( hemimetabolism ) before reaching its adult stage.
Unlike a typical larva, a nymph’s overall form already resembles that of the adult, except for a lack of wings (in winged species). In addition, while a nymph moults, it never enters a pupal stage. Instead, the final moult results in an adult insect. Nymphs undergo multiple stages of development called instars,
This is the case, for example, in Orthoptera ( crickets, grasshoppers and locusts ), Hemiptera ( cicadas, shield bugs, whiteflies, aphids, leafhoppers, froghoppers, treehoppers etc.), mayflies, termites, cockroaches, mantises, stoneflies and Odonata ( dragonflies and damselflies ).
Nymphs of aquatic insects, as in the Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Plecoptera, are also called naiads, an Ancient Greek name for mythological water nymphs, Some entomologists have said that it the terms larva, nymph and naiad should be used according to the developmental mode classification (hemimetabolous, paurometabolous or holometabolous) but others have pointed out that there is no real confusion.
In older literature, these were sometimes referred to as the heterometabolous insects, as their adult and immature stages live in different environments ( terrestrial vs. aquatic ).
What makes a nymph a nymph?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the creatures of Greek mythology. For other uses, see Nymph (disambiguation),
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Nymphs and Satyr, 1873. Clark Art Institute, | |
Grouping | Mythological |
---|---|
Sub grouping | Nature spirit |
Similar entities | Mermaid, hellois, huldra |
Country | Greece |
A nymph ( Ancient Greek : νύμφη, romanized : nýmphē, Modern Greek : nímfi ; Attic Greek :, Modern Greek : ), sometimes spelled nymphe, in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity, Different from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are typically tied to a specific place or landform, and are usually depicted as maidens.
- They were immortal like other goddesses, except for the Hamadryads, whose lives were bound to a specific tree.
- They are often divided into various broad subgroups, such as the Meliae ( ash tree nymphs), the Dryads ( oak tree nymphs), the Naiads (freshwater nymphs), the Nereids (sea nymphs), and the Oreads (mountain nymphs).
Nymphs are often featured in classic works of art, literature, mythology, and fiction. Since the Middle Ages, nymphs have been sometimes popularly associated or even confused with fairies,