These were mountain nymphs, wood nymphs, stream nymphs, and sea nymphs, all in beauteous female form. They were not immortal but their life span was several thousand years.
The Hespirides
The Hespirides were the nymphs who guarded the
Tree of the Golden Apples. Their father was Hesperos, or the God of the
Evening Star. Their names were:
Aegle
Eritheia
Hesperia
The Pleiades
There were seven Pleiades, and you can find them
when you loook in the sky (they are stars).
They were the daughters of Pleione and Atlas (son of Iapetus, the Titan, and Clymene, the Sea Nymph).
.Their names sometimes vary among mythographers, but are usually limited to seven in number [the number of visible (to the naked eye) stars in the constellation Pleiades (in Taurus)], but all of the following are among those named at one time or another. Their name means "flock of doves".
The seven most named as Pleiades are the following:
Alcyone
Also called Halcyone or Halcyon. Alcyone had
a daughter, Aethusa, and two sons, Hyperenor and Hyrieus, by Poseidon.
Celaeno
By Zeus, she bore Lycus and Eurypylus.
Electra
Gave birth to Dardanus, by Zeus.
Maia
She is the mother of Hermes. She was the oldest
and most beautiful of the sisters
Merope
She is the seventh and least visible of the stars
in the constellation Pleiades; the "shy sister" or "Lost Pleiad". Supposedly
she is
hiding in shame for being the only sister to
have a mortal lover (Sisyphus). She bore Sisyphus sons Glaucus, Ornytion,
and
Sinon.
Sterope
In some stories she bore Oenomaus, by Ares.
Taygeta (Taygete)
Begot, by Zeus, Lacedæmon, founder of Sparta.
In some versions of the story, she was unwilling to yield to Zeus, and
was
disguised by Artemis as a hind to elude him;
but he eventually caught her and coupled with her, whereupon she gave birth
to
Lacedæmon. She hanged herself in shame.
Others sometimes mentioned as being one of the
Pleiades (replacing one from above) are:
Antinoe
Asteria
Asterope
Coccymo
Euadne
Hippothoe
Lampado
Lampatho
Parthenia
Protis
Stonychia
The myth:
The sisters were being pursued by Orion, the
hunter, who lusted after them. They fled into the mountains, but could
not escape
his pursuit. Just as he was about to capture
them, they prayed to Zeus for his intervention. He turned them into doves
and
placed them in the heavens as a constellation.
But Zeus being Zeus, turned Orion (at his death) into a constellation also,
and
placed him in the sky in a position where it
seems he still pursues the Pleiades!
Note: Not only Orion lusted after these beauties,
but Zeus made out with Maia, Taygete, and Electra; Poseidon got to Alcyone
and Celoeno; Ares was Sterope's lover. Only Merope
did not succumb to a god, she had the mortal Sisyphus as a lover (that's
why her star is much dimmer in the sky than the
others).
The Hamadryades
These nymphs fall under the sub-classification
of "Tree Nymphs". They are the daughters of Hamadryas. They are depicted
as
being beautiful naked women from the waist up,
and as trees from the waist down. The few names I could find are:
Atlantia
Byblis
Chrysopeleia
Dryope
Eurydice
Sagaritis
Hyades
These daughters of Atlas and Pleione were also
the sisters of Hyas, who died. they mourned for him so much that the Gods
hung them as stars in the Sky.
Oceanidsclick
on the flower to see a list of some known Oceanides
There were 3000 Oceanids, and they were all the
Nymphs of the Ocean. Their mother was the Titaness Tethys and their father
the Titan Oceanus.
Nereids
The Nereids were the 50 daughters of Nereus (the
Sea) and Doris. The were the Nymphs of the Sea, and on the right is how
one artist supposed them.One of them was Amphitrite. The stories say that
it was when they went and performed a dance on the island of Naxos that
Poseidon decided to claim Amphitrite as his bride.
Naiads
The Naiads were the nymphs of freshwater streams
rivers and lakes. They had extremely long lifetimes, but they were not
considered immortal.
The Naiades are nymphs of bodies of fresh water
(lakes, streams, brooks, marshes, fountains, springs, ponds, and wells)
and
are one of the three main classes of water nymphs;
the others are the Nereides (salt water nymphs) and the Oceanides (ocean
nymphs). The Naiades are further divided into
sub-groups; the Crinaea (fountains), the Pegaeae (springs), the Limnatides
(lakes), the Eleionomae (marshes), and the Potameides
(rivers). Some are able to heal the sick, some have the gift of
prophecy and can deliver oracles, some watched
over fields, flocks, and flowers. They are not immortal, but can live for
thousands of years (Plutarch said their average
life span was 9620 years), always remaining young and beautiful. Their
lives are
bound inextricably to the body of water they
inhabited (or that was nearby the cave or grotto where they lived); if
it dries up,
they die. There are various accounts of their
parentage, but consensus is they are part of the family of Oceanus and
Tethys. The
Naiades were included in many myths as lovers
of gods and mortals and, sometimes, as instruments of death to those who
loved them.
Draiads
The Draiads were the Nymphs of the Forest. Draiads
were immortal, unlike other types, like the Hamadreiads, who lived in oak
trees and would die when the tree they lived in died. They were the hunting
companions of Artemis.
Meliads
These Draids were the Nymphs of Ash Trees. They
were the daughters of Gaia and of Uranus' blood.
Napaea
The Napaea were the Nymphs of the Valley. In
Greek nape means dell.
Oreads
Oreads were the Nymphs of the Mountains.
Epimeliads
Epimeliads were the Protectors of Sheep. So I
suppose you could call them Sheep Nymphs.
Lamusidean Nymphs
Lamusidean Nymphs were the daughters of Lamus.
They were the nurses of Dionysus, but because of Hera's deep jealousy they
were driven mad. They would have chopped the baby Dionysus up, and not
Hermes appeared on the scene just in time to save the baby God.
Aegina
This was the daughter of Asopus, a river god.
She was abducted by Zeus, as it every nymph eventually is, it seems, and
carried off to the island of Attica (which was renamed after her for a
period). There she had a son, Aeacus, and he became the monarch of the
island.
Calypso
She was the daughter of Atlas. She is in the
story of Odysseus. She takes a fancy to him, and keeps him prisoner for
seven years, during which time they sleep together, although Odysseus remains
loyal to Penelope (which I don't understand), and eventually Zeus orders
her to set him free.
Chelone
This poor nymph got turned into a turtle because
she refused to attend the wedding of Hera and Zeus. The gods
condemned her to eternal silence because of her
insulting words.
Clytia
Also known as Clytie, this Oceanid was the beloved
of Apollo. Well, she was until he got tired of her. Then he dropped her
and broke her heart. She was changed into a sunflower with her face to
the sun.
Lethe
Lethe was another Naiad, but her river was in
the Underworld. The Lethe was the river of Forgetfulness and Oblivion.
Lethe was a daughter of Eris.
Rhodus
Rhodus was a nymph who was a daughter of Poseidon.
She was the mother of the Heliadae with Helios. The island she lived on
was named after her: Rhodes.
Styx
Styx was a Naiad. Her name meant literally Hateful.
This may have been because her river was the one that all of the dead must
pass. Her river was the most holy and sacred, and to swear on it was the
most holy oath a God could make.
Satyr
with
Nymphs
A forest and mountain creature. Part human, with
a horse's tail and ears, and a goat's horns
and legs, satyrs were merry, drunken, lustful
devotees of Dionysus.