Greek Nymphs : Myth, Cult, Lore: Myth, Cult, Lore

Jennifer Larson Associate Professor of Classics Kent State University

Oxford University Press, May 31, 2001 - Religion - 392 pages

Greek Nymphs: Myths, Cult, Lore is the first comprehensive study of the nymph in the ancient Greek world. This well-illustrated book examines nymphs as both religious and mythopoetic figures, tracing their development and significance in Greek culture from Homer through the Hellenistic period. Drawing upon a broad range of literary and archaeological evidence, Jennifer Larson discusses sexually powerful nymphs in ancient and modern Greek folklore, the use of dolls representing nymphs in the socialization of girls, the phenomenon of nympholepsy, the nymphs' relations with other deities in the Greek pantheon, and the nymphs' role in mythic narratives of city-founding and colonization. The book includes a survey of the evidence for myths and cults of the nymphs arranged by geographical region, and a special section of the worship of nymphs in caves throughout the Greek world.

What people are saying

Review: Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

User Review - Goodreads

This is an amazing book if you are interested in nature spirits and their worship in ancient Hellenic times.

Contents

• WHAT IS A NYMPH?: 3
• ANCIENT AND MODERN NARRATIVES: 61
• GODS GODDESSES AND NYMPHS: 91
• LORE OF THE NYMPHS IN THE GREEK WORLD: 121
• CAVES OF THE NYMPHS AND VOTIVE ICONOGRAPHY: 226
• AFTERWORD: 268
• NOTES: 281
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 333
• INDEX OF NYMPHS: 359

Popular passages

Page 333 - State of the Art— Art of the State: Sexual Violence and Politics in Late Archaic and Early Classical Vase-Painting.‎

Page 339 - Dawkins, RM 1916. Modern Greek in Asia Minor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.‎

Page 335 - Bernand, E. 1969, Inscriptions metriques de I'Egypte greco-romaine. Recherches sur la poesie epigrammatique des Grecs en Egypte. Paris: Belles Lettres Bernand, E.‎

Bibliographic information

• Title: Greek Nymphs : Myth, Cult, Lore: Myth, Cult, Lore
• Author: Jennifer Larson Associate Professor of Classics Kent State University
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001
• ISBN: 0198028687, 9780198028680
• Length: 392 pages
• Subjects: Religion / General