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 A Naiad by John William Waterhouse, 1893; a water nymph approaches the sleeping Hylas. | |
| Grouping | Nymphs |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Water spirit Elemental |
| Similar entities | Mermaid Huldra Selkie Siren |
| Habitat | Any body of fresh water |
| Greek deities series |
|---|
| Water deities |
| Water nymphs |
In Greek mythology, the naiads (/ˈnaɪædz, ˈneɪædz, -ədz/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: ναϊάδες, translit. naïádes), sometimes also hydriads,[1] are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from river gods, who embodied rivers, and the very ancient spirits that inhabited the still waters of marshes, ponds and lagoon-lakes such as pre-Mycenaean Lerna in the Argolis.
- ^ Postgate, J. P. "On the Alleged Confusion of Nymph-Names. Appendix". The American Journal of Philology. 18 (1): 74–75. doi:10.2307/287931. ISSN 0002-9475.