Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

by Jennifer Larson

Greek 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Paganism, Spirituality, Religion, Classics, Research

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Professor of Classics, Kent State University

Reviews

[David Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Annemarie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Out of the books about Greek Mythology I've read this past week, this one was by far the worst. I struggled to keep focussed, and had to really push myself to keep reading. I picked this up because I was interesting in reading and learning about nymphs, as I barely knew anything about them. As it stands, I feel like I haven't learned much. This book repeats itself constantly, and provides little information to people who aren't specifically studying which exact cave/region/etc believed in which particular nymphs. The methods of worship are described for each region, and again for each cave, but there is very little difference between them, so most of the information feels rehashed. If I were to summarize this book, I doubt it would take more than a page or two. Not recommended for the casually interested.