Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

by: Larson, J.

Myth, Cult, Lore
Jennifer Larson
The only study of its kind to comprehensively examine the role of the nymph in ancient Greek culture

Description
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.

Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

by: Larson, J.

• ISBN-13: 9780195144659 / 978-0-19-514465-9
• ISBN-03: 0195144651 / 0-19-514465-1
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001