Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

by Jennifer Larson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190286903
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/28/2001
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	32 MB
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About the Author

Jennifer Larson is Associate Professor of Classics at Kent State University.

Editorial Reviews

"The strength of Larson's project lies in its meticulous presentation of detail, her careful survey of the literary and epigraphical sources, and her clear translations of Greek material probably unfamiliar to most readers." —Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"...Jennifer Larson's Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore is a first-of-its-kind, sweeping study that spans the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods of Greek history. No stone is left unturned in this encyclopedic primer on the function of ubiquitous female deities known as nymphs and their cave-bound cults in the literature and landscape of ancient Greece. Larson's book is generously illustrated (with images of marble reliefs, coins, terra-cotta dolls, and caves) and accessible both to classicists and interested members of the public at large." —Signs

From the Publisher