Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore [Paperback]

Jennifer Larson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195144651 | ISBN-13: 978-0195144659 | Publication Date: June 28, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

About the Author

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195144651
• ISBN-13: 978-0195144659
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,742,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nympholepsy!, July 3, 2001

By 

Steven Moore (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore (Paperback)

Although intended for the classicist, this excellent, erudite book is accessible to general readers (like me). Prof. Larson surveys everything that is known about nymphs, from their appearances in Greek literature to evidence of cult worship. She deals with little-known subjects like nympholepsy (which is NOT what Nabokov thought it was) and leads us on a tour of caves devoted to nymph worship. Illustrated with numerous black and white photos (but no Victorian paintings of nymphs; it isn't that kind of book). Hard to believe this is the first book on nymphs, but there will be no need for a second; this is definitive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, September 30, 2002

By 

Petrides Antonis (Nicosia, Cyprus) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore (Paperback)

This is a rewarding attempt to qualify the current scholarship on the Nymphs. A major asset of the book is its diachronic overview of the material, from ancient to Modern Greece. This provides a depth and perspective lacking from many similar endeavours in Classics. Methodologically, Larson leans rather to the psychosexual than to the structuralist analysis. The book could be improved in some respects. The chapter "Nymphs in Poetry" is somewhat overdrawn and repetitive. The book has a lot of typos when it comes to the Greek, especially the Modern. In general, however, Larson has provided us with a specimen of fresh scholarship.