nes; the soft purling of the brook as it rushes over the
pebbles, or the mighty voice of the waterfall as it dashes on in its
headlong course; and the beings which they pictured to themselves as
presiding over all these charming sights and sounds of nature,
corresponded, in their graceful appearance, with the scenes with which they
were associated.

OCEANIDES.

The OCEANIDES, or Ocean Nymphs, were the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys,
and, like most sea divinities, were endowed with the gift of prophecy.

They are personifications of those delicate vapour-like {167} exhalations,
which, in warm climates, are emitted from the surface of the sea, more
especially at sunset, and are impelled forwards by the evening breeze. They
are accordingly represented as misty, shadowy beings, with graceful swaying
forms, and robed in pale blue, gauze-like fabrics.

THE NEREIDES.

The NEREIDES were the daughters of Nereus and Doris, and were nymphs of the
Mediterranean Sea.

They are similar in appearance to the Oceanides, but their beauty is of a
less shadowy order, and is more like that of mortals. They wear a flowing,
pale green robe; their liquid eyes resemble, in their clear depths, the
lucid waters of the sea they inhabit; their hair floats carelessly over
their shoulders, and assumes the greenish tint of the water itself, which,
far from deteriorating from their beauty, greatly adds to its effect. The
Nereides either accompany the chariot of the mighty ruler of the sea, or
follow in his train.

We are told by the poets that the lonely mariner watches the Nereides with
silent awe and wondering delight, as they rise from their grotto-palaces in
the deep, and dance, in joyful groups, over the sleeping waves. Some, with
arms entwined, follow with their movements the melodies which seem to hover
over the sea, whilst others scatter liquid gems around, these being
emblematical of the phosphorescent light, so frequently observed at night
by the traveller in southern waters.

The best known of the Nereides were Thetis, the wife of Peleus, Amphitrite,
the spouse of Poseidon, and Galatea, the beloved of Acis.

THE NAIADES.

The NAIADES were the nymphs of fresh-water springs, lakes, brooks, rivers,
&c.

As the trees, plants, and flowers owed their nourishment to their genial,
fostering care, these divinities were {168} regarded by the Greeks as
special benefactors to mankind. Like all the nymphs, they possessed the
gift of prophe