Electra (Oceanid)
nymphAn Oceanid nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who married the sea god Thaumas and bore Iris the rainbow goddess and the Harpies.
The Myth
Electra was one of the three thousand Oceanids, the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys who embodied every body of water on earth. But Electra's domain was not rivers or springs — she was associated with storm clouds and the amber light that sometimes breaks through them. Her name connects to elektron, the Greek word for amber, the substance that also gave us the word 'electricity.'
She married Thaumas, a minor sea god whose name means 'wonder.' Their children were extraordinary: Iris, the rainbow messenger of the gods, and the Harpies — Aello, Ocypete, and Celaeno — those shrieking wind spirits who snatched food and souls. It is a striking family: from the same parents came the rainbow and the storm, beauty and terror, the gentle arc after rain and the screaming winds that precede it.
Hesiod lists Electra among the elder Oceanids in his Theogony, placing her in the first generation of water spirits who helped order the young cosmos.
Symbols
Fun Fact
Every time you use the word 'electricity' you are invoking this nymph's name — Electra gave us elektron, Greek for amber, which produces static charge when rubbed.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Iris
godIris was the goddess of the rainbow and swift messenger of the gods — travelling between Olympus,...
Thaumas
titanAn ancient sea god whose name meant "wonder," father of the rainbow goddess Iris and the...
Electra
heroDaughter of Agamemnon who plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge their father's murder by...
Iris (Rainbow Messenger)
godThe swift-footed goddess of the rainbow who served as Hera's personal messenger, bridging heaven...
Oceanids
nymphThe Oceanids included Metis, Styx, Doris — nymphs of all fresh waters.
Merope
nymphThe Pleiad who married a mortal and whose star shines faintest in the cluster, dimmed by shame at...
Pleiades
nymphThe Pleiades were seven sisters, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who were placed among the stars as...
Oceanus
titanThe great Titan who personified the vast river believed to encircle the entire world. Father of all...
Tethys
titanTethys was the Titaness of fresh water — the great nurse of all life, whose thousands of river and...
Tethys (Titan Ocean)
titanThe great Titaness of the sea who nursed Hera and whose union with Oceanus produced all the world's...
Agamemnon
heroAgamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife...
Clytemnestra
heroClytemnestra murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, driven by rage over Iphigenia's sacrifice.