Neda
Oceanid nymph of the River Neda in Arcadia who helped nurse the infant Zeus
The Myth of Neda
Neda was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys who gave her name to the River Neda in the western Peloponnese, flowing through Arcadia and Messenia. According to Arcadian tradition, she was one of the nymphs entrusted with nursing the infant Zeus after his mother Rhea hid him from the child-devouring Cronus. Pausanias records that the Arcadians claimed Zeus was born and raised in their land rather than on Crete, and that Neda along with the nymphs Theisoa and Hagno bathed and tended the divine baby. The River Neda — one of Greece's most beautiful waterways — still flows through a dramatic gorge bearing her name to this day.
Parents
Oceanus and Tethys
Symbols
Fun Fact
The River Neda gorge in Greece remains a popular hiking destination with waterfalls and natural pools
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Phaeo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs who nursed the infant Dionysus and was later placed among the stars
Polyxo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs and nurse of Dionysus, transformed into a star for her devoted care of the god
Amalthea
🌿 nymphnurture, abundance
A nymph (or goat) who nursed the infant Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete.
Thyene
🌿 nymphStars, Bacchic frenzy
One of the Hyades nymphs whose name connects to the ecstatic worship of Dionysus whom she nursed
Creusa
🌿 nymphsprings, motherhood
A Naiad nymph of Thessaly who bore Hypseus and Stilbe to the river god Peneus.
Antiope
🌿 nymphrivers, motherhood
A nymph or princess loved by Zeus, who bore the twins Amphion and Zethus, builders of Thebes' walls.
Penelope
🌿 nymphnature, pastoral
A mountain nymph of Arcadia who, in one tradition, was the mother of Pan by Hermes — distinct from Odysseus's famous wife.
Aegle
🌿 nymphlight, healing
A nymph whose name means "radiance" — identified variously as a Hesperid, a daughter of Asclepius, or the most beautiful of the Naiads.
Stilbe
🌿 nymphrivers, light
A nymph of Thessaly, daughter of the river Peneus, who bore Centaurus and Lapithes to Apollo — thus originating both the Centaurs and the Lapiths.
Idyia
🌿 nymphKnowledge, Colchis
Oceanid nymph known as the knowing one and queen of Colchis beside King Aeetes
Asia
🌿 nymphLand, territory
Oceanid nymph whose name was given to the continent of Asia
Adrasteia
🌿 nymphinescapability, justice
Nymph who nursed the infant Zeus on Crete, later identified with divine retribution.