Nereids
The fifty Nereids were daughters of Nereus — benevolent spirits of the calm sea who aided sailors and rode dolphins.
The Myth of Nereids
The Nereids, fifty daughters of the sea god Nereus and Doris, attended Poseidon's court and guided sailors through dangerous waters. Thetis, mother of Achilles, was the most famous; Amphitrite became Poseidon's queen. Galatea was loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus. The Nereids helped the Argonauts navigate past Scylla and the Wandering Rocks on Jason's voyage to Colchis. When Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter surpassed the Nereids in beauty, Poseidon sent a sea monster — leading Perseus to rescue Andromeda and slay Medusa's kin. The Nereids mourned Achilles at Troy, rising from the waves alongside Thetis.
Parents
Nereus and Doris
Children
Various
Symbols
Fun Fact
Neptune's moon Nereid and the biological order Nereididae are both named after these sea nymphs.
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
Amphitrite
🌿 nymphQueen of the sea
Amphitrite was the Nereid who became queen of the sea as Poseidon's wife.
Cymothoe
🌿 nymphWaves, sea currents
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "swift as the waves," one of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris
Agaue
🌿 nymphSplendour, nobility of the sea
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "the illustrious one," representing the noble majesty of the ocean
Halia
🌿 nymphthe sea, salt
A sea nymph of Rhodes who bore six sons and a daughter to Poseidon before throwing herself into the sea in grief.
Periboea
🌿 nymphthe sea, giants
A Naiad or sea nymph who bore the giant Nausithous to Poseidon, becoming the ancestress of the Phaeacians.
Doris
goddesssea, bounty of the sea, safe passage
Sea goddess and mother of the fifty Nereids, personifying the richness and abundance of the ocean.
Eunice
🌿 nymphthe sea, victory
A Nereid whose name means "good victory," one of the fifty sea-nymph daughters of Nereus and Doris.
Rhode
🌿 nymphthe sea, islands
A sea nymph, daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite (or Aphrodite), who gave her name to the island of Rhodes.
Beroe
🌿 nymphcities, the sea
A nymph born to Aphrodite and Adonis, whose hand in marriage was contested by Poseidon and Dionysus.
Callianassa
🌿 nymphBeautiful queenship, noble grace
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "beautiful queen," embodying the regal splendour of the sea
Oceanids
🌿 nymphThree thousand daughters of Oceanus
The Oceanids included Metis, Styx, Doris — nymphs of all fresh waters.
Thetis
🌿 nymphSea nymph mother of Achilles
Thetis was a sea nymph so powerful that both Zeus and Poseidon desired her — until a prophecy warned her son would surpass his father.