Polixo
Oceanid nymph whose name means much hospitality or she who welcomes many
The Myth of Polixo
Polixo was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys whose name derives from the Greek words poly (many) and xenos (stranger or guest). She embodied the sacred Greek concept of xenia — the hospitality owed to strangers and travelers — elevated to a divine principle. Hesiod includes her in his Theogony catalogue of the Oceanids, the three thousand daughters who presided over the world's freshwater sources. The association of water nymphs with hospitality was natural: springs and rivers were the first resources any traveler sought. A mortal woman named Polyxo also appears in the myth of the Lemnian women and in the aftermath of the Trojan War.
Parents
Oceanus and Tethys
Symbols
Fun Fact
The concept of xenia — sacred guest-friendship — was so important that Zeus himself enforced it
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
Polydora
🌿 nymphGenerosity, abundance
Oceanid nymph whose name means many gifts and who embodied bountiful waters
Eudora
🌿 nymphGood gifts, generosity
Oceanid nymph whose name means good gifts and who represented the bounty of fresh water
Polyxo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs and nurse of Dionysus, transformed into a star for her devoted care of the god
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.
Callidice
🌿 nymphsprings, beauty
One of the nymphs of Eleusis who welcomed Demeter during her search for Persephone.
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
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.
Agaue
🌿 nymphSplendour, nobility of the sea
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "the illustrious one," representing the noble majesty of the ocean
Deiopea
🌿 nymphbeauty, divine service
The most beautiful of Hera's attendant nymphs, offered by the goddess as a bride to Aeolus in exchange for his services.
Polynome
🌿 nymphMany pastures, wide-ranging knowledge
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "of many pastures" or "rich in laws," embodying the vast diversity of the sea
Zeuxo
🌿 nymphYoking, joining
Oceanid nymph whose name evokes yoking and binding together in union