Polydora
Oceanid nymph whose name means many gifts and who embodied bountiful waters
The Myth of Polydora
Polydora was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys catalogued by Hesiod among the three thousand Oceanids. Her name — "many gifts" — reflects the Greek understanding of fresh water as the most generous resource the earth could offer. Rivers fed crops, sustained cities, and powered trade, and the nymphs who governed them were revered accordingly. Polydora appears in the Theogony's great list of Oceanids alongside her sisters, each representing a different quality of the world's waters. Her name was also borne by several mortal women in myth, a testament to how desirable the concept of abundant giving was in Greek culture.
Parents
Oceanus and Tethys
Symbols
Fun Fact
The name Polydora was so popular that at least four different mythological women shared 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
Eudora
🌿 nymphGood gifts, generosity
Oceanid nymph whose name means good gifts and who represented the bounty of fresh water
Polixo
🌿 nymphHospitality, many guests
Oceanid nymph whose name means much hospitality or she who welcomes many
Doto
🌿 nymphGenerosity of the sea, bounty
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "the giver," representing the sea's generous bounty of fish and resources
Eudore
🌿 nymphGood gifts, generosity of the sea
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "good gift" or "generous giver," personifying the bounty the sea bestows upon humanity
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.
Polyxo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs and nurse of Dionysus, transformed into a star for her devoted care of the god
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
Okyrhoe
🌿 nymphSwift flowing water
Oceanid nymph whose name means swift flow and who personified fast-running streams
Amalthea
🌿 nymphnurture, abundance
A nymph (or goat) who nursed the infant Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete.
Agaue
🌿 nymphSplendour, nobility of the sea
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "the illustrious one," representing the noble majesty of the ocean
Naiads
🌿 nymphFreshwater nymphs
Naiads presided over every spring, stream, river, lake, and fountain — their water held prophetic and healing powers.
Thalia
🌿 nymphthe sea, blooming
A Nereid whose name means "the blooming one," distinct from the Muse Thalia and the Grace Thalia.