Galatea

GALATEIA (Galatea) was one of the fifty Nereides and the goddess of calm seas.

She frequented the coast of Sicily and there attracted the attention of the Kyklops (Cyclops) Polyphemos. The giant wooed her with tunes from his rustic pipes and offerings of milk and cheese. But the nymphe spurned his advances and consorted instead with a handsome Sicillian youth named Akis (Acis). Polyphemos flew into a jealous rage and crushed the boy beneath a rock. Galateia was grief-stricken and transformed Akis into a stream. According to some Galateia was the mother by Polyphemos of Galatos, eponymous king of Galatia in Anatolia.

Galateia was depicted in ancient art as a beautiful woman riding side-saddle on the back of a sea-monster or fish-tailed god.

Her name means either "goddess of calm seas" from galênê and theia or "milky-white" from galaktos.

THE NEREIDES (Nereids) were fifty sea-nymphe daughters of Nereus the old man of the sea. They were goddesses of the sea's rich bounty and protectors of sailors and fishermen, coming to the aid of those in distress. Individually they represented various facets of the sea from the salty brine, to the sea foam, sand, rocks, waves and currents, as well as the various skills possessed by seamen.

The Nereides dwelt with their elderly father in a silvery grotto at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. The Nereid Thetis was their unofficial leader and Amphitrite was Poseidon's queen.

The Nereides were depicted in ancient art as beautiful, young maidens, sometimes running with small dolphins or fish in their hands, or else riding on the backs of dolphins, hippokampoi (hippocamps) and other sea creatures.

The name Nereides means "Daughters of Nereus" but also "the Wet Ones" from nêros the Greek word for "wet".