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Eurynome

Broad Pastures, Wide-Rulership

Domains:

Oceanid

Category:

5E Alignment:

5E Domains:

5E Symbol:

Greek Name

Transliteration

Latin Spelling

Translation

Ευρυνομη

Eurynomê

Eurynome

Broad-Pasture, Wide-Ruling (eury, nomos)

Ωκεανις Ωκεανιδες

Ôkeanis, Ôkeanides

Oceanid, Oceanids

Daughters of Oceanus

  1. EURYNOME was one of the elder Okeanides and the Titan-goddess of water-meadows and pasturelands. She was the third of the brides of Zeus who bore him the Kharites (Charites), goddesses of grace and beauty. Her name means "She of Broad-Pastures" from the Greek words eurys "wide" or "broad" and nomia "pasture."

    She was perhaps identified with the Titan-Queen of the same name--Eurynome wife of Ophion.

  2. EURYNOME was the first Titan-queen of heaven who ruled Olympos beside her husband Ophion. The pair were wrestled by Kronos (Cronus) and Rhea for their thrones and cast defeated into the earth-encircling River Okeanos (Oceanus).

    Eurynome's name means "Wide-Ruling" or "She of Broad-Pastures" from the Greek words eurys "wide" or "broad" and nomos "ruling" or nomia "pasturelands."

    She was perhaps identified with Eurynome the mother of the Graces.


THE OKEANIDES (Oceanids) were three thousand goddess-nymphs who presided over the sources of earth's fresh-water--from rain-clouds to subterranean springs and fountains. Their numbers included the Nephelai (Cloud-Nymphs), Aurai (Breeze-Nymphs), Naiades (Spring and Fountain Nymphs), Leimonides (Pasture Nymphs), and Anthousai (Flower Nymphs). They were all daughters of the great, earth-encircling, fresh-water stream Okeanos (Oceanus) and his wife Tethys.


The eldest among them were numbered among the Titanides (female Titans)--Styx, Dione, Neda, Metis, Klymene, Eurynome, Doris, Elektra, and Pleione. These were most likely heavenly goddesses of the clouds.


Some of the Okeanides personified divine blessings such as Metis (Wisdom), Klymene (Fame), Plouto (Wealth), Tykhe (Good Fortune), Telesto (Success), and Peitho (Persuasion). The goddess Nemesis was sometimes also included in their number as one who provided balance by punishing undeserved good fortune as might arise from her sister's gifts. These Good Spirits (Daimones Agathoi) were ephemeral in nature much like the dark children of Nyx (Night), the Spirits of Harm (Daimones Kakoi).


Another group of Okeanides were handmaidens of the Olympian goddesses, the most prominent of these were the sixty Okeanis companions of Artemis, Peitho the handmaiden of Aphrodite, and Klymene the handmaiden of Hera.


The Naias-Okeanides (Naiads) were primarily nymphs of springs, wells and fountains. They were often portrayed as the wives of the Potamoi (River-Gods) and mothers of younger Naiades.


The Okeanides were occasionally described as sea-nymphs. In the late classical era the mythical, earth-encircling, fresh-water river Okeanos was increasingly equated with the briny Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and his nymph-daughters reimagined as marine deities.

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