Meliboia
Naias Nymphe of an Arkadian Spring or the Epimelis of Cattle-Grazing Pastures
Domains:
Oceanid
Category:
5E Alignment:
5E Domains:
5E Symbol:
Greek Name | Transliteration | Latin Spelling | Translation |
Μελιβοια Μελιβοιη | Meliboia, Meliboiê | Meliboea | Sweet-Cow (meli, bous) |
Ωκεανις Ωκεανιδες | Ôkeanis, Ôkeanides | Oceanid, Oceanids | Daughters of Oceanus |
MELIBOIA (Meliboea) was an Okeanid-nymph of Mount Kyllene (Cyllene) in Arkadia (southern Greece). She was the wife of Pelasgos (Pelasgus), the eponymous first king of the aboriginal Pelasgian tribes of Arkadia. Meliboia's name was derived from the Greek words meli "honey-sweet" and bous "cow"--honeyed was an adjective often applied to springs and cow was a favourable term for a woman (whose bride-price was once paid in cattle). Meliboia was probably the same as Kyllene (Cyllene), the wife of Pelasgos by other accounts.
MELIBOIA (Meliboea) was an Okeanid-nymph of Syria in west Asia. She was loved by the river-god Orontes who flooded the Syrian plain as he stayed his streams to woe her.
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.