The Oceanids are the nymphs who were the 3000 (a number interpreted as meaning "innumerable") daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
Description[]
Oceanus, their father.
Each Oceanid was the patroness of a particular source of freshwater, both heavenly (rain, moist breezes) and earthly (rivers, seas, springs).
The Oceanids were also responsible for keeping watch over the young.
Like Metis, the Oceanids also functioned as the wives (or lovers) of many gods, and the mothers, by these gods, of many other gods and goddesses.
Their brothers are the 3000 river gods known the Potamoi.
Daughters[]
The following are some of the most famous or important of the three thousand daughters of Oceanus and Tethys.
- Styx: The first Oceanid, Titaness of River Styx, the wife of Pallas and the mother of Zelus, Nike, Cratos and Bia.
- Lethe: The Oceanid of River Lethe.
- Metis: The first wife of Zeus and the mother of Athena.
- Eurynome: The third wife of Zeus and the mother of the 3 Charites.
- Klymene: The wife of Iapetus and the mother of Atlas, Menoetius, Buphagus, Anchiale, Prometheus and Epimetheus.
- Doris: The wife of Nereus and the mother of the 50 Nereids, Nerites and Glaucus.
- Periboea: The wife of Lelantos and the mother of Aura.
- Perseis: The wife of Helios and the mother of Pasiphaë and Aeetes.
- Idyia: The wife of Aeetes and the mother of Medea and Calciope.
- Callirhoe: The wife of Chrysaor and the mother of Geryon.
- Electra: The wife of Thaumant and the mother of Iris, Arke, Aellopos, Ocypete, Nicothoe and Podarke.
- Hesione: The wife of Prometheus and the mother of Deucalion and Aidos.
- Hagnocis: A of the four Oceanids that nursed infant Zeus.
- Melia: A lover of Apollo and mother Tenerus and Ismenus.
- Dione: Oceanid of the Oracle of Dodona.
- Dodonia: The wife of king Dophon and the queen divine of Dodona
- Pleione: The wife of Atlas and the mother of the 7 Pleiades and Zoë Nightshade.
- Hesperis: A lover of Atlas and the mother of the 4 Hesperides.
- Hyada: A lover of Atlas and the mother of the 5 Hyads.
- Ethra: A lover of Atlas and the mother of the 4 Ethrianides.
- Melibea: The wife of Pelasgo and the mother of Lycaon.
- Philira: The lover of Kronos and the mother of Chiron, Aphros and Bythos.
- Peitho: The wife of Hermes.
- Paregoros: A lover of Poseidon.
Trivia[]
- Certain children of other Titans are sometimes called a certain name after their father like: the Koeides (Asteria, Leto and Lelantos), the Kreionides (Pallas, Astraeus and Perses), the Hyperionides (Helios, Selene and Eos), the Iapetionides (Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius, Buphagus and Anchiale) and the Kronides (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus).
- Though most Oceanids are Titanides, some of them are Nymphs Aurai.
- Whereas most sources limit the term Oceanids or Oceanides to the daughters, others include both the sons and daughters under this term.
- According to some myths, Perseis was the mother of Circe.
- According to some myths, Nemesis and Tyche were Oceanids.
- According to some myths, Dione was the mother of Aphrodite and the wife of Zeus. In this version, she is the daughter of Aither and Gaea, Uranus and Gaea or Oceanus and Tethys.
- In other myths, Peitho was a daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite and has even been considered a daughter of Dionysus and one of the Charites.