Nereids

Nereids or Sea nymphs are considered the most beautiful of all creatures, especially in the ocean. Often accompanying Poseidon they were considered friendly and helpful to sailors.

Nereids look like beautiful women with coral crowns and dressed in white with gold trim, and are often depicted on several marine supernatural beings or aquatic life. Apparently there were only fifty of them and they depicted all that lived in the sea, like the sea foam, the sand etc.

One such Nereid was Galateia.
Galateia was the goddess of the calm seas and would often frequent the beautiful coast of Sicily. One day when she was there Galateia heard music playing from rustic pipes, and when investigating she found that it came from Polyphemos. Who on looking at her beauty decided to woo her with milk and cheese.

But Galateia spurned his advances. She fell in love with another, a handsome scillian youth named Akis. Unfortunately for the beautiful couple, Polyphemos grew angry at their love.

Enraged, he plotted and planned on revenge. Galateia and Akis didn’t see it coming. Polyphemos catching them unawares crushed Akis beneath a rock, killing him instantly and sending Galateia into mourning. Grief stricken, she transformed the boy’s body into a stream, so that he would forever be immortalized.

I hope you enjoyed this tale,

S.McC

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