Historiae Romanorum

Nereids

The Nereids are fifty beautiful sisters.  Their father is Nereus, the son of Pontus and Gaia.  Their mother is Doris, the daughter of Oceanus and Thetys.  Most notable among the Nereids is Thetis, the mother of Achilles.

Cassiopeia, the queen of Ethiopia, once claimed that she was more beautiful than the Nereids.  To avenge this hubris, Poseidon sent a sea monster and a flood to ravage Ethiopia.  To appease Poseidon,  Andromeda had to be sacrificed to the sea monster.  Andromeda, however, was saved by Perseus.

Source(s):

1. Hesiod.  Theogeny.

2. Apollodorus.  Bibliotece.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.