Oceanids
The Oceanids were daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. There were three thousand daughters of the Titans. Oceanus also had an equal number of sons who were all river gods.
Being an Oceanid didn't necessarily mean that the nymph was a water deity. The Oceanids, unlike the Nereïds, had no special functions or roles. Some were both nymph and goddess. Only some of Oceanus' daughters had the attributes of a water goddess, such as the sea or river.
The eldest daughter was Styx, and she was the only female river deity in a world full of river gods. Others such as Doris and Amphitrite were clearly represented as goddesses of the sea. But figures such as Metis, who was the goddess of wisdom, seemed to have no connection with water.
In the Theogony, Hesiod described them as the holy company, who with their brothers (river-gods) and Apollo, kept watch over the youths. Since there were 3000 daughters of Oceanus, they were dispersed far and wide, living in all parts of the world; in the sea or on land.
Only a few other well-known Oceanids were goddesses in their own right. There were the Oceanids Doris and Amphitrite (possibly a Nereid), both being goddesses of the sea; and Metis, who was the goddess of intelligence and cunning.
The rest were more like nymphs than actual goddesses, such as Pleïone, mother of the Pleiades; and Clymene or Asia, mother of Prometheus.
Some of the Oceanids were seduced by the gods or married to mortals, bearing sons who were heroes or princes.
Here, are the list of names found in Hesiod's Theogony:
Peitho, Admete, Ianthe, Electra, Doris, Prymno, Urania, Hippo, Clymene, Rhodea, Callirrhoë, Zeuxo, Clytie, Idyia, Pasothoë, Plexaura, Galaxaura, Dione, Melobosis, Thoë, Polydora, Cerceïs, Pluto, Perseïs, Ianeira, Acaste, Xanthe, Petraea, Menestho, Europa, Metis, Eurynome, Telesto, Chryseis, Asia, Calypso, Eudora, Tyche, Amphirho, Ocyrrhoë, Styx.
There are only 41 names listed here, and Hesiod said there were many more. I wouldn't think of trying to name all 3000 Oceanids. I would also include Pleïone and Cyllene in this list, as well as Philyra, mother of the Centaur Cheiron. The Roman mythographer Hyginus also gave us some different names.
Please note that some of the more important Oceanids have already been listed elsewhere.
For Styx, see House of Hades, Styx. For Doris, see Minor Greek Deities, Doris. For Metis, see Minor Greek Deities, Metis. For Dione, see Titans, Dione.
By Jimmy Joe
