Nympholepsy is the belief of the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

that individuals could be possessed by the

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label= Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

s. Individuals who considered themselves nympholepts would display a great religious devotion to the nymphs. An example is Archedemos of

Thera Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...

, who built the sanctuary of the nymphs in the

Vari Cave The Vari Cave, also known as the Nympholyptos Cave ( el, Σπήλαιο Νυμφολήπτου Βάρης), is a small cave northeast of Vari in Attica, Greece. In classical antiquity the cave was used as a shrine dedicated to Apollo, Pan and t ...

northeast of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

, Greece.

Etymology

Nympholepsy, a term first used in 1775 by Richard Chandler in Travels in Greece, is described as “frenzy or rapture hat wassupposed to take hold of a man upon gazing on a nymph”. It originates from the Greek word ''nymphe'', meaning “bride”, “beautiful young woman”, then “semi-divine being in the form of a beautiful maiden”, and epilepsy, from the Greek word ''epilepsis'', meaning “a seizure”. Though the root of nympholepsy implies a fit or seizure, according to

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

, as presented in the writings of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, a person could experience nympholepsy without any “tearing of clothes, the biting of lips, or convulsions, or frenzies”. Plato implies in his writings that nympholepsy showed itself in others by “heightened awareness and eloquence”. Ancient Greece also had the word ''nymphleptos'', meaning “caught by nymphs”.

Nymphs

Amphiglyphon_votif_NAMA_1783_Athens_Greece

Nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label= Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

s were known as female spirits of the natural world, and were minor goddesses of various aspects in nature – forests, rivers, springs, meadows, mountains and seas. They were often depicted as beautiful young women with attributes symbolizing whatever natural formation they ruled over. Nymphs are most often described as either the daughters of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

, the river Oceanus, or Gaia, though various other gods and goddesses have been attributed to their parentage over the years. Many gods are also described as having various nymph companions; for example,

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

is known for her band of huntress nymphs,

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

is often accompanied by sea nymphs called

Nereid In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...

es, and nymph handmaidens were common companions to the goddesses of Olympos. Some elder nymphs, such as those of the

Oceanids In Greek mythology, the Oceanids or Oceanides (; grc, Ὠκεανίδες, Ōkeanídes, pl. of grc, Ὠκεανίς, Ōkeanís, label=none) are the nymphs who were the three thousand (a number interpreted as meaning "innumerable") daughters o ...

and

Nereids In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...

class, were known as immortal goddesses, but most nymphs had a finite, though very long, lifespan.

Archedemos and the Vari Cave

The

, also known as the Nympholyptos Cave, lies northeast of

Vari Vari ( el, Βάρη) is a southern suburb of Athens and former municipality in East Attica, Greece along the Athens coast. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal u ...

in Attica, Greece. Along with being a shrine to the nymphs, the Vari Cave is also a shrine devoted to the gods Pan and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

. It is also known as the Cave of Pan, and is unique for the reliefs cut into the rock by nympholept Archedemos. Archedemos was a native of Thera, an island which is now known as modern-day Santorini and is located 318 kilometers from the Vari Cave. According to Richard Chandler's writings in his account in Travels in Greece, Archedemos moved from his native town and settled in Attica, Greece, which was 35.5 kilometers from the Cave of Vari where he would later create his shrine to the nymphs, Apollo, and Pan. Though it is a shrine devoted to Apollo and Pan as well, Archedemos created the cave "for the nymphs, by whom he was possessed". By the writings of Archedemos in the cave, it is presumed that the Vari Cave was furnished with a dwelling and a garden for the nymphs, as well as a well of water. Richard Chandler, an English antiquary, was the first scientist to report his findings of the Vari Cave in 1765, but the cave was not excavated until 1901 by Charles Heald Weller.

In popular culture

In modern culture, nympholepsy is also defined as "passion aroused in men by beautiful young girls", and "wild frenzy caused by desire for an unattainable ideal". The most famous example is in Vladimir Nabokov's '' Lolita'', where the main character Humbert Humbert has an obsession with prepubescent girls he refers to as nymphets and self-describes as a nympholept. The obsession with young girls is explained with the loss of his first love when she was a young age, referring back to the definition of an unattainable ideal.

Etymology

Nymphs

Archedemos and the Vari Cave

In popular culture

References

Further reading