The first thing we are going to do to discover the meaning of the term nymph is to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it derives from Greek, specifically from "nymphé", which can be translated as "divinity of the sources."
The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a young woman who stands out for her beauty .
For example: «The boy was dazzled by the charm of the nymph» , «In front of the pop band there is a nymph who captivated the audience with her grace and her voice» , «The nymph entered the bar and took all the looks."
Another use of nymph mentioned by the RAE refers to a courtesan : a member of the female gender with liberal habits. In any case, the most frequent use of the concept appears in the field of mythology .
Nymphs, in this framework, are female deities that are usually related to a particular natural site, such as a forest or a lake. These are divine spirits who, in the artistic field, are represented as semi-naked or naked young women of great attractiveness.
Specifically, we have to establish that the nymphs were divided into several different categories:
-The naiads, who were the nymphs of the fountains.
-The oréades, who were the nymphs of the mountains.
-The Nereids, which was the name given to the sea nymphs. They were characterized because they were represented with the lower half of the body in the shape of a fish.
-The dryads, who were also known as hamadryads. These were tree nymphs.
-The meliades, which were specifically the nymphs of the ash trees.
In art, nymphs have always been very present. Hence there are numerous artistic works where these women from mythology took center stage. A good example of this is the painting titled "Hylas and the Nymphs."
This painting was made by the British painter John Williams Waterhouse (1849 – 1917) in 1896. This work is now in the Art Manchester Gallery, which represents the famous myth of Hylas, which narrates how this, son of the king Tiodamante is kidnapped and seduced by the nymphs given his great beauty.
In the field of zoology , the juvenile state of an insect that develops a simple metamorphosis is called a nymph. Nymphs have similar characteristics to adults, although their wings are not fully developed and their gonads are immature. Cockroaches , dragonflies , locusts and lice are some of the animals that, in their development, go through a phase as nymphs.
Finally, the nymph cockatoo , also known as carolina or cocotilla , is a bird native to Australia . Its scientific name is Nymphicus hollandicus and it is usually considered a pet .
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of what is known as the papillera nymph. This bird is characterized because its growth process is very similar to that of lovebirds. It is characterized by being very sensitive and requires that those who care for it have a lot of patience to ensure that it grows in the best conditions.