Oceanides

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 700+ words | Copyright

Oceanides, or Oceanitides, the generic name given to the legendary sea nymphs, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Contemporary estimates of their number vary from 41 to 3,000. The Oceanides, like many of the rest of the inferior deities, were honoured with libations and sacrifices, in their case by seamen. Prayers were offered to them, and they were entreated to protect sailors from storms and dangerous tempests. The Argonauts, before they proceeded on their expedition, made an offering of flour, honey, and oil on the seashore to the deities of the sea, sacrificed bulls to them and entreated their protection throughout the voyage on which they were about to embark in the arduous quest for the Golden Fleece.

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