Νηρηΐς

'Nereid', a bronze by Nathan David, 1995–6.

Yesterday, I ran into someone I hadn't seen since we were students together, forty years ago. He said that I should see this sculpture as it had been done by one of his old lecturers.

I wasn't disappointed; it's quite beautiful.

In Greek mythology, the Nereids (Greek: Νηρηΐδες, sg. Νηρηΐς) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the fifty daughters of Nereus & Doris, sisters to Nerites. They were distinct from the Sirens. They'd often accompany Poseidon, the god of the sea, & can be friendly & helpful to sailors fighting perilous storms.