A Nymph is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and tend to be depicted as beautiful, young, nubile maidens who love to dance and sing. They are believed to dwell in mountains and woodland groves, by springs and rivers, and in trees, valleys, and cool grottoes. Although they never die of old age or illness, they could give birth to a fully immortal child if they mated with a god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms. Nymphs, always in the shape of young women, were part of the retinue of a god, such as Dionysus, Hermes, or Pan, or a goddess, generally the huntress Artemis, they were also a target of satyrs.
