How was Salmacis not your usual nymph?

lanfranco

Well, I'm not certain what you consider to be a "usual nymph" (that seems to be sort of an oxymoron to me), but Salmacis did try to rape Hermaphroditus, and she wasn't very enthusiastic about hunting activities either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmacis Mar 13 06, 5:19 PM

Baloo55th

Well, according to wikipedia, she wasn't one of the virginal followers of Diana. However, I would dispute this as conferring an unusual status, as most nymphs weren't followers of Diana, especially in Greek mythology (where they occurred before the Roman mythology got going) and Artemis occupied the position taken by Diana in Roman times. Zeus had affairs with several nymphs. Also, the story of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus is believed to be derived from the ancient worship of the Bearded Aphrodite in Cyprus, who is similar in many respects to the Bearded Ishtar of the Middle East. Mind you, bathing in her lake or spring would be inadvisable for us males. There's no mention of what happened to females that bathed there, though... Mar 13 06, 5:37 PM