The nymphs were minor female deities or spirits, who inhabited the mountains, woods, waters and seas. Like the gods, some were literally forces of nature. They were indistinguishable from the element of nature.

There were quite few different types of nymphs. The oreads lived in the mountains, while the naïads were nymphs of the water, such as the spring and lake. The nymphs of the trees were called dryads, hamadryads and meliae. The Nereïds were sea-nymphs.

Some nymphs were named after region or island, like Europa and Asia (Oceanids). There was an island was named after Aegina.

Sometimes the division between nymphs and goddesses blurred, such as the cases of the sea goddesses, like Oceanid Doris, or the Nereids Amphitrite and Thetis. These three were goddesses of the sea. Whereas the Oceanid Metis, goddess of wisdom, had nothing to do with the sea.

It should be noted that there are some difficulties in identifying some nymphs, whether they are Oceanids or Nereids. This really depended on the sources that you may read. Such as Amphitrite, who had being identified as Nereid in Hesiod's Theogony; whereas Apollodorus says that she was Oceanid in one passage, but in the other she was a Nereid. And there is the obscure goddess Dione, who appeared as Oceanid in Theogony, as a Titaness in Apollodorus' Library; she could even be a Nereid.

Nymphs were sometimes worshipped alongside with the gods or heroes in their temples or sanctuaries, though these cults of the nymphs were usually found in caves.

Nymphs were often attendants to goddesses, like Artemis, or to other nymphs, like Calypso who has attendants on her island. Artemis was often seen as the mistress or goddess of the nymphs, since many of them were hunting companions of the goddess. Some nymphs attended Apollo or Hermes looking after flocks of sheep, as shepherdesses.

The poets and writers often described the nymphs of great beauty. Because of their beauty, they often received unwanted attentions from gods and mortals. They often tried to preserve their virginity, like the goddess they followed, but often they are powerless to resist mighty gods, like Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo or Hermes. Some were willing, but in many cases, they were raped.

Often to escape from the unwanted advances, even from the powerful gods, they were transformed into springs, trees, or flowers.

Most nymphs have at least one divine parent, while only a few nymphs have mortal father and mother. Even more important is that many of the nymphs have become mothers of heroes and gods.

The term "nymph" had later meant young beautiful woman, or seductress. Even worse was the term "nymphomania", which was used to describe uncontrollable or excessive sexual desire in women; a woman who was insatiable.