The Lampads /ˈlæmpədz, ˈlæmˌpædz/ or Lampades /ˈlæmpəˌdiːz/ (Greek: Λαμπάδες) are the nymphs of the Underworld in Greek mythology.[citation needed]
Mythology
editCompanions of Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft and crossroads, they were a gift from Zeus for Hecate's loyalty in the Titanomachy. They bear torches and accompany Hecate on her night-time travels and hauntings.[citation needed] Some accounts tell of how the light of the Lampads' torches has the power to drive one to madness.
The Lampads' Roman name is nymphae Avernales ("infernal nymphs").[1]
See also
edit- The Wild Hunt (Nordic and Germanic folklore)
- The Nightmarchers (Hawaiian religion)
- The Hyakki Yagyō (Japanese folklore)
References
edit- ^ Adam, Alexander (1814). A Compendious Dictionary of the Latin Tongue. Edinburgh. p. 146.
Avernales nymphae, the infernal nymphs, Ovid. Met. 5, 540.