Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 52

nymphs
of the sea

Article by Carmen B. de los Santos
Photography Len McKenzie

...while Cymodocea,
the most glorious of
all the nymphs,
swam and made music
from the depths
of the sea, from
time to time
bedewed me sweetly
with her kisses,
and carried the
iron keel
from below...

T

HE SEAGRASS GENUS
Cymodocea was first published by
German naturalist Charles König in
1805. By far, this is one of the most
fascinating seagrass names since it
transports us to the days of yore, when
Greeks described the natural
phenomena as divine manifestations.
In Greek mythology, fifty beautiful
daughters of the sea, the Nereids, were
born from Nereus and Doris. These
goddesses were empathic and kind and
helped sailors and fishermen when
struggling with perilous storms. They
liked to ride the waves on dolphins or sea
horses, playing with sea creatures, and
each of them personified a marine facet.
Jointly with the Tritones, the Nereids
formed the entourage of Poseidon, God
of Seas and protector of all waters.

The seagrass genus Cymodocea was
named after Kymodoke (Cymodoce), one
of the Nereids, the one who speed
Cyriaco's ship across the Aegean Sea.
Kymodoke was the sea-