Is there a male version of nymphs?

[Perch]

Before anyone says anything, YES I KNOW, that Satyrs are basically the male equivalent for the Nymphs and when they copulate if the baby is male it’s a Satyr and if it’s female it’s a Nymph. And although some are very handsome most are short, fat, hairy and ugly with crooked faces and creepy facial expressions.

What I’m asking is: If is there a mythological creature, a river spirit, that looks like a young, hunky and handsome lad that help adventures, and live underwater.

Is there such thing? I know that "Sit still, look pretty" is not a very manly thing to do but still it’s the same problem with Incubus, the females get to be super-hot demons and the guys have to be imp like short creatures. What’s the deal?

My players are exploring an cave, one of the players found a nymph in the grotto, I was palyign to make her charm him and steal his stuff but he said “Hey this is obviously a trap but screw that” and started making out with her, as the group plans to go rescue him I wanted to have more nymphs to try to charm them but one of the players is a girl who is playing with a female character and the other is a guy who is playing as a slutty sorceress.

This whole scenario started to become like joke and I don’t want to leave anyone left out. :p

Perhaps I should just give up this idea before it gets out of hand xD

[legomaster00156]

Well, in Pathfinder, at least, incubi actually are portrayed as "devilishly handsome men". As for your question, off the top of my head, I can't think of any such race, but you could always go for other aquatic beings, with mermen being the most obvious.

[ahyangyi]

Can't think of any. A problem is there were seldom female adventurers in "traditional" myth and folklore. Therefore a male counterpart of nymphs will be useless to the stories..

I'd just throw in some magical handsome male fey. No root in traditions, but you can make it up and it won't sound too bad.

[Perch]

Well, in Pathfinder, at least, incubi actually are portrayed as "devilishly handsome men". As for your question, off the top of my head, I can't think of any such race, but you could always go for other aquatic beings, with mermen being the most obvious.

But that's not hwo they look in the myths:

Spoiler

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Besides, mermen were traditionally depicted as unattractive. Only now, in some modern depictions they look handsome.

[Vinyadan]

River gods were totally a thing. However, they weren't seen as seductive, but they could be very passionate -- see Alphaios.

They also looked a bit older than nymphs, nympha simply means girl iirc. I guess that a middle aged godly looking man with a beard still can be seductive for a girl, though.

There's a lot of images of them. Just search river god in Google images.

[Mastikator]

Satyr is the male equivalent of the nymph.

(it's not a perfect reflection but it's pretty close, as close as you're gonna get without just being a cheap gender swapped copy)

Edit- just here for my daily dose of humiliation humility

[Nupo]

The nymph in Pathfinder https://newpathfinderraces.wordpress...4/11/18/nymph/ throughout refers to it as a she, but doesn't specifically state that it has to be. I thought it would be fun to create a male nymph, make him 200+ pounds with charisma as his dump stat. Have him run around dressed only in a speedo. The description of Blinding Beauty doesn't state that the individual actually has to be beautiful. I'm thinking this character would have the blinding ability, but for quite the opposite reason, and he wouldn't be able to turn it off with anything short of invisibility.

[Perch]

Satyr is the male equivalent of the nymph.

(it's not a perfect reflection but it's pretty close, as close as you're gonna get without just being a cheap gender swapped copy)

*Sigh*

[scalyfreak]

Yes, there is, in Swedish folklore. Google Näcken.

Or if you prefer, wait for me to get home from work tonight, so I'm not posting from a phone, and I'll have details for you.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Sparkly vampires? *the most evil smiley you can imagine*

[Inevitability]

Fossegrim?

[scalyfreak]

Fossegrim?

That's essentially the same as my suggestion, just a different name

[Nifft]

What I’m asking is: If is there a mythological creature, a river spirit, that looks like a young, hunky and handsome lad that help adventures, and live underwater.

There's this guy (from the movie Spirited Away):



Haku is a river-dragon who turns into a heroically proportioned blush-inducing young man.

[Cluedrew]

Although sexual dimorphism is a fun concept, it doesn't quite click for me with nymphs and satyrs. My general solution for this type of thing is just to say "[other gender] [gender associated creatures] are a thing"*. So yeah, just make the nymphs male, maybe refer to them as water spirits to avoid overloading a term.

The other option (although this doesn't quite answer the question but might still solve the problem) is that nymphs are genderless/bi-gendered and have some limited shape-shifting ability. So the first nymph's friends might shift to there best guess of the rest of the party's preferences.

* With the possible exception of witches for some reason.

[BayardSPSR]

Yes, there is, in Swedish folklore. Google Näcken.

Having googled it, I second this recommendation.

Haku is a river-dragon who turns into a heroically proportioned blush-inducing young man.

Can verify. Related to this, there's nothing stopping you from re-theming any creatures from folklore as "sit still, look pretty" hunky types.

My players are exploring an cave, one of the players found a nymph in the grotto, I was palyign to make her charm him and steal his stuff but he said “Hey this is obviously a trap but screw that” and started making out with her, as the group plans to go rescue him I wanted to have more nymphs to try to charm them but one of the players is a girl who is playing with a female character and the other is a guy who is playing as a slutty sorceress.

Since nymphs are magical creatures to begin with, could you also just have them shapeshifting or using illusions to alter their appearance? Or automatically being perceived as the observer's desired gender in the first place?

EDIT: Ninja'd! (I've always wanted to get to say that)

[comicshorse]

The Kelpie or Water Horse from Scottish myth, when they don't look like horses appear as handsome men

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

[Shamash]

Well, nymphs is a very board term, there are many sub-species such as the Dryads(tree nymphs) and Nereids(Sea nymphs) the Nereid actually had a brother who was called Nerites.

He was basically what you are looking for, a young boy of stunning beauty, even Aphrodite falls in love with him.

Maybe you could call male nymphs Nereid? That would keep the Greek theme.

You may argue that it's the name of a specific being and not a species but the same could be sad about Medusa, Pegasus, hydra, Minotaur etc… That didn’t keep fantasy authors from making a race out of them.

If not I second Näcken (Nix), as usual the Nordic legends are a lot more progressive.

Allowing both beautiful, scantily clad maidens...and handsome, athletic young shirtless men.

The Kelpie or Water Horse from Scottish myth, when they don't look like horses appear as handsome men

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

But they are violent rather than sexy and seductive.

[Mechalich]

Fox spirits, which play a similar role in a number of eastern mythologies, can be male or female, and the male versions were generally handsome (also well-spoken and interested in the arts).

[scalyfreak]

Since others have already posted links and details on Näcken/Fossegrim, I will refrain. I will instead suggest that one of the possible advantages of using that myth as the blueprint for your water dwelling seducer is that there's a good chance your players won't recognize what manner of creature this is.

He would be very polite, helpful, charming in every way... naked of course, and immediately try to befriend the bard of the group (if there is one).

Not technically a river spirit, not a male nymph, not faerie kind (that is debatable, btw), not a male naiad... you can drive your players crazy with this.

[halfeye]

Water horses are dangerous:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus

[FreddyNoNose]

Well, in Pathfinder, at least, incubi actually are portrayed as "devilishly handsome men". As for your question, off the top of my head, I can't think of any such race, but you could always go for other aquatic beings, with mermen being the most obvious.

If there was an American Sitcom based on this it would have someone like Kevin James playing the part!

[ahyangyi]

Well, nymphs is a very board term, there are many sub-species such as the Dryads(tree nymphs) and Nereids(Sea nymphs) the Nereid actually had a brother who was called Nerites.

He was basically what you are looking for, a young boy of stunning beauty, even Aphrodite falls in love with him.

Maybe you could call male nymphs Nereid? That would keep the Greek theme.

You may argue that it's the name of a specific being and not a species but the same could be sad about Medusa, Pegasus, hydra, Minotaur etc… That didn’t keep fantasy authors from making a race out of them.

If not I second Näcken (Nix), as usual the Nordic legends are a lot more progressive.

Allowing both beautiful, scantily clad maidens...and handsome, athletic young shirtless men.



But they are violent rather than sexy and seductive.

Cool.

Too bad Googling "nerites" returned me some images of snails, but that's probably the biologists to blame. After all, they also use "nymphs" to denote young insects...

[Lemmy]

Well... In Brazilian folklore, there're tales about the Boto Cor-de-Rosa (aka: Encantado), which is as pinkish dolphin that takes the form of a handsome young man to seduce young ladies. You can probably find more about it by looking for "Encantado"in Google.

EDIT: Encantados also live in rivers and are often described as possessing great singing skills (as well as a myriad of nature/water-themed powers that change from tale to tale), so they are an even better male Nymph-analog!

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Well... In Brazilian folklore, there're tales about the Boto Cor-de-Rosa (aka: Encantado), which is as pinkish dolphin that takes the form of a handsome young man to seduce young ladies. You can probably find more about it by looking for "Encantado"in Google.

Sounds like they might be related to selkies.

[Lemmy]

Sounds like they might be related to selkies.

Might be, but Selkies are usually found in the sea, while Encantados are river dolphins. Both work for the purpose of this thread, though.

[5ColouredWalker]

Or that a dolphin will rape anything that floats.
One of the two.

[Ravens_cry]

I think fawns and satyrs were the mythological counterparts to nymphs and dryads.

[Perch]

I think fawns and satyrs were the mythological counterparts to nymphs and dryads.

Anyway, I end up going with the Näcken.

Thanks for the help guys!

[VincentTakeda]

Satyrs for sure.. Mister Tumnus was a *naughty* fawn.

[Frozen_Feet]

@Lemmy: I recall river dolphins were the go-to explanation for when a youbg woman gave birth out of a wedlock.

Girl: "I swear! It was a dolphin!"
Men of the village: *nodding sagely* "Yes. Totally a dolphin."