How were Nymphs born in Roman Mythology?

Question

I am writing a poem set in ancient Rome and am seeking stories that regard the birth (or process of birthing) nymphs to allude to. I certainly well considered that nymphs are more represented as "metaphors" of "Earthly" lands and forms, but are there any Roman myths that consider the physical birth of (or birthed) nymphs?

I could not find too much on the subject and what I did discover was not quite clear in a distinct context (I did unveil "Hesperides" and her mother "Styx" but I need something distinguished in Roman mythology, rather than Greek mythology and besides, I cannot seem to find a Roman equivalent of the Goddess "Styx", rather only the Infernal river.) And thus, I thought I would give it a try on this most virtuous forum.

Answer 1

Nymph, as the word νύμφη (nymphe) indicates, are originally from Greek mythology, not Roman. It's a word that encompasses some very different entities of varying levels of god-likeness, so there is no "one fits all" answer to your question.

If we focus on the type of entities that modern Westerners usually associate with nymphs, that is, manifested powers of nature in antropomorphic (female) form, then the question would not even make sense to an Ancient Greek or Roman: it would be the same as asking "how is nature born?"

In some cases, however, there are traditionally-agreed-upon parents for certain nymphs. In the case of the Hesperides (“nymphs of the evening”), for example, the parents are most often identified as the goddess Nyx (not Styx as posted in your question, that lineage is encountered less frequent). If a father is involved it is mostly either Atlas or Zeus. The Roman equivalent for the goddess Nyx is Nox.