Naiad

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Naiad

A Naiad by John William Waterhouse, 1893; a water nymph approaches the sleeping Hylas.
Grouping	Mythological
Sub grouping	Water spirit Elemental
Similar entities	Mermaid Huldra Selkie Siren
Habitat	Any body of fresh water

In Greek mythology, the naiads (/ˈnaɪædz, ˈneɪædz, -ədz/; Greek: ναϊάδες, translit. naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.

They are distinct from river gods, who embodied rivers, and the very ancient spirits that inhabited the still waters of marshes, ponds and lagoon-lakes such as pre-Mycenaean Lerna in the Argolis.