Nephele is the name of one or possibly two Cloud Nymphs in Greek Mythology.
Myths[]
Ixion, a King and a mortal son or grandson of Zeus was once invited to Mount Olympus to dine with the gods, during his time there the goddess Hera claimed that Ixion had tried to violate her and to check the veracity of her claims, Zeus formed a Nymph out of clouds named Nephele and moulded her into the shape of Hera to test Ixion. Ixion fooled by the ruse, raped the Cloud Nymph who conceived and gave birth to the tribe of Kentauroi (Centaurs) in a rain-shower upon the slopes of Mount Pelion. Following this, Ixion was subsequently apprehended and chained to a fiery wheel for all eternity. This Nymph's home was given as Mount Pelion in Thessaly, Greece.
According to the Greek myth of Phrixus and Helle, there was a cloud Nymph named Nephele, a possible daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who was married to the mortal King Athamas of Boeotia and settled in Athamantia, Boeotia where she had the twins, Phrixus and Helle. Nephele though would later be divorced and abandoned by Athamas, who remarried to Ino, a Princess of Thebes. Ino hated Nephele and Athamas' children bitterly and she schemed to have them executed, but luckily on the day of their execution, Nephele sent a flying golden ram which carried Phrixus and Helle away.
It was not made certain in Greek mythology whether these Nepheles are two unique individuals or the same person.
Trivia[]
Nephele is spelt Νεφελη in Greek and means 'cloud'.
Nephele was called Nebula or Nubes by the Romans.