Les Nymphes et l’enjeu du territoire. Une lecture d’Euripide, Électre 774‑858

Through a new reading of a passage from Euripides’ Electra (v. 774‑858), this article discusses the definition of Nymphs as “nature deities”, often used by modern scholarship. In the Electra Aegisthus offers a sacrifice to the Nymphs in the countryside of Argos. The analysis of the rite shows that, contrary to what is usually stated, the Nymphs not only preside over the natural world, but also have precise “territorial” competences that concern the political space. The author suggests that, far from being opposed to the city, the Nymphs, from the margins, play the role of guardians who grant access to the political space.