Triton and Naiad

Mythical Fountain, Vienna, Austria

Maria-Theresien Platz is a large public square in Vienna, Austria, flanked on either side by the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum). Four large lawns divide the broad pathways of  Maria-Theresien Platz. At the center of each lawn is a sculptural fountain related to the Triton and the Naiads of Greek Mythology. The pictured Tritons and Naiads Fountain is by Edmund Paul Andreas Hofmann von Aspernburg. The four Carrara marble fountains date from 1887 to 1890.

Triton, the son of Poseiden and Amphitrite, is the messenger of the sea. He is usually represented as a merman, having the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Triton’s special attribute is a twisted conch shell, which he blows like a trumpet to calm or raise the waves. The Naiads are freshwater nymphs who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks. There are five types of Naiad nymphs. The Krenaiai are the Naiads who presided over town fountains and protect the water supply.

CFFC: Fountains