Great auricular nerve

Great auricular nerve
The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. (Great auricular visible below ear.)
Plan of the cervical plexus. (Great auricular labeled at top center.)
Details
From	Cervical plexus (C2-C3)
Innervates	Sensation of inferior part of auricle and parotid region of the face
Identifiers
Latin	nervus auricularis magnus
TA98	A14.2.02.018
TA2	6385
FMA	6872
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The great auricular nerve is a cutaneous (sensory) nerve of the head. It originates from the second and third cervical (spinal) nerves (C2-C3) of the cervical plexus. It provides sensory innervation to the skin over the parotid gland and the mastoid process, parts of the outer ear, and to the parotid gland and its fascia.

Pain resulting from parotitis is caused by an impingement on the great auricular nerve.