Thursday, July 27, 2006

nymph-o-mania: the good, the bad & the muddled


"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss..."


Sirens (greek); Selkies (scotland); Merrows (ireland); Merry Maid (cornwall);
Lorelei & Meerfrau (germany); Rusalka (russia); Mermaid (hans christian anderson);
Narf (shyam-osaurus)

Nymphs seduce men. They entice tired handsome travelers and keep them hostage under the cold dark water for the rest of their unfortunate(?) lives.
Sirens (bird-women turned nymphs) sing hypnotic songs to lure sailors into destruction.
Merpeople "do not take kindly to those who enter their domain". They do not sing, but screech when above water. They have yellow eyes, broken teeth, wear chokers of shark fangs and carry spears to poke anyone who enters "their domain".
Mermaids, the fairer and kinder of merpeople, fall in love with mere mortals, give up their voices alongwith their immortality to be with one, and eventually turn into sea-foam to sing to lost sailors.
Narfs are confused nymphs with absolutely no mystical powers. They have bad hair-do, bewildered looks, and whiter-than-white albino skin that separate them from the rest of us. They come from the "Blue World" to warn, help and "awaken" humankind. Humans carry them around and use sign-language to communicate during narf-ous breakdowns.


Hylas & the nymphs: artist Waterhouse, 1896

Merpeople: harry potter (goblet of fire)

Sirens: artist Herbert Draper, 1909

Narfs: Shyamalanesque Lady in the Water





Shyam-Alan, you are still a cutie...

15 comments:

Toski said...

Oceans apart, we are still oggling at the same thing!

Api said...

LOL... LOL!

Toski said...

So, you saw Lady in the Lake?

Api said...

Yepp, I did. Did you? You seem to have been busy thinking a lot...

Toski said...

I am glad you call it that. I was resigned to 'slacking' ;)

Api said...

Having fun, eh? can't wait to hear all the stories... enjoyed your posts a lot. You have access to a computer in the hotel, right? What happened to slacking on bed, channel surfing, and bathing for hours?

Toski said...

Previous hotel. This one is $15/day, and a hole in the wall. Common TV, common baths, but [un]luckily no common beds. LOL!

Api said...

hmmm... that explains your long-drawn introspection. What time is it over there? Tyme, is that still existing?

Toski said...

Ha! Ha! You forgot the little timekeeper on the right hand bottom corner. God bless computers! It is 5:16pm.

Toski said...

5:16pm on Thursday, July 27th.

Api said...

oh yes. i wish you didn't know the time... like a world of narnia through the closet where time doesn't exist... and nobody grows old. I dearly hope you don't know which day it is. What's your plan for the rest of the day?

Api said...

well, my days have never been slower. Boston, Boston, Boston... working all day through midnight, and then obsessing over posts... in your words, ogling over them.

Anonymous said...

On a totally related note, go bonkers on the motherload:

http://www.motherinlawstories.com/mother-in-law_stories_rdr_today.htm

Api said...

ummm... uhuh... it is so related. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Very pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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