Sophomoric Nymphs

The Tatie of Nymphs Series : I

The word muse appears to be borrowed from ' amuse ' … and the work of the muse implies a way in which man experiences his life in the world. As someone who intercedes between man and the nymph related forces of creation, the muse brings a delicate balance to the issues … which is easily understood by children in play … but takes adults a period of training and understanding to come into contact with its ideals.

 

Western legends depicted the relations between the nymphs and the muses as a curious on off relation of Eros and Psyche. In every birth of the jivan ( soul ) the individual begins life with a natural and spontaneous activity of the two … as the common bath in the legends or as the ' barrel partner ' relation as I have come to name it. But beyond the teen experience …  the paradoxes and ironies manifest themselves … and youth takes a tumble in order to learn and rise again.

 

Nymphs are classified by the genus loci or location of their qualities … this corresponds to the Indic Loka. Generally they are classified as Celestial, Land, Wood / Plant, Water and Elements* … these represent the state of rest of the individual. However in activity … we encounter another two categories that are classified as Underworld /Sexual* /Eros* and Other /Physical* /Human.* … The position of rest produces in an individual a strong experience of the imagination … in activity we encounter the physical reality of the world.

 

The conflict between the two categories may be best represented by the practices of the Pagan and Christianity. In that we encounter the Christian imperative of family, childbirth and society against the Pagan representation of the experience as fertility, the continuity of life and individualism. In a common sense perspective we observe the forces of Eros and Physical as related to the human experience … while the forces of the Elements represent the Anima.

 

The studies of the Pagan Elements are well documented in the legends, both in the West and the East … but studies of the Eros and Physical forces are new.  In particular the issues for further study may dwell on the dancing nymphs ( Hecaterides ) and the honey bee nymphs ( Melissae ) of the physical world.

 

The Hecaterides represent the Western view of activity while the Melissae may represent the Eastern … both represent themselves as united and separated at the same time in their relations.  In contact with the raw power of the nymphs man may come to a new cultivation of the muses with regards to physical activity of society. Its an interesting development in the human experience and certainly deserves more attention.

 

 

 

Note:

The classification of nymphs is based on the work of H.J.Rose  ( Rose, Herbert Jennings ( 1959 ). A Handbook of Greek Mythology ( 1^st ed.), New York : E.P. Dutton & Co.)

 

* These names are provided as suggestions by the author of this article.

Reviews

[JR Darewood]

your musings are very educational and thought provoking, you always take things in a refreshingly unexpected direction