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Selkie Grove
becoming a nymph

becoming a nymph

dredge up your dark side

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Selkie Grove
Jul 28, 2023
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Selkie Grove
becoming a nymph
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I’m not in the mood to write today. I’m in the mood to look at moody paintings of nymphs and ponder. Shall we?

‘Hylas and the Nymphs' (1896) by John William Waterhouse

I’ve been inspired lately by women who take “nymph portraits” (at least that’s what I call them). There’s one in particular that recreates ‘Hylas and the Nymphs’ by John William Waterhouse. I used to have a postcard version of this painting above my desk as a teenager. Something about it captivated me. My email at the time was something like nocturnalnymph@orange.com. I used that name on messageboards and drew nymphs and fairies in the corner of my maths jotter. I always felt a little weird and deformed for wanting to be a mythical creature instead of a Prefect, but it seems I wasn’t the only one.

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