"I believeth not if 't be true th're art some nymphs in the goddess' lodging (I don't believe if there are some nymphs in the goddess' place)…" Alani asked as she was confused about the concept of it.
"Well, it's not in the goddess' place, to be precise, more like the sky realm…" Or space realm
"Sky realm?"
"Yeah, because humans think gods and goddesses live in the sky…First, there is Hesperides, these nymphs are triads because there are three nymphs; they are called Nymphs of the West. The reason why their name linked with the west, is because they were guarding a garden…"
"A garden??" Asked Eleni while she was sipping her water…
"A magical garden named the Garden of the Hesperides like their name, which location is the west edge of the world in this tale…They become the keeper of this garden…"
"Wherefore doth these nymphs needeth to guardeth this garden? (Why do these nymphs need to guard this garden?)"
"Because there is a golden apple in that garden…
"A golden apple? yond's an intriguing thing (A golden apple? That's an intriguing thing.)"
"Because whoever eats this apple will become immortal, because this apple was a gift from the queen of gods or the mother of all gods and goddesses…The keeper isn't just the nymphs, but there is one dragon named Ladon around the tree…"
"A dragon…well, th're art a lot of dragons…(A dragon…Well, there are a lot of dragons…)" said Alani…
"Next one is called Hyades…It's an interesting group of nymphs…"
"Interesting?"
I explained it, "Their name is linked to the rain, yet they don't make the rain because they want it or intended to make it…"
I saw their faces were confused and puzzled after I said that…
Alani asked, "Waiteth a second, i und'rstand not what dhee cullionly it…they wanteth not to maketh raineth, 'r intendeth to maketh t raineth, yet those gents maketh raineth?(Wait a second, I don't understand what you mean it…They don't want to make rain, or intend to make it rain, yet they make rain?)"
"Yeah, because the rain came from their tears…"
"Drops of sorrow? yond's odds…(Tears? That's odds…)"
"Every rain is coming down to the earth for humans; it indicates that this group of nymphs are crying from the sky that far away, even across the barrier of our world." The Hyades Constellation is 153 light years away and one of the closest open stars from the solar system. Yet, again, I don't know this world's solar system is…
"If 't be true t's liketh yond, the raineth shouldst gust salty…(If it's like that, the rain should taste salty…)" said Eleni…
"Well, you are right, yet maybe in this world's tale, the rain taste is salty not like in this world…"
"So wherefore art those gents crying?? (So why are they crying??)"
"The reason they are crying is because of their grief over their brother, The father of gods saw they were so grief over their brother, and elevated their status in the sky and became stars. So every time they are crying, their tears will become rain in that world."
I took a peek at their faces, they were still focusing so much…
And I continued, "Next, is Pleiades. Pleiades doesn't have any particular purpose like Hyades, yet their story is fascinating. There is one giant who wants them and chases them because he's enamoured by the beauty of them. This group asked for help from the father of gods, and the father of gods elevated them to the sky and became a star like Hyades…Their stars represent the beauty of night, sometimes helping humans navigate the ocean or telling them to plant or harvest crops."
"Yond's int'resting…(That's interesting…)"
"Every time humans see their appearance in the sky, they immediately know it is time to plant or harvest the crops. That's why the humans in this tale always celebrate every time their appearance appears in the night sky because they know it's time to harvest or plant crops. They begin to make a festive.
"Well, t's similar to the goddess at which hour those gents wenteth down to h're…th're shall beest a lot of festivities 'round it… (Well, it's similar to the goddess when they went down to here…There will be a lot of festivities around it…)" Said Eleni, as if trying to connect it with the goddess in this world…
"Yet, the goddess hath appeared fully in h'r f'rm, yet in his st'ry, those gents hath appeared in the distance of the sky… (Yet, the goddess appeared fully in her form, yet in his story, they appeared in the distance of the sky…)" Said Alani to Eleni.
"Yeah,dhou art right…(Yeah, you are right…)"
I elaborated on their conversation, and said, "Maybe because her appearance is so appealing and bright, it suggests how powerful they are, right, that from far away, mortals can still see her…"
They looked at each other, before turning their face to me…And Eleni said, "If 't be true the nymphs 'r their meiny hadst pow'r yond pow'rful, how pow'rful is their god 'r their goddess? (If the nymphs or their attendants had power that powerful, how powerful is their god or their goddess?)"
Well, I don't know how powerful Zeus is…What I know he is the God who couldn't control his own desires and impulses. He often used his power to pursue mortal women, causing chaos and disruption in the mortal world. So is that powerful?
Couldn't answer their answer, so I tried to change the topic…"How about we change to the underworld, the world of the living dead, or the world of the fallen?"
First, their face showed that they were suspicious of me. Yet, it changed, they looked at me with curiosity and nodded in agreement.
I continued, "The underworld is the darkest place, like the bottom pit of darkness. So the goddess of the underworld needs someone to light the path in the underworld; the father of gods sends a gift containing a group of nymphs called Lampades."
Eleni said as if she knew this nymph, "May i guesseth it…because t's the und'rw'rld and t's so dark, their purpose is just to lighteth the path… (May I guess it…because it's the underworld and it's so dark, their purpose is just to light the path…)"
"You have guessed it; their main role or job is to light the path for the underworld goddess. So they always carry a torch for the goddess and sweep the darkness in the shadow realm of the underworld."
Alani asked, "So those gents didn't has't any int'raction with humans…because those gents hath lived in the und'rw'rld… (So they didn't have any interaction with humans…Because they lived in the underworld….)"
"They were rarely with humans, and rarely interact with humans. But I imagine her as a ghost or mystical being…Their eerie and otherworldly beauty can be fascinating for humans, yet it can be deadly for humans. I imagine they like you two…"
"Liketh us? (Like Us?)" They spoke at the same time.
"Yeah…I imagine that if they meet humans, how will they interact with them? They will surely play some trick on humans. Their eerie and otherworldly presence will make humans confused about how to approach them. The humans will be fascinated by how beautiful they are, yet they will feel the eerie presence around them, like the presence of the dead. Because they live in the underworld, they must have a dual nature, which can lead to doom for humans or lead to the human's goal for humans."
They both had a chuckle, and Eleni said, "Hahahaha…that's an intriguing one, yet humans careth not about our presence 'r seeth us…maybe i desire, all humans in h're shall liketh yond, those gents art fascinat'd with our beauty yet those gents art afeard of us… (Hahahaha…That's an intriguing one, yet humans don't care about our presence or see us…Maybe I hope, all humans in here will like that, they are fascinated with our beauty yet they are scared of us…)"
"Sadly, I only know one underworld nymph in this world's tale…"
"Howev'r, all of yond fascinating in our ears, to heareth our kind in diff'rent views and tales… (However, all of that fascinating in our ears, to hear our kind in different views and tales…)"
"Well, if you are fascinated by your kind, there is another world's tale about nymph…"
They looked at each other, and Eleni looked at me with confusion and said, "What doth dhee cullionly by anoth'r w'rld's tale? didst dhee just bid us anoth'r w'rld's tale? (What do you mean by another world's tale? Did you just tell us another world's tale?)"
"This tale came from another, another world…"
I looked at them; their faces seemed to reach the peak of confusion…
Alani asked, "I am curious; how doth dhee knoweth all of this tale?? anon dhee toldeth us, dhee has't a tale from anoth'r with anoth'r w'rld (I am curious; how do you know all of this tale?? Now you told us, you have a tale from another with another world.)"
I smiled and replied, "My imagination…" Like what happen to me…
"T hath seemed dhy imagination quite amusing to live… (It seemed your imagination quite amusing to live…)" Said Eleni with mocking tone…
I asked them, "So do you two want to hear this another another world's tale of a nymph?"
Alani said with mocking tone, "Wend on!! alloweth's seeth how wild dhy imagination is… (Go on!! Let's see how wild your imagination is…)"
"There are dancer nymphs in the gods' place or celestial, who are dancing for the gods and goddesses or heroes... Their name is Apsara, yet the name I am familiar with them is Bidadari. They are amazingly beautiful and have amazing dancing skills. They are said to possess the ability to bring joy and happiness to those who witness their performances. Legend has it that their graceful movements and enchanting presence can captivate even the gods and goddesses. So that's why a lot of humans are trying to imitate their dancing movement, which has created a lot of dancing culture in human culture. Even though it's not the nymphs who dance it, humans dance it great well and are fascinating to watch. So that's why a lot of kings invited these dancers and paid a great sum of gold."
Again, I heard their chuckling, and Alani said, "A m'rtal hath tried to imitate the divine beings; yond's a fascinating concept, yet no more brain than stone 'r foolhardy, as t is impossible f'r humans to truly replicate the eth'real beauty of the divine beings… (A mortal tried to imitate the divine beings; that's a fascinating concept, yet stupid or foolhardy, as it is impossible for humans to truly replicate the ethereal beauty of the divine beings…)"
"Yet. There is another fascinating story about this nymph and human relationship. There is a tale that this nymph is marrying a human…"
"Th're is nay way nymphs wanteth to marryeth humans without their consent. Th're might not but beest some catcheth in yond st'ry… p'rhaps the nymph is being f'rc'd into the feather-bed, 'r th're is some s'rt of dissemble'ry involv'd. T is hard to believeth yond a nymph wouldst fain chooseth to marryeth a human, consid'ring their eth'real nature and the vast diff'rences between the two beings (There is no way nymphs want to marry humans without their consent. There must be some catch in that story… Perhaps the nymph is being forced into the marriage, or there is some sort of trickery involved. It is hard to believe that a nymph would willingly choose to marry a human, considering their ethereal nature and the vast differences between the two beings.)"
"Technically, what you said is right…"
"Aha…See!!"
"Occasionally, these nymphs came down to the earth, the human realm, from the sky realm. The occasion on which they came down is sometimes baffling in my mind. They came down just to take a bath, they took a bath usually in the river or the lake. So humans sometimes watched these nymphs take a bath, yet they were afraid to get closer. These humans were mesmerized by the beauty of the nymphs as they gracefully bathed in the water, especially their skin."
Eleni was curious and puzzled, and immediately asked with a curious tone…"Waiteth, those gents cameth from the sky realm, a realm of goddesses, yet those gents did want to taketh a bath in the m'rtal realm? how no more brain than stone those gents w're… (Wait, they came from the sky realm, a realm of goddesses, yet they wanted to take a bath in the mortal realm? How stupid they were…)"
"That's why I said baffling…"
"And the humans w're seeing their nak'd bodies… (And the humans were seeing their naked bodies…)"
"Yet humans were afraid to get closer…"
"Ah!! Enjoying the view from the distance…"
"BUT there was one human who tried to do the unpredictable. He got closer to the nymphs, yet he approached them from behind and saw them at a closer distance. His eyes found a lot of clothes, which belonged to the nymphs. He took one of the clothes with the shawl…"
Alani said, "Of course, th're shall beest one unusual thing from all of the creatures (Of course, there will be one unusual thing from all of the creatures.)"
"The sun had set, so the nymphs knew it was time to go back home. Yet one of the nymphs couldn't find her clothes and shawl. Without her clothes and shawl, the nymph couldn't go back home to the sky realms, she tried to find it with the help of the other nymphs. Yet they couldn't find it, and the other nymphs forcibly left her behind."
Eleni said, "Valorous friends… (Good friends…)" Look who is talking…You are furious when your friend beside you takes your water…
"Without any clothes So the nymph said loudly, 'Whoever can bring clothes to me, I will give that person a reward; if she is a woman, I will become her sister, if he is a man, I will marry him…' this message could be heard around the village beside the lake…"
"If 't be true the lady hath said t loud, certes a lot of humans shall swarm h'r? (If she said it loud, surely a lot of humans will swarm her?)" Asked Alani with a curious tone.
"Hearing the nymph say something loud like that, all the people in the village seemed to be scared about it, yet the man tried to hide the nymph's clothes. He took his mother's clothes and brought it to the nymph. The only human that is not scared of nymph…"
Alani tried to elaborate it, "Well, a dark heart 'r dark soul shall nev'r knoweth what is being scared…and oft t leads to their doom because those gents knoweth not the line between clotpole and brave…like this man… (Well, a dark heart or dark soul will never know what is being scared…And sometimes it leads to their doom because they don't know the line between idiot and brave…Like this man…)"
"The nymph fulfilled her promise and married the man. Time had passed, and now they had a daughter. Yet there was something odd in the man's mind, the paddy in his home had never decreased since the nymph lived with him. Instead, every year, they grew a lot of paddy in their mill. When the nymph went out to wash some dirty clothes in the river, she gave a message to the man, 'Don't open the rice steamer lid!!', yet the man did the opposite…"
"Seeth!! The man is a fool…" Said Eleni…
"As he opened the lid, he was surprised at what was inside the steamer. It was just a stalk of paddy. The question hauled in his head finally answered it. At all this time, the nymph just cooked a stalk of paddy, yet it became full of rice. The nymph came back from the river, shocked that the man didn't hear her message, she said 'Gone is my magic to turn a stalk of rice into a pot of rice, because a mortal as you see it'…After that, the paddy kept decreasing because the nymph no longer used her magic, but she now made rice like how humans made it. She pounded the rice, and the man provided the mortar…"
Eleni said, "If 't be true t's me, i shall wend backeth home… (If it's me, I will go back home…)"
"Dhou art right (You are right…)" Alani joined with Eleni's mind.
"There is more…She didn't come back to her home yet, because she still didn't have her clothes and her shawl…"
"Alloweth me guesseth t again, the lady hath found it… (Let me guess it again, she found it…)" Said Alani…
"You know it well…Day after day passed, their paddy supply was running low. As usual, the next morning, the nymph went to the mill in the backyard to collect paddy. While pulling the stalks of the few remaining paddy stalks, her hand felt something soft. She was curious about what was it, so she pulled it. At once, she was pale and shocked, it was her nymph clothes and her shawl…All this time, she married the man, who tricked her and stole her belongings. She was angry and disappointed with the man. At that time, she told the man, she would go home to the sky realm and leave him. Yet, she didn't forget her daughter. She told him 'If my daughter wants to see me, I will give her the moment to meet me, you just need to burn a stalk of paddy beside her, I shall come down to meet her. YET, I don't want you around us, and you prohibit getting closer to us'. The man understood the terms…And the nymph went home…"
Basically this is a swan maiden, story archetype, we can find it across another culture with their own view and their own culture, with all modifying like the characters, yet the concept is the same; a celestial being or mythical creatures couldn't go home because clothes. For example, Selkie, a seal mermaid, when I read that tale, I immediately recognized it with my place folklore.
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UnTVMsCn5
[author]
The main concept of this series is to tell a tale or impart knowledge to the mythical creatures in that world. They will find it fascinating because of the similarity, the difference, or the advanced technology with which they linked it to magic tool. I imagine this series, as I had a conversation with my friend when we were in coffee cafe, and we talked a lot about anything like what boi doing.
So if you, the reader, try to find the story of this series, there is no story, yet there is a lot of tale to tell.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT2LiID6RK
