enlighten yourself

After I referred to the Miss Unkon S/S 2010 collection as forest nymphs, I did some research. 

Yay for research? ... No? Nobody? 

(If you clicked on the link above, you should've had a good laugh. 

If you didn't, two words: asian stereotypes.)

"...nymph simply means nubile young woman, but in the context of the women listed below, it means something a little more mythical. Nymphs are like European Fairies in that they were unpredictable, a little scary, supernatural, and often showed up in folktales. But, seeing as they are from a different culture, they are also entirely different. One of the things you might (and should) notice is the common theme of women's sexuality = scary and women's chastity = good. Thus there are nymphs like Salmacis (scary) and of Britomartis (good). It should also be noted that these nymphs are spirits often personifying nature."

Amnisiades: nymphs of the river Amnisus in Crete and devotees of the goddess Artemis. They cared for the goddess's sacred deer.

Anigrides: nymphs of the Angridus River in Elis and they were healer nymphs of some sort. They had this grotto at the river and people with skin diseases came and bathed there and gave the nymphs gifts in the hopes that they'd get better

Dodonides: the Dodonides, or Dododaean Nymphs, were the nymphs who brought up Zeus (or possibly a whole bunch of others). Zeus at Dodona was the site of the most ancient oracle in Greece (although it was probably attributed originally to someone else).

Dryades: The Dryades were the Nymphs of the Forest, or wood nymphs. Dryades were immortal, unlike other types, like the Hamadryades, who lived in oak trees and would die when the tree they lived in died. They were the hunting companions of Artemis.

(via Paleothea and to read more click here)

A Nymph and Cupid, but is usually known as Snake in the Grass

Sir Joshua Reynolds

"A girl seated on a bank is sporting with Cupid, who has seized both ends of her girdle and is untying it; in the grass by her side, the head of a snake; in background, a red curtain. Exhibited at Royal Academy 1785, under title of Venus. Painted for Lord Carysfort, who paid 200 guineas for it. Subsequently called Love unloosing the Zone of Beauty, and later, Snake in the Grass, the snake possibly being intended as an emblem of Cupid."

(source: Cyclopedia of Painters and Paintings, Volume 4)

I guess what this is saying that the nymph is often referred to as Venus. However, I don't think that the snake is an emblem of Cupid. It's probably a symbolic for temptation. Sir Joshua Reynolds was a English painter and Christianity is the main religion in England. It was first introduced by that Romans, which is where the names Cupid and Venus come from. (Eros and Aphrodite are the Greek names.) Plus, you guys all know the Adam and Eve story right? (By the way, 200 guineas is only 40 cents in USD. I sure wish beautiful paintings like these were this cheap. That is SO not going to happen.) Okay then... moving on!

 Sleeping Nymph and Shepherd

Jan Gerritsz van Bronckhorst

"This painting is an almost pornographic portrayal of a young man spying on a naked woman with his thumb extended between his index and middle fingers in a gesture that signifies copulation. The nude is portrayed on a beautifully draped cloth against a shadowy background of rocks and trees. It was apparently not the artist's intention to illustrate a theme along the lines of Venus and Adonis or Jupiter and Antiope, for instance, but simply to paint a picture with no specific subject in mind."

(source: Web Gallery of Art)