To Inspire Your Nautical Home Decor: Four Myths of Love and Lust Involving the Sea

Part of the fun of selecting nautical home decor can come from the wealth of myths, legends, and other fantastical stories associated with the sea. These can inspire the decor choices you make and the moods you want to invoke.

Love and lust are two themes often involving the sea and its mysteries. The tales can range from enchanting and light-hearted, to dark or tragic (or maybe some blend of all of these qualities). The following are four myths:

1) Aphrodite's birth

One of the legends about Aphrodite, the Greek love goddess, was that she emerged at birth from sea foam. This moment gets captured in a famous painting by Botticelli ("The Birth of Venus"), showing the goddess floating to shore on a scallop's shell after rising from the ocean.

2) Clíodhna's death (or disappearance)

In a story from Irish mythology, the Irish goddess, Clíodhna, leaves the realm of the gods after falling in love with a mortal and very handsome man. What takes her away from the world of mortals? A minstrel of an Irish sea god plays a song that eases her into sleep, and a wave carries her away into the sea. In some versions of the story, she dies; in others she returns to her own land. In Irish myth, she's depicted at times as a love goddess; also, as Queen of the Banshees.

3) Mami Wata's many faces

Mami Wata (translated as "Mother Water") is a powerful water spirit popular in mythology from various parts of Africa and the Americas (including the Caribbean). Among the forms she assumes is a mermaid, and she's associated with a variety of powers, including creation, beauty, and good (or bad) fortune. The stories of her include her seduction of men, whom she then reveals herself to. If they promise that they'll remain faithful to her, she gives them good fortune; if not, they'll get hounded by bad luck.

4) A selkie's temporary stay

In Ireland, Scotland and neighboring islands, there are legends about selkies, seals that can take on human form. The most well-known stories involve female selkies; when they shed their seal-skins to become human, they must become the wife of any human man who steals the skin and hides it from them. However, they usually wind up reclaiming the seal-skin and returning to the ocean, as their pull towards the sea is powerful. As for her relationship with her human husband, sometimes faithful love or affection develops, making the return to sea more bittersweet, especially if they have children. Other times there might be no attachment; only a need to escape.

What thoughts about love, passion, or similar emotions does the ocean inspire in you? What decor might invoke or highlight these feelings? Don't hesitate to contact us for assistance in making your selections.