2011 was the second year of my attempting to turn different novellas into a single braided novel. I’d changed the title from The Mermaid Tower to Watermaidens in 2010 (sometime between then and the first time I sent the book out to an agent, it became Watermyth). Nowhere in the years since I had first created Yrejveree as a world (in 1997) did I ever think to connect it to that significant date in literature, popular culture and Occidental tradition (Valentine’s Day). However, in 2011, I was taking a deep dive into the history of water nymphs, lamias, and all sorts of watermaidens. Somewhere along the way I reflected on Ophelia and the way in which she too, was a watermaiden. I reflected on the ways in which so many of these tales were predicated on heartbreak and as a reaction of sorts to the foibles of callous human hearts. Some of these thoughts were actually catalysed by Emilie Autumn’s stunning Opheliac which seemed a rather watermaidenly ditty.
And so I remembered Ophelia’s song from Hamlet:
(Sings) To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning bedtime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose and donn’d his clo’es
And dupp’d the chamber door,
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.
— William Shakespeare, Hamlet —
Somewhat tragic, our Ophelia. I have always been saddened by her fate even if Hamlet is one of my favourite plays ever (and directing it remains on my bucket list). In 2011, I thought, hey “I’m going to reclaim the day for all watermaidens so they don’t need to be anyone’s tragic Valentine”.
The Ghosts of Watermaidens Days Past
That first day in 2011, I was pretty busy. I had to do some academic redtape for my tutoring gig at UQ, and I also had to meet my PhD supervisor to get some forms signed etc. I remember telling myself (always mythologizing my life, after all) that, “this is me being a watermaiden taking care of business and being responsible for herself”. That first Watermaidens Day, I wore a flowing dress, went for a nice swim, and ate magnificent food. It was memorable enough that I was resolved to do something special for myself every year on that date. It’s been a glorious run. Sometimes the things I did were small, sometimes they were big, like running away to a music festival, or eating chocolate covered strawberries at the top of a skyscraper, or enjoying a nice lobster sandwich on a road trip.
The Gondolier and other recurring characters/storyverses
However, my main thought on Watermaidens Day has been always been about the worlds that I came to know as the Fourfold Realms. On this, the fifteenth Watermaidens Day, I also reflect on the birth of the Ferahia which was not quite just in 1997 owing to the hypertext. It happened sometime in the `90s when the teenaged weirdo booknerd that I was told myself the story of a half-Moorish gondolier in a forbidden love affair. That was my Valentine’s Day story; I wrote scenes for it, did research for it (because of my obsession with Renaissance Italy) and even painted a couple of paintings. When I started building an alternate Venice for the hypertext, I always meant for it to be a place for my Gondolier to reside. But because characters and stories have their own mind, the Gondolier now exists in the Ferahia as an opera that you’ll hear being played in Ferahian opera houses. His story (which I turned into a short story a few years ago and which has been on the submission merry-go-round for years!) exists in actual historical Venice (albeit with its Fourfold Realms connection). You may find out more about him in Rosemirror. Or, I may turn it into an independent novella.
Another Valentine’s Day project happened sometime in 1998, when I created Lady Deiranetta’s Courtyard. It was a hypertext project which was another way for me to express my obsession not just with Renaissance Italy but with the concept of Courtly Love (yes, I know I mashed up two eras. I knew it then too, but it was an alternate world and I unabashedly smooshed two things together). And so Gaeirn was born. The Yrejveree project and the Gaeirn project existed independently of each other for many years before I decided they belonged to the same storyverse and then later decided that the Ferahia was actually on Gaeirn. They seemed to nestle well together and my overwrought Lady Deiranetta found herself the subject of malicious gossip in Watermyth. Deiranetta has a reserved spot in one of the upcoming Cantata of the Fourfold Realms novels and I’m looking forward to having some fun with her!
What do people do on Watermaidens Day?
It’s really up to you. You may swim, create art, take care of business, wear green or red or whatever you want. There are other alternatives to the day but frankly I have nothing against Valentine’s Day even if it was not meant for the likes of me. In fact, I’ve been intrigued by the day since I was a teenager not because I wanted to be anyone’s Valentine but I was ensorcelled by the history of it, the mythology of it, and the pageantry of it. I suppose it was inevitable that I’d want to stake a claim on that date since I’ve always been doing my little creative/artistic/gustatory thing around this time (years of cooking pasta dishes on February 14!). That’s lasted for far longer than Watermaidens Day.
Essentially, I just wanted a day that was more specifically for my worlds and me, and for all watermaidens everywhere who were of similar mind (waterlads too!). So this is the day for you. If pink is not your colour, wear green or blue or grey or whatever suits your fancy. Listen to watermaidenly music, indulge in watermaidenly treats and luxuriate in yourself!
As for me, apart from some home improvement projects and excellent food, my main plan for the day is working on Rosemirror. Although, I may lavish some tender loving care on my Gondolier story since writing this post has placed that story back in my mind. Which is also a glorious thing to happen on this, the last Watermaidens Day of my forties. The next great adventure for me is to be a Watermaiden in my fifties next year. 🧜♀️
I did claim this day for us watermaidens, after all. Of all ages.
Here’s an accompanying mixtape for this Watermaidens Day which is very Rosemirror-coded.
Curious to read my debut novel Watermyth? Here’s the information on how to purchase the ebook (and how to borrow it from the library) and the print edition.
Published in Petaling, Selangor, Malaysia, 2025