A thalassophile is a lover of the sea or someone who is powerfully drawn to and by the ocean. This ancient word comes from the Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa, “sea”), and φίλος (phílos, “dear, beloved”).
I took this photo on Enoshima Island in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan back in early October 2018. As the sun set, I was overcome by the realisation that beyond the water there was no other large landmass until America or New Zealand. Enoshima Island was once ruled over by an ancient goddess of entertainment and good times, something that I could sense in the atmosphere of the place. It was the most laid-back part of Japan I visited. I definitely felt an attraction to the place and could live there!
More picks for Thalassophiles from the dusty cellar…
The Songs of Tangaroa ~ Ngā Waiata o Tangaroa
Te Au o te MoanaOur nation was bornin the bosom of the oceanwhere the sea leanson the landOur stories are intimately writtenin the narratives of ocean canoessailings driftings taniwhawhirlpools discoveriesmaking our worldwiderThe salt in our veinsbrought us togetherto find each otherThe unrelenting pull of the seatugs in the blood of our ancestorsRa’iatea The song of…
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Amazing Website Alert: The Deep Sea by Neal Fun
The Deep Sea is a scrolling deep-dive into ocean life and charts how deep each organism can go into Earth’s final frontier, the deep ocean. There are a lot of surprises and little-known facts about obscure ocean creatures you have never heard of. As well as tales of adventure from humans who dared to delve
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Ancient Word of the Day: Whelm
Whelm originates from Old English and it means to overturn or capsize a hollow vessel (a boat, a heart); to bury by wave, flood, storm, avalanche. The etymology is from the Old English hwelfan, to ‘upheave’. This explains the modern use of “overwhelmed” and “underwhelmed”. No voice divine the storm allay’d, No light propitious shone;…
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Content Catnip 
Great word — really rolls off the tongue
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Yes the Greeks did know how to make words sound poetic
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You bet they did
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This is something. Thank you, guess I’m one !
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