My Good Thing of the week: songs telling tales of magical romance
Sadly my collection is rather small still:
Heather Dale’s The Maiden and the Selkie, in which a woman and a selkie lord find a way to marry and live together
Lisa Theriot’s Hallow’s Eve, in which a healer takes a wandering ghost doomed to roam on All Hallow’s eve for a lover
Lisa Theriot’s The Earl of Mar’s Daughter, in which a maiden is courted by a young man who is a dove by day and a human by night (a shortened version of Child Ballad 270)
If any of you have recommendations, please send them my way!
@imperiuswrecked said: The dukes eldest daughter? It’s a song about the daughter who was bullied by her sisters and she flees into the forest and elf lord saves her from a storm/falls in love with her.
Oh thank you! I found two versions of this, both written by Mercedes Lackey:
Stan Roger’s The Witch of the Westmoreland, in which a mortally wounded knight finds a powerful (kelpie-like?) witch who heals him with magic and kisses
And I’m going to give honorary inclusion to these enchanted humans:
Anaïs Mitchell’s Tam Linn (Child 39), where brave Janet wins her wood-dwelling, rose-guarding changeling groom from the fairy queen
Lisa Theriot’s The Marriage of Sir Gawain (Child 31), in which Gawain frees Dame Ragnell from her beastly transformations
A year ago on 11th February (3 days before Valentine’s Day no less), one of the greatest female artists and one of the world’s most praised vocalists of all time, Whitney Houston tragically passed away.
It had almost escaped my notice that it is now May, the month that dooms to a heartbroken death 99% of characters from folk ballads. So, if you suspect you may be a character from a folk ballad, for your own safety:
don’t fall in love, don’t go by the river, don’t go to the sea, don’t talk to sailors, don’t gamble, don’t ramble, don’t go North, don’t go North-West, don’t stand in the wind, don’t dance with anyone named Sally, Sue, Mary, Ann, or Barbara, don’t go to the pub (but if you do go to the pub at least don’t drink, and if you do drink at least pay for your own drink, and if you are absolutely broke and have to let someone else pay for your drink then at the very least do try not to forget to toast everyone you know whom you think might be there very loudly and possibly multiple times), don’t lend money, don’t borrow money, don’t wish you had more money, don’t make plans to make more money, don’t start working for a new employer, absolutely do believe anyone who says they will try to kill you, curse you, or maim you, absolutely do believe anyone who says you might die, turn down every invitation to go a-hunting, horse-riding, or a-courting, be wary of flute players you meet on your path, don’t dance with satanic men in black coats, don’t marry off your daughters to the first man who’ll have them, and don’t promise your true love any herbs you can’t readily plant and gather in your own garden.
There. That should just about cover you for 31 days. Heed the warnings and you may have a chance to last the month. Good luck.
Historia interesan de un grandiós elefán ab totas las assanyes que va passá desde son neixament hasta ‘l present any published by llibreria de Joan Grau. That’s one very large elephant and a very tiny hat.
The Daughter (whose VERY preoccupied expression you’ll understand when you’ll have the full story…) and her Handmaiden. In the meantime, here’s @mai-col ‘s musical recommendation (it’s from the other side of the Atlantic but still relevant to the story’s overall mood…) : https://youtu.be/O4Qdak8dzUk (Beware, here be BANJOS.)
[a commissioned digital painting created for @k_trattner on twitter based on their novel a modern retelling of Tam Lin a fairy ballad originating from the Scottish Borders]
Tam Lin coming out from between the trees with his shirt open down to his stomach and the chiseled jaw of a greek god: do you not know the dangers of wandering this forest alone, fair maiden?
United States singer Perry Como visiting Southport for a concert in 1975. According to the biography by Malcolm Macfarlane and Ken Crossland, all 53,000 seats Como’s British tour sold out within hours.
Almost like a Brazilian Esther Phillips, so laid back. Would have been a beautiful album to see recorded, mostly voice and piano. Her voice is so effortless, a classic Brazilian vibe and something more. Title means “smelling of love.” Or maybe “scent of love.”
It had almost escaped my notice that it is now May, the month that dooms to a heartbroken death 99% of characters from folk ballads. So, if you suspect you may be a character from a folk ballad, for your own safety:
don’t fall in love, don’t go by the river, don’t go to the sea, don’t talk to sailors, don’t gamble, don’t ramble, don’t go North, don’t go North-West, don’t stand in the wind, don’t dance with anyone named Sally, Sue, Mary, Ann, or Barbara, don’t go to the pub (but if you do go to the pub at least don’t drink, and if you do drink at least pay for your own drink, and if you are absolutely broke and have to let someone else pay for your drink then at the very least do try not to forget to toast everyone you know whom you think might be there very loudly and possibly multiple times), don’t lend money, don’t borrow money, don’t wish you had more money, don’t make plans to make more money, don’t start working for a new employer, absolutely do believe anyone who says they will try to kill you, curse you, or maim you, absolutely do believe anyone who says you might die, turn down every invitation to go a-hunting, horse-riding, or a-courting, be wary of flute players you meet on your path, don’t dance with satanic men in black coats, don’t marry off your daughters to the first man who’ll have them, and don’t promise your true love any herbs you can’t readily plant and gather in your own garden.
There. That should just about cover you for 31 days. Heed the warnings and you may have a chance to last the month. Good luck.
