For space is wide and good friends are too few.
Two the ocean races that of one blood remain;
A single skin encases the slayers and the slain,
But blood will blood deliver, though later comes the fee,
As every rushing river runs to one salt sea.
“One Salt Sea” by Cat Faber, inspired by the book of the same title in Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series. If you’re not familiar with the series the lyrics will sound kinda cryptic, but they’re cool enough that it’s still worth a listen.
It’s the wonders that I’m after,
even if I have to bleed,
and make very rash decisions
for the sake of what I need.
Dancing kisses on my cheek,
it’s the wonders that I seek,
and I swear I am not afraid.
“Wonders” by S. J. Tucker, which she dedicates to “all of us who dare to go on quests that we can’t see the end of.”
Today in found filk: “The Griesly Bride,” a murder ballad adapted by Tom Campbell from a poem written by John Manifold.
Despite being written in the mid-20th century, it sounds like a traditional ballad, and has a very filkish supernatural twist. It’s actually so filkish that when I was first trying to track down the origin of the song, I found some folks who were convinced it had been written by filker Cynthia McQuillan.
Quick content warning for an implied threat of sexual coercion, though it’s never followed through, and the woman who’s threatened is not the one murdered in this ballad.
A Dalish lullaby I wrote. It uses the tune of Rozhinkes mit Mandlen, a Yiddish lullaby. I used Project Elvhen to construct the sentences (I’ll put my translation and explanation below the cut so people can have a go at translating it themselves if they want)
Lyrics:
Sura esha’lin’es eranain
Gara eir’ne julseithe hallain.
Ane ne halla’amelan.
Juvianvallasir
mar Ghilan’ain’es vallaslin.
Era, esha’lin.
Era, esha’lin.
The Stockholm Tolkien society started their choir Mellonath Gleowine in the early 1970s, and it is still going strong, and is the oldest continuous filk tradition in Sweden. They sing a mixture of Tolkien and early modern songs. Here is their concert when Stockholm’s science fiction bookstore had their 30-year-anniversary as an independent business in 2014.
Don’t miss their version of The Misty Mountains Song in Swedish and Khuzdul at 10:00!
[submitted by anonymous]
Only in silence the word,
only in dark the light,
only in dying life:
bright the hawk’s flight
on the empty sky.
Sad news: Ursula K. Le Guin has passed away, at age 88. In her memory: the epigraph from A Wizard of Earthsea, set to music by Ben Newman.
Rest in peace, lady.
Since the world is in dire need of filk for Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom books.
To be sung to the tune of Green Grow the Rushes-O (the weird Christian singalong song, not to be confused with the pretty Robert Burns song of the same name)
Seven Shine the Shiners-O
I’ll sing you one-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your one-o?
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you two-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your two-o?
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you three-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your three-o?
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you four-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your four-o?
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you five-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your five-o?
Five for the Charters, mortar strong,
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you six-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o,
Who is your six-o?
Six for the bell that binds the dead,
Five for the Charters, mortar strong,
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you seven-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your seven-o?
Seven Bright, who made the bells,
Six for the bell that binds the dead,
Five for the Charters, mortar strong,
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you eight-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your eight-o?
Eight is Yrael who hid away,
Seven Bright, who made the bells,
Six for the bell that binds the dead,
Five for the Charters, mortar strong,
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.I’ll sing you nine-o,
Seven shine the Shiners-o!
Who is your nine-o?
Nine is the dark Orannis,
Eight is Yrael who hid away,
Seven Bright, who made the bells,
Six for the bell that binds the dead,
Five for the Charters, mortar strong,
Four for the Clayr seers,
Three, three, in stone,
Two, two, the Abhorsen,
Who keep the dead down-o,
One the folk who wear the crown,
And evermore shall be so.
thanks 2 everyone who’s been calling me a bard, this one’s for you
(lyrics by Mercedes Lackey, tune by Leslie Fish)
O Love, let’s dance!
We live with hope, so never fear to fly.
Omens are a second chance.
And symbols never die.
“Jazz & Mai” by Dr. Mary Crowell, a waltz for my favorite pair of sapphic death omens. Jazz and May inhabit Seanan McGuire’s October Daye books.
Outside of our town, at the edge of the forest
Two roads come together, they call it Fey Cross
And there at the crossroads, away from the roadside
There’s an odd mound of granite all covered with mossOh, soft is the pillow, all green and inviting
Sweet is the sound of a new faery tune
But beware of the voices that call you to sleep there
That call you to dream ‘neath the light of the moon.
“Song of Fey Cross,” a warning song written by Gwen Knighton and performed by Three Weird Sisters (Gwen Knighton, Brenda Sutton, and Teresa Powell).