For space is wide and good friends are too few.
“ Lady, long have I loved you
I will have you for my wife
I will stay upon your shoreland
though it robs me of my life.”
A beautiful illustration inspired by lyrics from “The Maiden and the Selkie,” written by Emily Holbert Kellam and recorded by Heather Dale
‘Cause she was not the biggest fighter nor one to raise a fuss
But I remember being proud that she was one of us
And we might never stand together in the shield-wall side by side
But because of her I lift my sword with pride
“One of Us” by Heather Dale, with incredible ASL interpretation by Mana Bijandgoodarz.
This is part of a really cool project that Heather Dale is collaborating on with Deaf storytellers. For more videos from the series, check out Heather’s YouTube Channel.
Nineteen young women asleep in their bunks
But one up on deck here with me
She’s watching the stars with the wind in hair
And she tells me her name is Marie
No stranger to laughter, no stranger to joy
And a spirit as wild as the sea
She’ll make a man happy in distant Quebec
But he won’t be a sailor like me
“Fille Du Roy” by Heather Dale, with heartfelt sign language interpretation by Thurga Kanagasekarampillai.
Here’s some historical context from Heather Dale’s note on the video:
Four hundred years ago, the colony [of Quebec] was thriving but pioneering families were few. The French King Louis XIV did something surprisingly progressive: he offered to formally adopt any orphaned French young women of marriageable age (legally making them princesses), provided they were willing to travel to New France and marry whomever they wanted… Over 700 brave young ladies took the plunge, and were treated with huge respect.
This is part of a really cool project that Heather Dale is collaborating on with Deaf storytellers. For more videos from the series, check out Heather’s YouTube Channel.
The Morrigan dreams old dreams of flight
The Morrigan sees with another sight
The Morrigan builds with flesh and bone
And The Morrigan fills an empty throne
“The Morrigan” by Heather Dale, with vibrant ASL interpretation by Tamyka Bullen.
This is part of a really cool project that Heather Dale is working on with a bunch of awesome Deaf storytellers. For more videos from the series, check out Heather’s YouTube Channel.
Damn ‘em all – I create my own perfection
Damn ’em all in the face of their rejection
Damn ’em all – well, this dog will have its day
My garden’s full of pretty men who couldn’t stay away
“Medusa” by Heather Dale, with incredible sign language interpretation by Mana Bijandgoodarz.
This is part of a really neat project that Heather Dale is collaborating on with Deaf storytellers. For more videos from the series, check out Heather’s YouTube Channel.
[image text: Is it maybe worth a shoutout to Heather Dale? She’s starting to post captioned ASL videos of some of her songs to her YouTube, and I just… sort of want to call attention to it somehow.]
Oh cool! I haven’t checked out her YouTube channel recently, so thanks for bringing it up!
So here’s a giant shoutout to Heather Dale, for helping to make filk more inclusive and accessible, and for bringing attention to some wonderful Deaf artists. Here’s her YouTube playlist with all her ASL videos, and it will be updating with more videos weekly.
Guileless son, I’ll shape your belief
And you’ll always know that your father’s a thief
And you won’t understand the cause of your grief
But you’ll always follow the voices beneath
“Mordred’s Lullaby” by Heather Dale, a wonderfully creepy song from the point of view of Morgana le Fay.
Lyrics (and annotations!) available on Genius.
I believe that justice is the same thing as the law
So I conform my opinion to whatever I’ve been told
I’ll admit that I just shrug, no I don’t dwell on it at all
When I hear how some unfortunate hound got thrown in with the wolves
‘Cause deep down I know that the innocent always go free
That there’s someone who’s watching the watchers — it doesn’t have to be me
It’s easy to trust that things are going as they should
As long as it’s no one I know getting nailed onto the wood.
A very politically relevant song from Heather Dale. Lyrics available here.
Characters by Tamora Pierce
Art by minuiko
Words by Heather Dale
Come from the forest and sit ‘round the fire
Come from the fields and enter our hall
Come drink from the guest-cup
Come join in our circle
Come and be welcome ye bards one and all.
“Come and Be Welcome,” by Em Holbert, sung by Heather Dale
I couldn’t find any original songs by Holbert sung by her, but according to a YouTube comment she’s planning an album for 2016, so that’s something to look forward to.