Eolyn's Playlist (Part I)

In the Midwest, the American robin is one
of the first signs of spring. 

A couple days back, an American robin showed up on my front lawn as I pulled the car out of the driveway. This morning, an entire flock of these melodious creatures greeted me outside O'Reilly Hall when I arrived on campus.  There can be no doubt: spring is coming.

The annual reappearance of the robin has always had special significance for me.  There is a brightness about this migratory thrush that bids me to set aside my dark moods, to shed the sadder side of winter.  Spring has arrived!  And with it green fields and blooming flowers, the dawn chorus and the evening crickets.  Bicycling on breezy days.  Wandering through budding forests.  Flying kites over open fields. Breathing in the fresh spring air. 

Spring is also Eolyn's season.  She was born during the months when winter is transformed into summer; her name is, in part, derived from the spring festival of Eostar. 

By way of celebration, I've decided to put a little music into my blog.  I'm going to share with you the playlist for Eolyn, something I've often thought about doing but never gotten around to. 

These are some of the songs that inspired me while I was writing the first novel, from 2006 to 2010.  I've picked twelve in all -- appropriate, since 12 is a sacred number in the tradition of Moisehén. Today I will embed six, with the other half dozen coming a post or two down the line.  (Yes, I do have a play list for High Maga as well, but Eolyn has been waiting her turn for a while, so let's attend to her first...)

I'd very much like to know if any of these songs resonate with you.  I'm also very curious -- for those of you who have read Eolyn -- whether there are other songs out there that have reminded you of the novel.

Enjoy!

Playlist for Eolyn: the First Six Songs

1. Evanescence: Sweet Sacrifice

I actually discovered The Open Door just a couple months after starting the novel, and the music from this charismatic group accompanied me through many scenes.  Sweet Sacrifice is a song I associate with the first chapter of Eolyn.




2. Vangelis: The Conquest of Paradise

I love the majesty of this song, and I especially love the fact that the video features scenes from the beaches of my adopted country, Costa Rica!  I'd tell you which scene is connected to this song, but that would be kind of a spoiler. 




3. Evanescence: My Immortal

Yes, Evanescence.  Again.  I always thought this an appropriate love theme for Eolyn and Akmael.




4. Evanescence, Snow White Queen

This song brings to mind the Mountain Warrior Khelia, an enigmatic and magical woman who can not only fight -- and shape shift while she's fighting -- but has a powerful and enchanting voice. 




5. Cirque du Soleil, Alegria

Cirque du Soleil did not actually inspire Corey's Circle -- like Evanescence, I came across it after I had started writing the novel.  But wow! This spectacle of art and acrobatics fits perfectly with the magical mood that I associate with Mage Corey's traveling show. 

In terms of characters, I always imagined Adiana, Eolyn's friend and a musician from Selkynsen, singing songs like Alegria.




6. Sting, Desert Rose

Here we are at number six already, and who better to close out today's show than Mage Corey himself?  Yes, this is Corey's song.  The passion.  The power.  The image of eternal fire.  Though Corey doesn't look all that much like Sting.  Or does he?   You tell me. . .  (And while you're at it, let me know if you, like me, suspect that might be Rishona playing the violin in the background.)




That concludes today's musical tour! I'll be back soon to post more songs from the playlist for Eolyn.  Until then, may your spring transition be filled with magic, music, and dance!