Lyrics and Songs
Earth Mother Chant
Earth Mother, we sing to your body,
Earth Mother, we sing to your bones,
Earth Mother, we honor your spirit,
Earth Mother, we honor your stones.
~Author Unknown
Here’s an audio clip:
Return, Return
The earth, the air, the fire, the water
Return, return, return, return
The earth, the air, the fire, the water
Return, return, return, return
ae, ae, ae, ae aio, aio, aio, aio ae, ae, ae, ae
aio, aio, aio, aio
A Circle Within A Circle
We are a Circle
We are a circle
Within a circle
With no beginning
And never ending.
Winds Four Quarters
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Eastern Wind, blow clear blow clean
Cleanse my body of its pain
Cleanse my mind of what I’ve seen
Cleanse my honor of its stain
Maid whose love has never ceased
Bring me healing from the east
Southern wind, blow hot blow hard
Fan my courage to a flame
Southern wind be guide and guard
Add your bravery to my name
Let my will and yours be twinned
Warrior of the southern wind
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Western wind blow stark, blow strong
Grant me arm and mind of steel
On a road both hard and long
Mother, hear me where I kneel
Let no weakness on my quest
Hinder me, wind of the west
Northern wind, blow cruel blow cold
Sheathe my aching heart in ice
Armor round my soul enfold
Crone, I need not call you twice
To my foes bring the cold of death
Chill me north wind’s frozen breath!
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Maiden, Warrior…Mother and Crone
May The Circle
May the circle be open. But unbroken.
May the peace of the goddess. Be ever in your heart.
Merry meet and merry part! And merry meet again!
– Starhawk.
Mescalero Apache Song of the Gotal Ceremony
The black turkey gobbler, under the east, the middle of his trail; toward us
it is about to dawn.
The black gurkey gobbler, the tips of his beautiful tail;
above us the dawn whitens.
The black turkey gobbler, the tips of his beautiful tail;
above us the dawn becomes yellow.
The sunbeams stream forward, dawn boys,
with shimmering shoes of yellow.
On top of the sunbeams that stream toward us
they are dancing.
At the east the rainbow moves forward, dawn maidens,
with shimmering shoes and shirts of yellow dance over us.
Beautifully over us it is dawning.
Above us among the mountains the herbs are becoming green.
Above us on the top of the mountains the herbs are becoming yellow.
Above us among the mountains,
with shoes of yellow I go around the fruits and the herbs that shimmer.
Above us among the mountains,
the shimmering fruits with shoes and shirts of yellow are bent toward him.
On the beautiful mountains above it is daylight.
From Gotal: A Mescalero Apache Ceremony by PE Goddard
Meadow Queen Fairy Song
The Song of The
Queen Of The Meadow Fairy
Queen of the Meadow
where small streams are flowing,
What is your kingdom
and whom do you rule?
“Mine are the places
where wet grass is growing,
Mine are the people
of marshland and pool.
“Kingfisher-courtiers,
swift-flashing, beautiful,
Dragon-flies, minnows,
are mine one and all;
Little frog-servants who
wait round me, dutiful,
Hop on my errands
and come when I call.”
Gentle Queen Meadowsweet,
served with such loyalty,
Have you no crown to wear?
“Nothing I need
for a sign of my royalty,
Nothing at all
But my own fluffy hair!”
Hymn to Hera
Let us sing now of Hera, the women’s goddess.
she who rules from her throne of gold.
Let us sing now of Hera, child of earth,
daughter of that most ancient of goddesses.
Let us sing now of the queen of gods.
Let us sing now of the most beautiful goddess.
There is no one more beloved than you,
womanly Hera, no one we honor more.
There is no one more revered than you,
queenly Hera, no one more blessed.
Above all others, you are the most honored.
Above all others, you are the most beloved.
~Homer
Winds Four Quarters
Winds Four Quarters is from the short story Swordsworn in Sword and Sorceress 3 edited by Marion Zimmerman Bradley. It is especially appropriate to be played and sung on the 16th and 17th of January. This was an ancient Greek festival in which offerings were made to the Wind Gods of the eight directions.
Here are the Lyrics:
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Eastern wind blow
Clear blow clean
Cleanse my body
Of it’s pain
Cleanse my mind of
What I’ve seen
Cleanse my honor
Of it’s stain
Maid whose love
Has never ceased
Bring me healing
From the East
Southern wind blow
Hot blow hard
Fan my courage
To a flame
Southern wind be
Guide and guard
Add your bravery
To my name
Let my will
And yours be twined
Warrior of
The southern wind
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Western wind blow
Stark blow strong
Grant me arm and
Mind of steel
Let our own both
Caught and long
Mother hear me
Where I kneel
Let no weakness
On my quest
Hinder me,
Wind of the West
[Music]
Northern wind blow
Cruel blow cold
Sheave my aching
Heart in ice
All around my
Soul enfold
Crone I need not
Call you twice
To my foes bring
Cold of death
Chill me north winds
Frozen breath
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Maid and warrior
Mother and Crone
From the album: Magic, Moondust, & Melancholy
The Twelve Days of Yule
The following is a variation on the famous song about the twelve Days of Christmas from Scotland.
Gather a few friends around the fire. Have one of them say or sing the first verse aloud. Then have everyone repeat it, the same with the next verse and so on. As the verses get longer, whoever makes a slip in repeating the lines pays a forfeit – any small object they may possess such as a candy or a nut.
(Note also the 13th day of Yule – a sure sign of an ancient origin.)
The Days of Yule
The King sent his lady on the first Yule day
A papingo-aye (exotic parrot).
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the second Yule day
Three partricks (partridges), a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the third Yule day
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the fourth Yule day
A goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the fifth Yule day
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the sixth Yule day
Three goldspinks, three starlings,
a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the seventh Yule day
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the eighth Yule day
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the ninth Yule day
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The king sent his lady on the tenth Yule day
An Arabian baboon,
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The King sent his lady on the eleventh Yule day
Three hinds a-merry hunting,
An Arabian baboon,
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The King sent his lady on the twelfth Yule day
Three maids a-merry dancing,
Three hinds a-merry hunting, An Arabian baboon,
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
The King sent his lady on the thirteenth Yule day
Three stalks a-merry corn,
Three maids a-merry dancing,
Three hinds a-merry hunting, An Arabian baboon,
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a merry laying
A bull that was brown, three goldspinks
Three starlings, a goose that was grey
Three plovers, three partricks, a papingo-aye.
Who learns my carol and carries it away?
From: The Winter Solstice
James Cheney: Invocation To The Dark Mother
Daniel: Prayer Before The Final Battle
blessed obyno: Queen of Ghosts
Caerlion Arthur: The Great, Bloody and Bruised Veil of the World
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