Ode of Ellindel
by Ellindel Treeheart
analysis and arrangement by Lendren Starfall

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In the earth, poison of the Soulless,
So much lost, wounds so deep,
Forests wither lifeless.
Most lose hope, wrap themselves in cold sleep,
Others choose betrayal,
Allying with death's creep.

With a song, Mother Moon came calling,
Growing hope, like a seed,
In the springtime blooming.
Fae awake, wounded weak and wearied,
Heal me as I heal them,
Dancing as they are freed.

Thus I swear, by the light of Moon's glow,
To protect everything
That by nature's grace grows.
Root to branch, loyalty providing,
Comes back to me doubled,
All my love and healing.

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ANALYSIS

The Ode of Ellindel not only uses the classic ode structure of strophe,
antistrophe, and epode, but may well be its origin and thus its definition.
There is no evidence of mortal poets using the ode structure before the
time of Ellindel, though it is less clear whether the Divine might have
developed the format. Ellindel herself only called it "Ode", so far as is
known, further suggesting that the name of the structure derives from this
poem.

When odes were performed in Old Celest, it became traditional for the
strophe (the first section, which states a question or problem, and which
is traditionally sung and accompanied in a minor key) to be performed while
the singer or chorus moved right to left across the stage. The antistrophe
(which opposes the strophe, posing an answer and performed in a major key)
is performed while reversing this movement, while the epode (which
sythesizes the themes of strophe and antistrophe into a conclusion, which
may be in a minor or major key depending on the overall tone of the piece)
is performed motionless in the center of the stage.

However, it is my suspicion that Ellindel's ode was performed not in a
lateral movement but in a spiral. The strophe was performed while turning
to the left (or "widdershins", as it is now called by modern Wiccans),
wending outwards from the center. The antistrophe was then performed while
turning to the right (or "deiseil"), wending back inwards, reversing the
strophe's course. The epode would be recited from the circle's balanced
center.

I have no period evidence to support this, but the similarity to modern
Wiccan spiral dances, and the analogy to Old Celest's lateral movement,
seem compelling. It is even possible that this is the very origin of the
Wiccan spiral dance. Such a spiral would suit Ellindel's purposes, and
bears considerable power, but it would not prove effective for a
performance on a raised stage; the spiral movement would be largely unseen
by the audience. It would be an obvious adaptation to replace it with a
lateral movement, left then right, both simpler to choreograph and more
recognizable to the audience.

The rhyme is a simple terza rima (a-b-a, b-c-b, etc.), a structure which
was once very popular (particularly in the early days of Old Celest) but
which fell out of favor in later years. It is rarely used now.

The ode's meter seems at first to defy categorization, but if we combine
the second and third, and fifth and sixth, lines in each stanza, it is
revealed to be an altered iambic hexameter, with elided (but implied) feet
in the first and middle measures of each stanza.

It is impossible to know what the actual melody used by Ellindel was, or
even be certain that she sang her ode rather than reciting it. It seems
unlikely that it was accompanied. Thus, I have hewn to the tradition of
music and accompaniment of later odes, providing a sparse and somewhat
ambiguous melody for the vocals, which is perfectly symmetrical across
stanzas (discounting modulation between major and minor keys), and an
accompaniment only slightly less sparse, primarily to harmonize the vocal
melody and emphasize the iambs.

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ARRANGEMENT

(A * indicates a note in the space above; for instance, on the second
syllable of "poison" in the second measure, the note is an A.)

(strophe)
-#------------|--|--===========----------|
--4---____----|--|--|--|--|---|---_____--|
&-----|--|---O---|--|--|-O----|---|---|--|
--4---|-O--------|-O--*------*---O----|--|
-----O-----------|-------------------O---|

In the earth, poison of the Soulless,

| ___________________
| | | | |
-#----|------O|--|--|----O|-------|---|--|
------|------O|--|-O|-----|------O|---|--|
&----O|------O---|--|----O--------|--O|--|
-----O|----------|-O-------------O---O|--|
-----O-----------|-------------------O---|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_____
======_____ / \\
-#-------------------|----|----|-|------------------______--|
------====_____------|----|---O--|--*--O------------|----|--|
&-----|--|----|-----O----*-------|-|--|-----*-O-----|----|--|
------|--|---O-------------------|-|--|----|-|-----O-----|--|
-----O--*------------------------|-===========----------O---|

So much lost, wounds so deep, forests wither lifeless.
_____
====____ * / \\
-#----|--|---|---------------|*--|------------------______--|
------|--|---O------O----*---|O--|--*-------*-------|----|--|
&-----|--|---O-----|----|----|---|-|-------|-------O|---O|--|
-----O--*----O-----|----|----|---|-|-------|-------O----O|--|
-------------------======____|---|-|_______|------------O---|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-#--------------|--|--================----______-|
------______----|--|--|-----|----|---|----|----|-|
&-----|----|---O---|--|-----|---O----|----|---O--|
------|---O--------|-O-----*--------*----O-------|
-----O-------------|-----------------------------|

Most lose hope, wrap themselves in cold sleep,

| __________________________
| | | | |
-#----|------O|----|--|---------O|--------|---*|-|
------|------O|----|-O|----------|--------|---*|-|
&----O|------O-----|--|---------O--------O|---O|-|
-----O|------------|-O-------------------O-------|
-----O-------------|-----------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=========
-#----------------------____-|---|-|-|---|------------*----||
------*-O---------------|--|-|---|-|-|--O------------|-----||
&----|-|------*-----O---|-O--|--*-O-*---------O------|-----||
-----|-|-----|-----|---*-----|---------------|-------|-----||
-----===============---------|---------------|_______|-----||

Others choose betrayal, allying with death's creep.

================ ____
| | | | | | | * *
-#----|-|-----|------|--|-*|-|-|*--|*----------------|*----||
-----*|-|-----|------|-*|-O|-|-|---|----------*------|*----||
&----*-O-----*|------|-*|-O--|-|*--|*--------|O------|O----||
-------------*------O--*-----|-|---|---------|-------|-----||
-----------------------------|-|---|---------|-------|O----||
|___|_________|_______|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(antistrophe) | ==============
-#----____--|--|--|--|-----|---|----_____--|
------|--|-O---|--|--|----O----|----|---|--|
&-----|-O------|-O--*---------*----O----|--|
-----O---------|-----------------------O---|
---------------|---------------------------|

With a song, Mother Moon came calling,

| _______________________
| | | | |
| O| | O| | |
-#----|----O|--|-O|--------|-------O|---|--|
-----O|----O---|--|-------O---------|--O|--|
&----O|--------|-O-----------------O---O|--|
-----O---------|-----------------------O---|
---------------|---------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_____
=====____ / \\
| | | ______
-#----====_____-----|---|--O--|--*--O--------------|----|--|
------|--|----|----O---*------|-|--|-----*---O-----|----|--|
&-----|--|---O----------------|-|--|----|---|-----O-----|--|
-----O--*---------------------|-=============----------O---|
------------------------------|----------------------------|

Growing hope, like a seed, in the springtime blooming.
_____
====____ * / \\
| | | |* ______
-#----|--|---O-----O---*--|O--|--*-------*---------|----|--|
------|--|---O----|---|---|---|-|-------|---------O|---O|--|
&----O--*----O----|---|---|---|-|-------|---------O----O|--|
------------------=====___|---|-|_______|--------------O---|
------------------------------|----------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

| ============== ______
-#----____--|--|--|---|----|---|--|----|-|
------|--|-O---|--|---|---O----|--|---O--|
&-----|-O------|-O---*--------*--O-------|
-----O---------|-------------------------|
---------------|-------------------------|

Fae awake, wounded weak and wearied,

| ______________________
| | | | |
| O| | O| | *|
-#----|----O|--|-O|--------|------|---*|-|
-----O|----O---|--|-------O------O|---O|-|
&----O|--------|-O---------------O-------|
-----O---------|-------------------------|
---------------|-------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=============
____ | | | | *
-#----*---O---------|--|--|---|--|----|--O-------|-----||
-----|---|---*--O---|-O---|--*--O----*-------O---|-----||
&----|---|--|--|---*------|-----------------|----|-----||
-----===========----------|-----------------|____|-----||
--------------------------|----------------------------||

Heal me as I heal them, dancing as they are freed.

============ ____
| | | | | | * *
| | | | | *| |* |* *
-#---*|---|--|---|-*|-O|--|-|-------|--------*---|*----||
-----*---O--*|---|-*|-O---|-|*------|*------|O---|O----||
&-----------*---O--*------|-|-------|-------|----|-----||
--------------------------|-|-------|-------|----|O----||
--------------------------|-|_______|_______|____|-----||

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(epode) | ==============
-#----____--|--|--|--|-----|---|----_______--|
------|--|-O---|--|--|----O----|----|-----|--|
&-----|-O------|-O--*---------*----O------|--|
-----O---------|-------------------------O---|
---------------|-----------------------------|

Thus I swear, by the light of Moon's glow,

| _________________________
| | | | |
| O| | O| | |
-#----|----O|--|-O|--------|-------O|-----|--|
-----O|----O---|--|-------O---------|----O|--|
&----O|--------|-O-----------------O-----O|--|
-----O---------|-------------------------O---|
---------------|-----------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_______
====___ / \\
| | | ________
-#----====_____---|--|-O--|--*---O------------|------|--|
------|--|----|--O--*-----|-|---|---*---O-----|------|--|
&-----|--|---O------------|-|---|--|---|-----O-------|--|
-----O--*-----------------|-============------------O---|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|

to protect everything that by nature's grace grows.
_______
====____ * / \\
| | | |* ________
-#----|--|---O---O--*-|O--|--*------*---------|------|--|
------|--|---O--|--|--|---|-|------|---------O|-----O|--|
&----O--*----O--|--|--|---|-|------|---------O------O|--|
----------------====__|---|-|______|----------------O---|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

| ========== ____
-#----____----|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|-|
------|--|---O---|---|--|-O---|--|-O--|
&-----|-O--------|--O--*-----*--O-----|
-----O-----------|--------------------|
-----------------|--------------------|

Root to branch, loyalty providing,

| ________________
| | | | |
| O| | O| | *|
-#----|------O|--|--O|-----|-----|-*|-|
-----O|------O---|---|----O-----O|-O|-|
&----O|----------|--O-----------O-----|
-----O-----------|--------------------|
-----------------|--------------------|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=============
_____ | | | | *
-#------*----O----------|---|-|---|--|----|--O-------|-----||
-------|----|----*--O---|--O--|--*--O----*-------O---|-----||
&------|----|---|--|---*------|-----------------|----|-----||
-------=============----------|-----------------|____|-----||
------------------------------|----------------------------||

Comes back to me doubled, all my love and healing.

============== _____
| | | | | | * *
| | | | | *| |* |* *
-#-----*|----|---|---|-*|--O|-|-|-------|--------*---|*----||
-------*----O---*|---|-*|--O--|-|*------|*------|O---|O----||
&---------------*---O--*------|-|-------|-------|----|-----||
------------------------------|-|-------|-------|----|O----||
------------------------------|-|_______|_______|____|-----||

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