shiny objects

[rising_moon]

*ravens
(Tlingit) http://homepage.mac.com/malakhi/images/digitalart/ravens.jpg
(Haida) http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/gallery/haida.html
(Celtic) http://life.csu.edu.au/~lbenton/images/celtic/ravens.gif

*essay I've read countless times that, this morning, elated:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/essay03.asp

*found lyrics:

DEAD CAN DANCE * Emmeleia
I. Sota mono tratao no trateja mon
uto traja satija totaja tom
ima toja satao no trateja mon
uto traja satija tom, satija tom
sadom sadom
sadom sadom

Una torti sadom
Una parki sadom

II. Suta mono tratao na trateja ton
uto traja satija totaja ton
Ima toja satao uno trateja ton
uto traja satija tom, satija tom
sadom sadom
sadom, sadom

Una torti sadom
Una parki sadom

Comments

Shiny indeed!

[valdis.livejournal.com]

Wow, this entry was really like opening a random box filled with just the coolest stuff!

It's Emmeleia, methinks. And do you have any idea where the text is from, or even what language it's in? I've listened to the Into the Labyrinth CD so much that I can follow along to the lyrics, and I could even perhaps write them down phonetically, but I have no idea what they mean.

Re: Shiny indeed!

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

It's Emmeleia, methinks.

Corrected, thanks!

dreda gave me the song on a mix CD and I, like you, quickly wore out the plastic with replays. I've no idea what language it's in. Googling individual words suggested Polish or Portugese but I'm inclined to think it's Sumerian or something.

Re: Shiny indeed!

[valdis.livejournal.com]

This guy (http://ectoguide.org/artists/dead.can.dance) seems to think it's some form of Latin(??).

Re: Shiny indeed!

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

We're closing in. Evidently there was a Saint Emmeleia (http://www.cs.ust.hk/faculty/dimitris/metro/emmeleia.html) who was Turkish.

Re: Shiny indeed!

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i had the impression that dead can dance did their lyrics just for sound, and that they are not actually language.

Amazing

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the Gaiman essay. It made me cry. Strong truth.

Is "Emmeleia" a sephardic song, that wild, wonderful Spanish-Hebrew combination? It doesn't sound like it, but Dead Can Dance often change the feel of the original when they set it to their unusual blend.

Re: Amazing

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

It made me cry. Strong truth.

Me, too. :) I'm a fan of strength and truth. And of speaking both of those to children.

[greenness.livejournal.com]

Happy shiny Friday diversions. Thank you! Neil Gaiman, as usual, is right. He rocks.

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I could brighten your day with someone else's work. :)

And thank you for the continuing gift of your poetry. You've answered a question Neil might ask, "what if... spam was really a diabolical means of introducing word-viruses into the collective unconscious?" It's a good thing you're here, snowdryad, to harness their power and use it for good.

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder. I fell in love with Haida art while in Vancouver. Have you seen this sculpture of Raven with the first men?
http://www.eldrbarry.net/rabb/rvn/reid.htm
The picture doesn't even begin to do the work justice, unfortunately.

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The first picture was impressive, but then I saw the one of the artist sitting on the sculpture. Um -- it's huge!