Rhiannon

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win
Will you ever win

Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon

She rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win
Will you ever win

Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon

Oooooh

Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky

Dreams unwind
Loves a state of mind
Dreams unwind
Loves a state of mind




1975


1977


1990


1997





"Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" is a popular single released by Fleetwood Mac in 1976. The song was the first example of Stevie Nicks' prolific writing, performing and singing within the band. In later years her performing and singing would become even more important in the band's artistry. Nicks is renowned for dramatic live performances of Rhiannon in flowing gowns.

"Rhiannon" was voted #488 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine. Its U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit #11. [1] Although it only reached #46 in the UK singles chart after re-release in 1976, Rhiannon is well known and highly regarded as a rock anthem both within and outside the US.

The single version of the song was a re-mixed edited version that is noticeably different than the version appearing on the Fleetwood Mac album. Specifically, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar part at the end is edited out and the line "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind" is repeated four times as the song fades out, more often than on the LP version;this version also was given a "hotter" mix than the LP version to make it stand out more during radio play.

Nicks discovered Rhiannon through a novel called Triad, by Mary Leader. The novel is about a woman named Branwen who is possessed by another woman named Rhiannon. There is mention of the Welsh myth of Rhiannon in the novel, but the characters in the novel bear little resemblance to their mythological namesakes.

Nicks bought the novel in an airport just before a long flight and thought the name was so pretty that she wanted to write something about a girl named Rhiannon. She wrote "Rhiannon" in 1974, three months before joining Fleetwood Mac and she claimed it took 10 minutes to write.

After writing the song, Nicks learned that Rhiannon was a Welsh goddess and was amazed that the haunting song lyrics applied to the Welsh Rhiannon as well. After learning of the Rhiannon myth, Nicks researched the Mabinogion story and began work on a Rhiannon project, unsure of whether it would become a movie, a musical, a cartoon, or a ballet. There are several "Rhiannon Songs" from this unfinished project including "Stay Away" and "Maker of Birds". Nicks wrote the Fleetwood Mac song "Angel" based on the Rhiannon story.



In the Mabinogion of Welsh mythology Rhiannon is the horse goddess, equivalent to Epona from Gaulish mythology. Rhiannon was a daughter of Hefeydd the Old. She was married to Pwyll, and later, Manawydan.

Pwyll first met Rhiannon when she appeared as a beautiful woman dressed in gold and riding a white horse. Pwyll sent his horsemen after her, but she was too fast. After three days, he finally chased her himself. When he spoke, asking her to stop, Rhiannon told him she would rather marry him than the man she was being forced upon, Gwawl. She made a tryst with Pwyll and after a year from that day, he won her from Gwawl by tricking him to climb into a magic bag that Rhiannon had given to Pwyll-striking an agreement to free him in exchange for Rhiannon.

Rhiannon gave birth to a son after three years of their rule; however, on the night of the birth, the child disappeared while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. They feared that they would be put to death, and to avoid any blame, smeared blood from a puppy on the sleeping Rhiannon, and lay its bones around her bed. Pwyll imposed a penance on Rhiannon for her crime, to remain in the court of Arberth for seven years, and to sit every day near a horse-block outside the gate telling her story to all that passed. In addition, she was to carry any willing guest to the court on her back.

The child appeared outside a stable of King Teyrnon, whose mares had just given birth but the foals had disappeared. Teyrnon had been watching his stables when he saw a mysterious beast coming to take the foal; Teyrnon stopped the beast by cutting off its arm at the elbow, and found the child outside the stable. He and his wife adopted him. The child grew to adulthood in only seven years and was given the foal which had led Teyrnon to the stable. Teyrnon realized who the child was and returned him to Pwyll and Rhiannon, who named him Pryderi (care).

Pryderi married Cigva and became King of Dyfed after his father died. He then invited Manawydan (his stepfather) to live with him in Dyfed. Soon, Dyfed turned into a barren wasteland and only Rhiannon, Pryderi, Cigva and Manawydan lived. Manawydan and Pryderi, while out hunting, saw a white boar which they followed. Pryderi and his mother, Rhiannon, touched a golden bowl that the boar led them to and became enchanted. Manawydan and Cigva were unable to help them until they captured a mouse which was actually the wife of Llwyd, Rhiannon's enemy (seeking revenge for her treatment of Gwawl), and the spell was lifted.

The Rhiannon myth was not the inspiration for the song Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win). Rather, Stevie Nicks read the name in a novel by Mary Leader called Triad during a flight, liked the name, and wrote the song in 10 minutes. She later learned of the Welsh myth and was shocked to learn that her song fitted the myth. Angel by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and The Birds of Rhiannon by Faith and the Muse are both based on the myth, however.

Leigh Brackett wrote the science-fiction novel The Sword Of Rhiannon, first published in 1949 as Sea-Kings of Mars, although the story has no direct relation to the myth.

Rhiannon is also the name given to asteroid 16912.



Did you know.....that in the late 70's and early 80's, Stevie was working diligently on a Rhiannon film project? She wrote many songs for the soundtrack, including Maker Of Birds (aka Three Birds of Rhiannon) and Forest of the Black Roses. The film project never got off the ground, though, and all the songs ended up in Stevie's vault, sadly to never be released.

UPDATE 4/30/98 - Stevie participated in a live Yahoo! chat on the internet on 4/28/98 (the same day her boxed set Enchanted was released). She was asked about Forest of the Black Roses, and her response was that she was saving it along with a group of 9 other songs that she calls her Rhiannon songs, to eventually be released together. Sounds like this project is not dead after all!



above, the legendary Rhiannon painting, by Stevie Nicks, completed 10/12/82)
The following is the complete, heartfelt postscript printed on the back of the beautiful and now rare Rhiannon cards, sold at one time by Stevie's mother as a fundraiser for the City of Hope hospital. If you still have one, these cards are to be especially cherished as they are out of print and no longer available for sale anywhere. Click on the painting to see an enlargement, as well as the printed postscript in Stevie's own handwriting.



Rhiannon's symbol is the horse, her element water and her colour green, and she is the Goddess to whom one can pray for justice and an airing of the truth. Those who have borne life's ills and injustices with patience, but who are nearing the end of their tether, may turn to Her for solace and strength.



Prayer to Rhiannon

Hail Rhiannon, Consort of the Divine Charger
Who is also Lord of the Sea.
Straight is the path of thy steeds
That step the starlit paving stones
Of firmaments forgotten. Yes, but
Only in the blinkered sight of those
Whose eyes are blinded to thy kingdom.
Count me not amongst these, noble Queen,
For I would know and love thee,
And in doing thus would seek thy counsel
And thine aid. Thou too wert wronged
In eons past, when thy fair Cult was
Judged by false evidence to be of
Bloody kind. Yet as young Pryderi did
By Tiernyon's king touch deliver thee
From penances unjust, in manner like
Deliver me, O Queen, from that which
Thus afflicts me without cause, and see
My bold accusers put to right.
For which great mercy I will hence thy
Praises sing to all of men, and honour thee,
O Goddess of the Horse.

Murry Hope 1987


http://members.aol.com/gypsynicks/rhiannon.html