HARUSPEX

Medieval music about Sir Bedivere, a trusted supporter of King Arthur and one of the first knights to join the fellowship of the Round Table. He was also the knight who returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. This music is called Sir Bedivere. We hope you enjoy listening to it!

#medieval #knight #bedivere #sir #arthur #middleages #adventure

Knights of the Round Table

Medieval Adventure Music - Sir Bedivere

The lyric is in the style and form of mediaeval French romance (octosyllabic couplets giving a lighter, faster feel than the English iambic pentameter) and evokes the medieval Guinevere of the troubadours of Provence rather than the Gwenhwyfar of Celtic myths and of Dark Age history (which we do elsewhere on the album). We wanted Guinevere to sound contemporary and confident, chipping against the beat of the courtly love tradition in which she was a love object rather than a love subject.

Belle ami, si est de nous, ne vous sans moi, ni moi sans vous.

Let them play at boyish games round
A table. Though walled up, bound,
In an unpublished garden, stone
Tower with window, all alone,
This court still revolves around me.

I twist them all round my pretty
Little finger, a studded ring:
The champion knight, the maimed king,
Geraint, Gawaine, my Lancelot.
It’s the only power I know.

Who waits… and do not wait to see
The object of his worship pass,
Wasted, into this looking glass,
Wheat-hair, rose-lips, unsown, should he
Choose to deny himself – and me.

He comes through enchanted forests,
Rough-horses, haunted castles, mists;
From slaying giants, big bad knights:
Barons with feudal appetites;
Impossible quests for Our Lady,
Sowing wild seeds Love meant for me;
Greets Arthur, “mon vieux!” – clash of mail
So grieved his crown still lacks a graal -
So tedious! He comes to me

Who waits… and do not wait to see
The object of his worship pass,
Wasted, into this looking glass,
Wheat-hair, rose-lips, unsown, should he
Choose to deny himself – and me.

© Gareth Calway 1991 first published in "Coming Home" King of Hearts Publishing

from King Arthur and Me: The Opera, released May 1, 2024 https://peacocks-tale.bandcamp.com/album/king-arthur-and-me-the-opera
Watch the music video on YouTube - youtu.be/UFv0zUtlrUk

The French at  the beginning translates as "Who wears the culottes in this relationship?" though culottes can also mean 'tights' which is quite amusing. The glorious old French that follows is quoted from a medieval romance and means "Beautiful friend, this is how it is with us; there is no you without me, no me without you."

Lady Guinevere

Morgan le Fay (note the masculine appellation) fares worse than any other character except Mordred (her son with Arthur) in the retellings by Cistercian monks who satanise her without ever quite removing her potent role in Arthur's holy progress - she still provides the scabbard for Excalibur which means Arthur cannot bleed from war wounds (until he loses it), she provides the magical disguise by which Lancelot impregnates the Grail Maiden with Galahad (believing her to be Guinevere) and adds a similar riddling magic to the quest of the Green Knight. Crucially, she also helps remove the dying Arthur to Avalon, from which he will one day to return to save us. She is far too elemental and cryptic - 'fatal' is good word for her - to be exactly benign even in the original mythology but the Cisercians' femme fatale tells us as much about their fear of women as it does about this mother/wife/death goddess.

Morgan and Arthur had the same mother - Ygraine of Cornwall - but her father was Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall whilst his was officially Sir Ector but actually Uther Pendragon who killed Gorlois and came to Ygraine's bed wearing a magical helmet (provided by Merlin) which made him look like the husband he'd killed. Morgan returns the magical compliment later by making the Grail Maiden look like Guinevere in order to seduce Lancelot. 'Du' means black and represents the unconscious and is also a dual language pun on "Duw' (God) and dew (as in the morning).


Morgan le Fay
on her magical horse
black as the night
unconscious force
mourning the Du
beneath and beyond
all we think say and do
dying to be born
on a bridal (sic) away
part healing
in to the Whole,
the slumbering Soul
and the only Way
to catch the boar king
as he gallops away
Morgan le fay
Morgan le fay.

I love males, yet live makeless.
The long night and false dawn still lingers lonely
As day breaks my dike brook's bed
Diluting with grey light my Du-distilled soul.

I give birth, yet grave brothers
My mothering bosom of womb-mouthing earth
Is death-witch and dearth's country
Both vessel you're born on and vestige's barque.

Morgan le Fay
on her magical horse
black as the night
unconscious force
mourning the Du
beneath and beyond
all we think say and do
dying to be born
on a bridal (sic) away
part healing
in to the Whole,
the slumbering Soul
and the only Way
to catch the boar king
as he gallops away
Morgan le fay
Morgan le fay.

I bride men and breed Mordreds,
The world's consummation weds its confounding,
The lightning of love's moon lore
Will strike dead the armed man sick-nursed in these arms.

I brave blood, a bereaved bride,
God's mother and man's Eve, a death moth and Mary,
O Arthur ardent brother,
The love sword you bury here will seed the whole world.

Morgan le Fay
on her magical horse
black as the night
unconscious force
mourning the Du
beneath and beyond
all we think say and do
dying to be born
on a bridal (sic) away
part healing
in to the Whole,
the slumbering Soul
and the only Way
to catch the boar king
as he gallops away
Morgan le fay
Morgan le fay.
credits
from King Arthur and Me: The Opera, released May 1, 2024
Cover ('Morgana') by Bhas Allan (pictured)
For a long time this was our most watched music video on YouTube youtu.be/DXetO0qlUkg

Morgan Le Fay

Sarah is joined by fellow historian Maeve Doyle and fan of people getting stabbed Ollie to talk about the seminal 1981 classic Excalibur.
Directed by John Boorman and seemingly filmed in a fog of coke dust and horniness this movie is one of the most famous medieval movies of all time. As Maeve says- this movie is a rich text.


Excalibur

Historian, Sharon Bennett Connolly and historical author, Derek Birks discuss the Saxons and Vikings with historical fiction author, Peter Gibbons.


Music by Adriel Fair licensed from Epidemic Sound

Saxons & Vikings | A Slice of Medieval #60

Many in the UK seek comfort in the past, whether the Celtic twilight of Camelot, or pride in the innovations of the Victorian era. But peel away the fantasies and we're left with little - just overcooked roast beef and roundabouts. This is a rant about our obsession with the past - and obsessions in general, whether these are my own, or those of the nostalgic British public.

Roast Beef and Roundabouts

The legend is that King Arthur is sleeping under a hollow hill in Avalon but will come back in our direst need and save us. So where was he when we needed him? Maybe he comes back regularly but we don't recognise him. Maybe he was Churchill (the line is actually "he a church, hill, dragon" but don't let that stop you) at the 'end of civilisation as we know it'; maybe he was the Beatles saving us from the Dracula grip of the dead past in the 1950s.

Chivalry means a bit more than military authority; the legends emphasise the mercy, justice and moral rectitude of Arthur's reign and of his knights' unselfishness, courageous readiness to defend the weak and opposition to bullying selfishness advanced by might. 

This track tries to sum up all the protean and sub-messianic things Arthur has been through mythology, legend and history.



Wake me, wake me
He come out on top, he beat
Hordes of heathen, he pluck
Swords of lightning from the
Stone and rippling
BC AD 6 and 6/9teenth Century
Justice might and mercy king of all chivalry.

Wake me, wake me
He Arth and Ursus, he yoke
Rome and Logres, he ride
Wings and horses, he steal
Grails from Annwn as a
Norman knight a bird of prey an earthed angel tree,
Celtic god a Dark Age white horse galloping free.

Woke King Arthur
In the 20th
Century.

Wake me, wake me
He ever present, he a
Church-hilled dragon, he the
King of Europe, never
Heard of England, he a
Druid henge a hollow hill a forest a sea
British May King ever changing eternity.

Woke King Arthur
In the 20th
Century.

(spoken) You who think you defend
This lost land of Logres
From drowning migrants
For your offshore profits
You're not Arthur's Britons
Follow your money
GO!

He fights invaders who claim
Lost Land acres from the
Drowning migrants, for their
Offshore profits, he’s the
Lose yourself to save yourself they don’t want to see
Release the Pax Britannia brand of Arthur-ity.

Woke King Arthur
In the Twenty first
Century.

Wake King Arthur
Yeah
Wake King King Arthur
Yeah
Wake King Arthur
YEAH!
https://peacocks-tale.bandcamp.com/album/king-arthur-and-me-the-opera

Woke King Arthur

Tracey Tanoff is back but this time Chris Pine's Peen(R) is not on the table as we dissect a couple of beloved animated classics. We may not have liked them but we appreciate the work! 

The Black Cauldron & The Sword in the Stone

"The Abyssal King" is a dark cinematic trap anthem inspired by the character Brennan from King Arthur: Legends Rise. Once a noble ruler, now a twisted mutant king bound to ancient, godlike power — this track captures his fall, his rage, and his frozen resolve.

Fusing haunting ambient textures, epic orchestral elements, and heavy bass-driven trap rhythms, the song paints the icy crown and cursed soul of a man who chose darkness to save his people.

Король из Бездны | The Abyssal King

For our second release on Takeover, we’re bringing you some serious heat from raw rising talent—alongside a couple of our own resident heavyweights.

This VA delivers nasty basslines, tight percussion, and deep, infectious grooves throughout keeping to that raw aesthetic that we know you all love!

Each artist brings a cut-throat sound that’s guaranteed to shake sound systems across the globe and of course… flex some floorboards.

Purchase from our Bandcamp!

Release date: 16.04.2025
Mastering: DDA Mastering

TKVR002 - BKSM - Shinobi (Clip)

TKVR002 - Mees Mattern - That Disc (Clip)

TKVR002 - Luis Ripa - What Lies Beneath (Clip)

TKVR002 - King Arthur - Red Line (Clip)

TKVR002 - Pabz - Terb (Clip)

TKVR002 - Clark Street Dubs - Hold The Feeling (Clip)

Medieval music about the adventures of Sir Galahad, one of King Arthur's most loyal and honorable knights. This music is called Sir Galahad. We hope you enjoy listening to it!

#medieval #knight #galahad #middleages #instrumental 

Round Table

Medieval Music - Sir Galahad

Tennyson's paean of praise for the best king we never had; the one boss you could have worked for. His words already seem to have the melodies (and even the percussion) in place. The Saxon May King Robin Hood (see our track of that name  https://soundcloud.com/gareth-calway/the-may-king-robin-hood) based on the historical figure Hereward the Wake, is a people's champion. The older Celtic British Arthur, rooted in the British resistance to Saxon invasion and in Celtic mythology, is more associated with a magical court.

The May King as a boy/god/ spirit of summer fights for the light against overwhelming odds aided by good magic. (Love). The might of Gwalchmei (later called Sir Gawain) waxes with the summer and wanes with the winter. The force that through the green fuse drives the flower...

Out of this came a spontaneous riff on Child Ballad 1 (see credits)
lyrics
'Blow, trumpet, for the world is white with May;
Blow trumpet, the long night hath rolled away!
Blow through the living world—"Let the King reign."

'Shall Rome or Heathen rule in Arthur's realm?
Flash brand and lance, fall battleaxe upon helm,
Fall battleaxe, and flash brand! Let the King reign.

'Strike for the King and live! his knights have heard
That God hath told the King a secret word.
Fall battleaxe, and flash brand! Let the King reign.

'Blow trumpet! he will lift us from the dust.
Blow trumpet! live the strength and die the lust!
Clang battleaxe, and clash brand! Let the King reign.

'Strike for the King and die! and if thou diest,
The King is King, and ever wills the highest.
Clang battleaxe, and clash brand! Let the King reign.

'Blow, for our Sun is mighty in his May!
Blow, for our Sun is mightier day by day!
Clang battleaxe, and clash brand! Let the King reign.

'The King will follow Christ, and we the King
In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing.
Fall battleaxe, and flash brand! Let the King reign.'

Tennyson from 'The Coming of Arthur'

What is greener than the grass?
Lay the bent to the bonny broom
What is smoother than a glass?
And you'll beguile the lady soon.
What is louder than a horn?
Lay the bent to the bonny broom
What is sharper than a thorn?
And you'll beguile the lady soon.
What is deeper than the sea?
Lay the bent to the bonny broom
What is longer than a Way?
And you'll beguile the lady soon.

Child Ballad 1 (Riddles Wisely Expounded)
credits
from Bringing In The May (EP), track released May 1, 2021
from our EP Bringing In The May, released April 30, 2021
That's Maz on acoustic guitar and vocals; me on voice, percussion, acoustic and electric bass.
Alfred Lawn Tennyson wrote the main poem, an extract from Idylls of the King about the coronation of the May King which he called "The Coming of Arthur".
The 'hermit chapel' pictured is St Peter's in the heart of Cambridge, which Tennyson would have probably have known.
The sample of Child Ballad 1 as the track closes (we heard Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer's brilliant 2013 version on Liz Franklin's folk programme ) is in the Celtic tradition of 'impossible' quests or riddles set which if achieved will be rewarded by marriage with fair lady
The answers to the riddles are: envy, flattery, rumour, regret, love.

Anyone for Tennyson?/ Child Ballad 1

(spoken) There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o’er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth work
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long
That both his eyes were dazzled...


(sung) "Throw back, throw back, Excalibur!"
I begged Bedwyr - and twice more -
"Throw back, grown black, Excalibur
That I might live forever
That Light might strike forever!
In wicked shifting thickets, the thorn
Of my heart's bursting must be:
Rose-clad, at home, and sleeping,
Or gone is the dazzling dream
That Artos, once man Arthur,
(Mis-mothered where life faltered
On long-fought malice Mordered)
Is God, is lord immortal:
A dream too real to live, thrown
Out of your world and hurled, look!


A Christ sword to Word your sky!"

(spoken) Dry clash’d his harness in the icy caves
And barren chasms, and all to left and right
The bare black cliff clang’d round him, as he based
His feet on juts of slippery crag that rang
Sharp-smitten with the dint of armed heels—
And on a sudden, lo! the level lake,
And the long glories of the winter moon.

sung lyrics © Gareth Calway 2011

From our Matter of Britain set "The Lost Land". The tune is Llwyn Onn (the Lonely Ash Grove.)

From our Matter of Britain set "The Lost Land," this interpretation of the famous moment in the Arthur legends when the Mordred-conquering but broken king of Logres commands Bedivere (originally Bedwyr, first friend) to throw his enchanted sword Excalibur ('lightning blade') back into the Lake form whence it came, takes a number of things for granted which alas one cannot. First, that the Arthur legend is not the property of the English (as often believed) but of an older Celtic Britain which fought them for what became known as "Logres" the Lost Land - (modern Welsh Lloegr, England) - hence our use of a haunting Welsh tune. Second, the (to me) attractive Celtic 'otherworldliness' of the lyric is due - as in the verses of our "Morgan le Fay" - to my alternating use of two of the most common medieval Welsh meters (Morgan uses the other two) known collectively as cynghanedd (literally 'harmony')

The required intense focus on word-sounds and patterns here and in its sibling piece Morgan cast a spell over my composition which allowed magical thoughts to form. This in turn affected the choice of tune and the overall performance.

released September 19, 2023
Main lyric by and tune arr. by Peacock's Tale  https://peacocks-tale.bandcamp.com/track/excalibur
Music video - https://youtu.be/DJ231bQrlpU

The Ash Grove (Welsh: Llwyn Onn) is a traditional Welsh folk song whose melody has been set to numerous sets of lyrics before this one, the most famous ones ("Down yonder green valley etc") by Thomas Oliphant in the 19th century.

Lake photography by Bhas Allan.

Extracts from "Morte D'Arthur" by Tennyson. Always nice to have Alfred Lord Tennyson in as a guest artist.

Excalibur: A Dream Too Real To Live

"Tracks with attitude"

A Manchester based club brand and record label that explores the underground sounds of raw house and garage with a gritty edge.

A marriage (and we are actually married, 45 years so far) of melody and rhythm. We do folk, indie, Americana, Norfolk noir, beat poems &  ghazals. Traditional tunes with contemporary beats. Music videos  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8wV0-DNiFs1R5G2VSytBQ
Maz lead & harmony vocals, acoustic guitar. Gaz vocals, voice, bass, drums & percussion, harmonium, recorders, lyre harp, field recordings.

Hi everyone!

We compose medieval music, fantasy music, world music, sci-fi music, dark music, and other types of music. All the music here (with maybe one exception) is originally composed by Derek Fiechter & Brandon Fiechter who are twins who live in Indiana in the United States.

Also, any of our music can be used for non-commercial projects and videos. All we ask is that people credit us.

Here's our email address if you want to contact us about any business request or anything else:

dbfiechter@gmail.com


As for our beliefs, we're Christians who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.


Derek Fiechter & Brandon Fiechter

#medieval #fantasy #spooky #egyptian #world #instrumental #ost #elf #mermaid #fairy #music

Derek Birks is an #historicalfiction author who is interested in all matters historical. Sharon Bennett Connolly is a #medieval #historian who writes mainly about women.

Sarah Ifft Decker, a medieval historian, explores how movies, tv, and books depict the medieval world. What did they get right? What did they get wrong? And what do they tell us about how modern people think about the medieval past?

Psychic Investigations:
exploring the weird British Isles

New tracks tagged #King Arthur