The Mountain King/Persephone

So, now I have written a blog post about each of the songs on our CD "The Wandering Ballad".

Now we go back to Wall of Sound Studio, so that John Wall can once again help us create some magic.

This time it is going to be songs that all tell one story. The story of The Mountain King.

We created a show of this Scandinavian/European legend that parallels the Greek myth of Persephone.

To tell the story, we used a number of Medieval Ballads from Swedish speaking Finland and Norway, a couple of traditional British Child ballads, even a few verses from the Finnish Epic Kalevala and a more recent popular Finnish song.

We have performed it here in Albuquerque and at the Provincetown Theater in New York, and plan to tour it.

The ballad of The Mountain King and the British ballad Hind Etin tell a legend that parallels the Greek myth of Persephone.

Persephone was abducted/married off to the Lord of the Underworld. Once there she ate a pomegranate seed. Not a good idea; if you eat or drink anything while visiting the otherworld/underworld you are trapped there forever.

Persephone's mother Demeter searches the world for her daughter, and until she gets her daughter back nothing will grow. Winter descends on the world.

Only when Persephone visits her mother will spring come and flowers and grasses grow…