Shae wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:45 am
Weaver Girl, Heartstrings (Composed by: 劉子菲、 谷子寒 , Bamboo flute by 佚名) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGcUZJ9xlY
One of Eilistraee's manifestations in the sourcebook lore is supposed to be a snatch of wordless song. Once you hit 3:51 in the video, it made me think of that again.
Light On (Maggie Rogers) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfC8Arj_nCg
I like this song because I feel like one thing learned from Eilistraee's story arc in the game is about how tolerance/kindness, and thus trust, is built in a society. Since in a way Eilistraee as a character is not completely part of either the drow or the elf pantheons, if drow and surfacers hate each other permanently, then maybe there's no room for her. In that sense she also bet herself on what she believes. I think maybe this might be one reason why she can support fighters in the game. And although her clerics dance naked, maybe it's also about letting vulnerability be okay on some level. And also since it's not necessarily a good thing to "help" people that don't want to be helped/give people things they don't want, if Eilistraee still exists among the drow, presumably it's because the drow want her there. If somebody doesn't already want it, it doesn't work. If her song seduces drow, then logically, at least in a way, they wanted to be seduced. Seduction isn't only a matter of the seducer after all, but also of the seduced, since it's based in playing to a person's need/desires. In Chinese mythology, for instance, maybe Diaochan couldn't have turned Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo against each other quite so easily, if in a way, they didn't already each see themselves as the automatic hero/center of her story. So, there is something in the drow that, like other elves, wants beauty, kindness, and all the things they deprive themselves of because these things are considered liabilities in their current society. And as long as they want that, a deity like Eilistraee can continue to appeal to them.
Love both songs, and love what you said about Eilistraee. There's one thing that someone wanting to bring a positive change must believe in, and that's the people themselves. That they, in the end, they will act and will make the right choice, because they are indeed drawn to beauty, laughter, kindness, and trust, values that work towards reaching happiness and improve everyone's life. In that sense, you're right that Eilistraee bets her own self on what she believes, and she also bets her own self on her believing in the spark that can be found in all drow, their desire for a better life. She's indeed always there for them, with her light on as a beacon, inviting them to emabark in the journey and guiding them in it, and that's because she truly believes that they want to--they want to be seduced into it--and because she can see that deep inside their sparks, too, are still on, so she keeps her own alight for them. After all, who, better than her, who chose to share their fate just to be by theis side, can know what lies in their hearts--the part of them that was silenced by hatred and abuse--and believe in them?
I also think that "Light On" well represents Eilistraee's way of reaching for the drow. She's subtle, delicate, she never forces ideas or choices on them. She helps them, but often they don't even know that it was her, just that they are not alone. She shows them a different life, but wants them free to seek their path, and offers her guidance and warmth to all who want to take back their future. Just like someone who, while accepting the choice of a loved one who wants to part ways, will always keep the light on for them.
Also, I like what you said about dancing naked. I saw it more as a symbol of spontaneity and freedom, the act of putting away the mask and all constructs that the drow are forced to wear--you know, lay down the mask, lay down everything and just feel free to be you and embrace life (after all, the Evensong--the main individual ritual for her followers--is a free form message, often involving the naked ance, in which all drow let their emotions out so that Eilistraee can listen to them). However, what you say about the vulnerability is also very compelling. In a society of perpetual conflict, where trust is taboo, vulnerability must be hidden. Being free to show one own's vulnerability means forming a bond of trust, being accepted as a whole.
). Admittedly I'm a little less convinced about the melody (for fitting with Eilistraee's spirit that is, I'm sure that both her and her followers would love them as they tend most music). Maybe they're a tad more modern than what I'd expect, or maybe I'm just too set on a bit more... ethereal music. I'm not sure.