For the fifteenth Watermaidens Day, a Rosemirror-coded mixtape curated for people who have entered Yrejveree and the Fourfold Realms over the years. Stay tuned for a novel (the sequel to the BSFA-longlisted Watermyth) which is full of roses, and tea, and sirensong. Because you know, it was the music that made me create this world; first through the hypertext(s) and then through the novels and the short stories (some of which have been published).
Roses of Picardy — June Tabor
This song is wholly responsible for the title and premise of Rosemirror. You can in fact blame June Tabor’s entire Rosa Mundi, which I was listening to on repeat around the time I was an MA Student enrolled in a Renaissance Literature (mostly the English Renaissance but I dropped down several rabbitholes) course and gobbling up the Roman de La Rose.
Fire and Roses — Mimi Goese
There’s an aquatic quality to this song that I adore; a combination of fire and water, of roses and watermaidenly vibes. And a certain ethos that matches my energy to an amazing degree.
The Swimming Song — Eddi Reader
During my active swimming days I was frequently earwormed by this and it reminds me of the joy of slicing through the water and the sheer ecstasy of moving through it. I imagine that’s how my watermaidens feel also.
Thoughts — Tori Amos
I knew this song first as a midi file when I was constructing the hypertext. These days this song makes me think of Alta Exsilii (the Sea of Exiles) and the way Aila feels when she’s swimming towards the merkingdom to meet with the Queen Mother.
Sirena — Dirty Three
I don’t know how the Cantata became slowly a story more about sirens than about mermaids but these two songs really speak to that, and how the sirens were an underclass in the merkingdoms.
Song to the Siren — This Mortal Coil
Hands down I consider this the best version. Sorry Tim.
Tea in the Sahara — The Police
This song became a song about surviving in Fjekree, and various other scenes in Rosemirror that I will not spoil.
The Wild, Wild Sea — Sting
I’d been wanting to write stories and paint paintings that captured this deep, fierce tribute to grief and the Ocean since I first bought The Soul Cages (cassette) as a teen. That grief is encapsulated in Rosemirror, but also a fierce sea-longing, I guess.
The Dawntreader –– Joni Mitchell
Every time I am homesick for the sea (like now), this song sings through my veins and pulses through my bloodstream.
La Serenissima — Loreena McKennit
I can’t write about Venice without this song possessing me.
The Mermaid — Anúna
This song very much influences my underwater scenes.
Starálfur — Sigur Rós
I’ve had so many lucid dreams that featured the ocean and Sigur Rós’s music. Sadly, have never seen them live. I *have* seen Jónsi live though. This song now makes me think of certain heartrending scenes in Rosemirror which had me crying as I wrote them.