The Ballad of the Dream Weaver was a famous and popular ballad composed by the bard Talanthe Truesilver in the early 14th century DR.[1][2][3][4]
Composition[]
Used to start and finish the ballad, the refrain ran as follows:
And bring back a catch of glittering dreams.
Which will you have, proud lady, laughing lady?
This bright one, perhaps, or that?
Gleaming silver-blue, winking at you
With its own mysterious, inner light,
It is so beautiful.
Yet so is that one, and that, and this, too.
I cannot choose.
Take them all.
Take them all!
Later, female minstrels typically sang "proud lord, laughing lord," but Talanthe used the original "proud lady, laughing lady." [1]
In the middle, minstrels weaved in their own verses, singing of their favorite legends, strange sightings, hidden treasures, and secrets and intrigues.[1][2] This led to many variations and personal versions, but the refrain remained the same and was famed across Faerûn.[1]
The ballad was sung slowly, with the words drawn out. Elminster suggested it was similar in mood and tone, though not the actual tune, to a Celtic song of Earth called Dawn of the Day.[1]
Usage[]
Minstrels typically sang The Ballad of the Dream Weaver in the middle[1] or at the close[2] of their performances. They used it as a way to compile and share recent rumors they'd heard.[1][2]
History[]
In the late 1320s DR, then a young half-elf bard, Talanthe visited an obscure and ramshackle tavern in Secomber named the Stag. One night in the taproom, she performed a ballad of her own composition, The Ballad of the Dream Weaver. For some reason, it proved to be popular, becoming one of the most well-known and widely played ballads in Faerûn by the 1360s DR, with many variations.[1][2][3][4] The Stag was renamed The Seven-Stringed Harp to take advantage of its reputation of being where The Ballad of the Dream Weaver was first heard.[1][2]
By the late 15th century DR, the book simply titled Sword Coast Songbook became available in the city of Baldur's Gate. It collected the sheet music and lyrics of The Ballad of the Dream Weaver, among other musical works, all compiled by Silke Rosena, a bard of Beregost.[5]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Video Games
Baldur's Gate III
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), pp. 81, 82. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 slade, et al. (April 1996). “Cities & Civilization”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Eric Menge (2004). Legacy of the Green Regent: Nurture and Nature. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eric Menge (2005-05-30). "Grey Hunt" Plot Recap. Legacy of the Green Regent. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2021-09-11.
- ↑ Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.