Rhiannon Defined

[lagringader&r]

I bought a book called "Behind The Lines of Rock & Roll's Most Baffling Songs, Blinded By The Lyrics" and there was a section on Rhiannon. You've probably heard all this, but I'll type it out anyway. I thought it was interesting.

Word for word:

She rings like a bell in the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
Written by Stevie Nicks

He and I were about as compatible as a boa constrictor and a rat.
-Stevie Nicks on her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham

In Welsh mythology, Rhiannon is a goddess of great beauty and strength, who is said to represent the spirit of change, movement and magic. Her name comes from the Welsh word rhiain, meaning maiden. When Rhiannon manifests herself onto this earthly plane, she is usually seen riding a white horse, accompanied by three birds. The goddess is considered by many to be the inspiration for the classic English nursery rhyme:

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a fine horse
With bells on her fingers and rings on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes

Inasmuch as Stevie Nicks always projected an ethereal, New Agey persona straight out of The Mists of Avalon, it's no surprise that she penned a tune such as "Rhiannon," which told of an enchanting, mercurial woman with goddesslike qualities. It proved the perfect artist-song fit, and the smash single from the spring of 1976 has, along with Landslide, become Nicks' musical signature.