Seven Lions Trilogy - The Mythology

Thanks for returning. I promise not to disappoint.

To start off, I would like to thank a few people. They have helped make this more interesting, and I think you should really check out their stuff.

For starters, I would like to mention Starla Moore. She is a truly incredible sculptor, but what is most incredible is that her art is actually jewelry. She provided the images of the keys mentioned. It's amazing, and I was taken back by it the moment I saw it. Please check out her items, they're beautiful!

Her homepage is: http://www.artbystarlamoore.net/fantasy-keys.html

Her etsy store is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtbyStarlaMoore?ref=hdr

Her facebook is: https://www.facebook.com/starla.moore.7

I would also like to recognize black-rose-chain from deviantart.com. His art captivated me, and transported me to another world. His are the beings of the other realms.

His page is: http://black-rose-chain.deviantart.com/

Both of these incredible artists have made this project become: THAT MUCH MORE!

Let's Begin

I was recently watching a documentary called “Montage of Heck,” which is a brand new documentary on Kurt Cobain that was just released on HBO. It is being hailed as the definitive biography of what his life was like outside the confines of his band and his fame. A large majority of the documentary is visual art. Some of it is his own art, like sculpture and paintings, others were his scribblings and doodles that were on the same pieces of paper that had the lyrics of many of his most famous songs in their infancy.

Some of the art in the film is animation. It was really quite clever. The filmmaker took Kurt’s audio interviews, phone conversations, spoken word records, etc. and he created animated scenarios that illustrated and depicted what Kurt was saying. It was quite thought provoking, because sometimes when you listen to an audio recording of something (even if it is spoken word), it can be difficult to create a mental image of what is being said.

Well it is for me anyways.

Great documentary – sad. What a waste of talent.

You might be asking yourself, “Hey, I wanted to read this because I have been anticipating a new Seven Lions blog, and you’re giving me this sad-sack Nirvana-wannabe-90s-garbage!” Well, right you are. 

Spokesman of a Generation

You will be getting that, but I just wanted to demonstrate how a filmmaker used an idea to create a narrative. Not only did he create it, he convinced me, as the viewer, to believe the story he told me.

That is what I will attempt to do with this project. I have listened to some music set forth by an artist, and have created a narrative to go with it. There are many things that I am going to talk about that are not mentioned in the music, while there are many other aspects that are absolutely referenced in the music.

The fact of the matter is, I have been inspired by an already existing piece of art to create a piece of my own. I am being completely honest here, I will mention things that nowhere in the lyrics, liner notes, interviews, or otherwise are these things ever mentioned by Jeff Montalvo in relation to the Seven Lions brand. This analysis is beholden to his work, but I have woven the tale that he laid out.

I asked some people very close to me as to how I should approach this. One option was for me to just simply tell the story – to quite literally write a piece of fiction and post it on my blog. Well, dear reader, I don’t know if I am willing to freely provide my craft without any thought of the future. If I were to just “write the story,” then where is the hope for that movie deal?? The second option was to present the mythology that I have been inspired to create, and then provide the narrative that Seven Lions’ music provides.

This option seemed the best for me personally. It will be captivating enough to keep you, the reader, interested, but it will be vague enough for me to elaborate on at a later date. I mean, even Fifty Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fanfic.

Ew.

So yes, I have created a realm that has its own history. I have created beings that are woven into the fabric of its own mythology. 

I have spun a yarn. 

What I want from you dear reader, is to enjoy it.

For any of you that have not read the introduction of this analysis, you can read it HERE. For those of you who have already subjected yourself to it, then... just a refresher:

• Seven Lions has released four EPs and a number of singles and remixes.

• Three of those EPs present themselves, thematically, artistically, and lyrically as a trilogy. 

• Those three EPs are titled Worlds Apart, Days to Come, and Throes of Winter.


• That trilogy is a single cohesive piece of art that paints a picture and lays out a road map.


• I have read the map and studied the picture, then arranged the pieces in chronological order, and found a story.


• I am here to tell that story. 

I will be referring to certain themes in this initial overview that are directly associated with the lyrics and composition of the songs in question; however, I will not go into detail of how those themes meet the music until a later time. 

So, let's set the mood with a little music. As promised, this is the Seven Lions Trilogy as I see it. This is the narrative that pushed the tapestry that I have woven. I will get into track listings later on, but for now, just sit and listen to the tale.

House-Mixes.com

PRESS PLAY - THAT ORANGE TRIANGLE IN THE MIDDLE

The Locations

We are told by the title of the Worlds Apart EP that the story arc takes place on more than one “World.” Also, the cover of that album title displays a scene of two heavenly bodies, over the horizon of a third. If you are take just those things at face value, the setting of this saga is made up of three locations.

So what are they?

A hint is given in the track listing of the Worlds Apart EP. There are five songs, which is a perfect layout for a symmetrical motif. The third track, right in the middle, is the song entitled “Nepenthe.” This was a word that I had never even seen before. Being an English major in college, that actually surprised me.

I looked into it.

The pronunciation of the word sounds a bit like “neh-PEN-thee,” and its definition from Webster is “a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow” or “something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering.”

That indicates themes of loss or yearning, but what does it really mean? Where did Seven Lions come up with that word, and why did he use it?

Further research shows that nepenthe is referred to in Homer’s Odyssey. What? Now we are on to something. OK.

How and why?

In Book 4 of the Odyssey, Menelaus (Helen’s husband) and Telemachus (Odysseus’ son) are meeting together. Without getting too far into the Greek myth or retelling the story altogether, there comes a point where Helen puts an elixir in the wine to bring Menelaus and Telemachus/the men out of their sorrow. She basically slips them a roofie.

Yeah, like that!

The verse goes as follows:

“Then Helen, daughter of Zeus, took other counsel.


Straightaway she cast into the wine of which they were drinking a drug 

to quiet all pain and strife, and bring forgetfulness of every ill.”

In the original Greek, the phrase “to quiet all pain and strife” is νηπενθές. That Greek word is translated to “Nepenthe.”

If we are to view Nepenthe as the “mediator” of two forces to end sorrow, then who are the forces? Obviously, Menelaus and Telemachus.

Menelaus is the King of Sparta and the husband of Helen. He was a central figure in the Trojan War, which was illustrated in Homer’s Illiad, and prior to Book 4 of the Odyssey, he is triumphant, larger than life, and an all-around warrior. After all of his conquests, he comes to realize the cost in human lives that war creates, but let me stress this: MENELAUS IS A WARRIOR. That is going to play a significant part in this analysis.

The second force that Nepenthe mediates between is Telemachus. Who is he? He is Odysseus son, and his role in the Trojan War was quite different. While Menelaus’ exploits are demonstrated in the Illiad, Telemachus’ journeys are outlined throughout the Odyssey. He is removed from the Trojan War to go in search of his father. Quite literally, his name translates as “far-fighter” or “far from battle.” That is not to say he could not fight. Once united with his father, he fights and slays over one hundred suitors, earning Odysseus’ respect. Many scholars refer to him as Telemacheia, and for my usage, I will as well.

I just like the way it sounds.

Menalaus = Warrior 

Telemacheia = Far from Battle 

Nepenthe = Between the two

These are your Worlds dear reader, three distinct worlds that have as much in common with each other as they have differences.

The art of the Worlds Apart EP depicts the landscape of the planet Telemacheia in the foreground. It is a plains-filled world that is slightly rocky. The image shows a river that leads to a city in the distance. This planet is the home of the Guardians of Nepenthe.

Worlds Apart

Not only does this image depict the landscape of Telemacheia’s surface, it shows Nepenthe in the sky with the planet Menelaus behind it.

The art of the Throes of Winter EP depicts the landscape of the planet Menelaus. This image is quite different. It appears to be more of a desolate region that is rocky and mountainous. It is obvious from the image that the climate is severe, with ice and snow covering almost every flat surface. This is the home of the Keepers of Nepenthe.

Throes of Winter

Now, the art of the Days to Come EP still lies in question. Does it depict Nepenthe itself? And what are those mechanisms floating in the sky? More on that later.

Days to Come

Before I move into this next phase, let me just stress that according to/in Homer’s work, Menelaus and Telemacheia are not enemies. Odysseus was very loyal to Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon, but I think to truly grasp the triumph and tragedy of Seven Lions’ epic, you must have an understanding of the backdrop that Homer’s own epic creates.

Alright stop.

I have just dropped just some major knowledge on you, and you are probably asking yourself, “Where did he come up with this? There is no mention of ANY OF THAT in the music,” and you are right.

For this to work, dear reader, you are going to have to suspend everything you may or may not know about Seven Lions and his music. You are going to have to expand what you may or may not think what music is used for. Most importantly, you are going to have to use your imagination. The song lyrics and composition will, in my opinion, perfectly outline the plot of a story told. 

There just happen to be other nuances and elaboration that I have done to fill in the cracks. It was necessary. Remember, I was inspired by something, so I just ran with it.

Nepenthe

Now that we have deduced that there are three heavenly bodies with the one in the middle being referred to as Nepenthe, we must ask ourselves, what is Nepenthe? What point does it serve? 

The basic definition is that it is a satellite of sorts. It is an object that orbits the other two planets. It serves primarily as the moon of Menelaus and Telemacheia, a shared moon if you will. Because of the unique nature of two planets sharing the gravitational pull of the same moon, the planets’ environments are extreme, both in geography and weather patterns. Not only can Nepenthe be illustrated as a moon, it should be noted that it is also a device. It serves as a means of transport between the two planets. In a commonplace setting, it would simply referred to as The Gateway.

There it went!

The space that Nepenthe occupies between the two planets is referred to commonly as The Reach. To travel between the two planets is referred to as Reaching. That is not to say that travel is the only definition of the word “reaching;” it holds deeper meaning for many different reasons. I will go deeper into that a little bit later, but for now, all I really want to mention is that traveling in space or time is the process of “Reaching through Nepenthe.”

Nightmare Fuel

Reaching is accomplished with a key. Both, the Keepers and the Guardians have keys to accomplish this, but the keys are not identical. They are drastically different devices, both in appearance and the way that they are used.

Beyond travel,  there is a legend that says that Nepenthe can be used for something more if both the Guardians’ and the Keepers’ keys are turned simultaneously, and THAT, dear reader, is the crux of our tale.

The Players

I’ve mentioned now the two factions that play out this drama of Seven Lions’ trilogy. There are the Keepers of Nepenthe, who inhabit the planet Menelaus, and the Guardians of Nepenthe, who have made Telemacheia their home. I am not really in a position to really say much about these two groups of beings except for what I already know.

By now, we already know that the Keepers’ home world takes its name from a central figure in the Trojan War who was a great warrior, so it seems reasonable to believe that this race of beings have made their claim on the known universe through war and destruction. They see Nepenthe as a tool to be used and controlled for their own benefit. Even the name that they are known by, Keepers, becomes synonymous with “to possess” or “to own.”

Life gets pretty rough on Menelaus.

As with a lot of cultures or societies based on war or conquest, this realm’s system of government is a patriarchy at its very core. That is not to say that women do not have any role in this realm, but those roles fall into the normal archetypes of High Fantasy ideology.

The Keepers have a legend about the Gateway concerning the two keys. It is their goal to possess both keys, which will allow them to turn Nepenthe into a weapon that will give them complete control over both planets, and ultimately the galaxy. The only thing that prevents them from this goal is the existence of the Guardians.

It will be theirs

The Guardians of Nepenthe inhabit Telemacheia, whose name can be translated as “far from battle.” Their aim is not to possess or control the Gateway, but to protect it. In many ways, they believe it exists to be worshiped and protected at the same time. While there are many duplicate keys within the realm of the Keepers that may be used to activate the Gateway, there is only one key to Nepenthe that is protected by the Guardians.

"

"Keep it secret. Keep it safe."

From a High Fantasy point of view, if the Keepers could be viewed as the warrior class, then the Guardians would definitely fall into the category of mage or cleric, possibly Paladin. The one charged with caring for the key has such an innate ability to communicate with Nepenthe, that it can only be defined as magic. The one with the key is always female, and she always is preparing another to take her place.

Through concentration and constant exposure to the key, over the centuries, the two of them have developed the ability to Reach without the aid of the Gateway. That is not the only power that Nepenthe has granted them. Control of the elements is the primary defense against attacks on Telemacheia. In many ways, what holds the Keepers at bay is the constant barrage of icy attacks by the Guardians on their home world. What the Keepers attempt to gain through warfare and military strategy, the Guardians counter with precision strikes of elemental magic.

They control more than The Reach.

There is a strong devotion to the two “Protectors of the Key” amongst all of the Guardians - they will stop at nothing to protect them and the key from any who try to claim it.

Whew.

Wow! That got my pulse racing! We have started a journey together, but I believe that our time is about up, dear reader. The next time we see each other, you will be brought into a tale of love, loss, betrayal, and redemption. A centuries old conflict will come to a head, and there can be only one outcome.

Until Next Time.

Seven Lions Trilogy - An Introduction

Let’s be fair. I have bounced back and forth on topics on this blog. It was really my intent to do so. That was one of the reasons why I titled it “Happenings and Happenstance.” To my surprise, after starting this, a lot of people thought I actually made up the word: Happenstance. It actually is a real word, believe it or not. It means coincidence, or something that has happened by chance. In a lot of ways, you reading this is pure happenstance, or me creating it in the first place was happenstance.

I wanted to provide current events while presenting them in an entertaining format. I also wanted to provide anecdotal fun that had little or nothing to do with the other serious topics. While tracking my stats, I noticed that my “Happenstance” postings definitely generated more traffic than my “Happenings” postings. I figured that, by my observation, most people really don’t wish to keep up with the negativity in the world. It will be swayed though. 

The format will stay as it has been, because A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!

She LOVES my wit.

This particular post is a shout out to my kid, because it is about something that appeals to him. I am a tremendous fan of music. I always have been. I listen to rock, pop, classic country, hip hop… the list goes on. One thing that I have always enjoyed is electronic music. Electro-pop, electro-clash, triphop, house, IDM, techno, trance, electro-house, dutch-house, dance-punk….and of course…….DUBSTEP. The worst. 

If electronic music was an episode of Community, dubstep would be Britta.

That's ok, I like Britta. I like dubstep too.

Just for a reference for those who are not familiar with this genre of dance music, I have included the Skrillex remix of Benny Benassi's "Cinema." It won a Grammy in 2012, and is considered one of the best examples of Americanized dubstep. Skrillex, that year, also won two other Grammys for his work with Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.  In many ways, Skrillex is considered the king of "Brostep." Enjoy.

        

To be fair, when most people think of dubstep, they think of heavy mid-range warble bass and a whole bunch of bro-fisting into the air. Well, that is definitely true to a certain point. I enjoy a good chunk of bro-fisting, but I am not here to talk about bro-fisting, club bangerz, drugs, society’s opinion on dubstep in general, or the difference between dubstep and brostep. 

I am here to talk about art.

About a year and half ago, I went and saw Krewella in San Francisco. I will be the first to say that Krewella puts on a killer show. Their energetic performance was nonstop. So much to the point of being unable to even continue. However, their set was not the most impactful thing that I took away from that chilled night in San Francisco. 

Tough guy.

While I walked back to my car, ears still ringing from the massive amounts of bass that I had been exposed to, I reflected upon Krewella’s opener, a long-haired producer that looked more of a heavy metal rocker than an EDM producer. It was Santa Barbara’s trance influenced, wizard of sound: Jeff Montalvo, known to his fans as Seven Lions.

Without a doubt...

Let’s also get this out of the way as well, I am not here to talk about Seven Lions in general or talk about that show. As I stated earlier...

I am here to talk about art.

Last March, Seven Lions released his fourth EP entitled “The Throes of Winter.” As with his previously released material, he pulled no punches. His low end bass is enough to shatter all understanding as to what can be done with bass, and his trance-like melodies weave another realm waiting to be navigated with the imagination.

After repeatedly listening to it over numerous times, I felt as if something had broken inside my brain. It was that feeling you get when you eat some popcorn, but a stray husk gets wedged in between a tooth and your gum. It was a nagging itch that was inside my mind. I immediately decided to revisit his second EP “Days to Come.” As I started listening to it, I started examining the album artwork of his third EP, “Worlds Apart.” There was a connection. There had to be.

It couldn’t be…Happenstance.

There are thematic similarities in Seven Lions’ second, third, and fourth EPs that cannot be overlooked. I tried to include his first EP “Polarize” into this grouping, but much like the title suggests, to polarize something is to break up into opposing factions or groupings. This first EP was not a part of the cohesive grouping that the other works were a part of.

                      

Not only do “Days to Come,” “Worlds Apart,” and “The Throes of Winter” share thematic similarities, they also share design similarities concerning the artwork. I don’t really want to get ahead of myself about this, so I will get into the cover art further on.

To address this dilemma in my head, I decided to listen to all three EPs back to back and determine if there was some sort of concept between them. Again, while I noticed how they had the same feel and theme, I still could not legitimately acknowledge a fleshed-out concept. It was at this moment, at my lowest, I started to feel as if I was losing my mind. 

Maybe this was all in my head? 

Maybe I was looking for something that didn’t exist?

I put my head phones on and listened to the centerpiece of “Throes.” It’s a song entitled December, and as a standalone piece, this song is by far one of the most epic compositions that Seven Lions has done. The haunting melodies and storyteller lyrics painted a picture in my mind. The build came, and that low-end bass drop cracked something in my mind. 

I’m going to stop here for a moment.

Have you ever walked away from a project, because the only results you were getting were bashing your head up against a wall?

Better yet, have you ever looked at something your entire life, but never noticed a particular detail until someone else pointed it out?

It was a 13 year old boy who shattered my understanding of this masterwork and helped me see things from a different perspective.

Yeah, that one.

This story wasn’t told in chronological order. Seven Lions had been weaving this from the beginning, and this Trilogy was as unconventional as it was complex.

Dear reader, it is at this time where you are going to follow me down this rabbit hole and see what I see, or it is where you are going to go back to Buzzfeed, Facebook, Twitter, or Drudge Report. Before you do that though, know that if you walk away, having read this introduction may end up being a popcorn husk in your gum as well. 

For those of you that are on for the ride, hold on.

Over the next four blog posts, I will be taking you on a journey of Seven Lions’ creation. I must say first and foremost, I do not have any rights to this music, nor am I trying to profit from it. I also want to say, I did not come up with this story. 

It exists wholly in the music. 

I am just sharing with you, my dear reader, the interpretation of this story that Seven Lions has created.