THE OAK, THE HOLLY AND THE ROBIN
2025

Celtic mythology weaves the rhythm of the seasons into a tale of warring rulers—the Oak King, sovereign of Spring and Summer, and his counterpart, the Holly King, who reigns over Autumn and Winter. Their eternal battle marks the passing of the year, as each gradually cedes power to the other. Interwoven with their rivalry is the Triple Goddess—Maiden, Mother, and Crone—whose cycles mirror the waxing, full, and waning phases of the Moon. She moves between the two Kings, spending half the year with one before shifting to the other, embodying the sacred feminine and the ever-turning wheel of time. The first song follows the Oak King (tenor), who rejoices at the arrival of his beloved Maiden Goddess at the winter solstice—the moment when the days begin to lengthen once more. He fizzes with anticipation, and excitedly recounts the drama of the fierce storm that heralds her return. In the second song, the Holly King (baritone) offers his lament. He mourns the loss of his wife, the Crone, who has been reborn as the Maiden and now walks beside the Oak King. With quiet resignation, he accepts his six-month solitude, longing for the day she will return to him once more. The third song shifts perspective to an obsessive little Robin, perched high in a Sycamore tree. As the Goddess transforms—passing from Maiden to Mother to Crone—her movement through the year is observed through the Robin’s fixated gaze. Entranced, the bird sings to her, compelling her to love it in return, weaving its own yearning into the great cycles of change.