Mystic Wood: My Summer In Narnia
I have long believed in the mystical power of ancient texts. When a manuscript has been around for centuries, when it has been protected from alteration and decay, when it has been faithfully translated into numerous languages, when it has given people guidance and a sense of purpose and an understanding of their reason for existing—a text like that simply cannot be ignored. It is inherently powerful. It contains mystical properties.
In my 13th year of life, I encountered someone else who shared this belief: C.S. Lewis. Year 13 for me was rather rough. It is for most people, I know. But my family had experienced events that would shake us to our very foundation. C. S. Lewis, I later discovered, was someone who also had been shaken to his core during his service as an infantry solider in WWI.
In Lewis I found someone who seemed to understand the brutality of our existence on planet Earth, but also someone who believed in the power of fantasy, mystery and ancient texts. He believed these things could heal, restore and help us find a way to balance the brutal and the beautiful. As I read all seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia, something inside me began to change.
I won’t go into details on the events that shook my family. But let me simply say that I understand, firsthand, the ancient story of Cain and Able. I know what it is to have violence strike a household. I know how this permanently alters relationships and the fragile bonds between family members that are so easily severed.
As I read the Narnia texts that 13th summer, I wasn’t consciously thinking about the violence that had changed so much in my life. In fact, Narnia was the ultimate escape for me, a chance to withdraw to a world filled with fairies, fauns, elves and talking stags. The PTSD that I didn’t know I was struggling with could be easily triggered in the real world. But deep inside Narnia, I felt safe.
I suppose this is one of the reasons I love fantasy so much. It allows us vicariously to stand next to a hot stove without being burned. As my conscious mind was carried away on a river of fantasy, my subconscious mind was working out how to exist in the real world. The conflicts and battle scenes in Narnia were a safe surrogate for the battles raging deep inside of me. It would take many years for those battles to finally end. But I firmly believe the cease-fire started in Narnia.
The Origins Of Mystic Wood
I believe fantasy is so much more than entertainment, mere mythical creatures and fantastical worlds. It is also an expression of yearning, a desire to go on an epic quest where incredibly dangerous things happen. All the while we remain safe, comfortably curled up with a book, a movie or TV show or even a video game. Fantasy is a vicarious expression of our deep-seated desire to explore, to push ourselves, to find our best selves, in new territory.
Epic quests transform people. In fantasy texts, they cause characters to discover, deep inside themselves, the power to persevere even when they feel lost, threatened and alone. And when it seems that all is lost, something magical happens that reveals a form of victory they never saw coming.
So when we find ourselves intoxicated with these narratives, it isn’t just the fantasy world we are experiencing. We are also journeying inside of ourselves, exploring terrain that feels completely foreign and yet, somehow, distinctly familiar. We are battling our own demons to develop the kind of character that perseveres through adversity.
In these mythical creatures, we see, allegorically, people we know and situations we recognize. We watch the humans and animals of Narnia battle the Calormenes. But somehow, almost magically, that battle is one we know too well. The conflicts from fantasy narratives mirror the conflicts we navigate in a distinctly imperfect world and in our own uniquely imperfect character.
This is where Mystic Wood comes from.
Fantasy is a vicarious expression of our deep-seated desire to explore, to push ourselves, to find our best selves, in new territory.
Who’s In The Band?
While the Chronicles of Narnia are the most direct influence on the music, Tolkein’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is a very close second. Featuring both traditional instruments and hybrid synthesis, these tracks communicate fantasy, playfulness and imagination. However, darker undertones suggest danger nearby.
Mystic Wood contains 10 instrumental tracks that are designed to convey the mystery of fantastic creatures in magical lands. There are fifteen different types of instruments on the album.
- Grand Piano
- Harp (muted and non-muted)
- Boys Choir
- Cinematic Synths of several different flavors
- French Horns
- Glockenspiel
- Hybrid Harp (traditional harp blended with synth)
- Human whistler
- Celli
- Oboe
- Pan flute
- Percussion of several different types
- Mallets on various chromatic percussion instruments
- Upright Bass
- Vibraphones
If you listen to the music, you’ll feel the fantasy elements taking you to other worlds. Much of this otherworldliness comes from the instruments themselves and the melodies. But tempo and arrangement also play a huge role in the feel. Meter changes are also common in these tracks.
How To Get The Most From Mystic Wood
All of these tracks were written to be themes. If you’re looking for a main theme for a TV show, film or video game, this music could be a great fit. But these can also serve as themes for specific characters or classes of characters like fairies and elves. If you are telling a story about fantasy creatures in a mystical land, this music is an obvious fit.
Any narratives having to do with fairies, elves, fauns, stags or other mythic characters will also benefit from this music. These songs also are right at home in any stories having to do with forests, treetops, canopies and similar wooded areas. If you simply want to give your production a mystical quality, this music can really help.
Wrap Up
Thank you again for your interest in Supernatural Sounds, our music and the way we support storytellers with unique visions. We love the art you create and so want to see it succeed. We’d love to hear what you think of this album or any other in our library. So please drop us a line, unless, that is, you are caught up in a fantasy world of your own. If that’s the case, we’ll patiently wait until you find your way back through the ancient doorway into this sphere. By the way, ancients texts can be a great guide for this because they often contain hidden maps in the back of the book.