The power of femininity: The origin of Stevie Nicks’ ‘Rhiannon’ character
“Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night, and wouldn’t you love to love her?” It’s clear from the outset that Stevie Nicks sings about someone who has a stark presence in ‘Rhiannon’, an ethereal figure with an aura destined to capture attention. However, understanding the true origins of such a powerful character requires delving back further before Nicks immortalised her essence in 1975.
It’s easy to understand why ‘Rhiannon’ has become such a fan favourite. Featuring Nicks’ signature raspy vocals and endearing witchy lyricism, the track has become hailed as one of the greatest pop songs ever written. Composed for Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled 1975 release, Nicks penned the song not long after her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, shortly after discovering a novel delving into the supernatural and witch possession.
Nicks wrote ‘Rhiannon’ alongside Buckingham during a time before their Fleetwood Mac successes. The track was crafted at the piano, with the pair intending to keep it between themselves. One day, when Mick Fleetwood approached Buckingham, planning to recruit him for his folk-rock assembly, Buckingham agreed on one condition: Nicks must join too.
An intrinsic part of Welsh folklore, Rhiannon is said to be the goddess of the moon, rebirth, and fertility, a deity whose power has been deemed “divine feminine”, earning her the moniker “Night Queen”. Rhiannon, in this context, first appeared in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, from the early Welsh stories, whose main characteristics included being strikingly beautiful, wealthy, intelligent, and generous.
Prior to Nicks’ involvement, Fleetwood Mac’s music permeated folk and rock sensibilities, relying on themes of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll. However, the singer, with her masterful songwriting ability and interest in otherworldly topics, arrived with an endless list of ideas that would transform the band and its enduring legacy for the years to follow.
There have been many reimaginations of Rhiannon throughout history, mostly in retellings of the Mabinogion, through which the interpretations often focus on Rhiannon’s sheer power and ability to hold inherent femininity as the ultimate strength. Nicks first crossed paths with this visceral matriarch when she read a copy of Triad: A Novel of the Supernatural by Mary Bartlet-Leader.
Although Barlet-Leader’s rendition is said to have little resemblance to the Rhiannon in the famous Welsh prose, Nicks’ song has become a legend in its own right after crafting a character that maintains the element of divine feminine power central to the source material. “She is like a cat in the dark / And then she is to darkness / She rules her life like a fine skylark / And when the sky is starless,” Nicks sings, alluding to Rhiannon’s enigmatic appeal and endearing effortless charm as an enchantress of the night.
