Tap the roots of myths, turn the leaves of story

and, through the mist, the cave mouth sings...

 

Reclaiming the Myths of Dartmoor is a CD of stories, songs and music taken from many parts of Dartmoor and recorded live in moorland venues. For Susan Taylor and Simon Williams, it’s the culmination of a project to research, resurrect and revitalise many of the moor’s best tales for a modern audience. The album includes such wonders as The Return of the Hairy Hands, The Blue Flame and The Phantom Pigs of Merripit Hill, as well as many traditional Dartmoor tunes from Julia Thomas and Howard Frey. The idea is not just to faithfully represent the old material, but to use it as a sounding board for new work which makes a leap forward in its language, both text and music.

 

The project was funded by a Tarka Country Millennium Award and toured far and wide over the moor.

 

Susan and Simon have a keen interest in the universality of folk tales and songs, and run Trade Winds, a monthly gathering at The Tradesman’s Arms in Scoriton, where moor people and visitors tell tales and poems and perform a variety of music.