Author: Priscilla Hernandez

I want to wish everyone Blessed Samhain, Día de todos los Santos, Día de los Muertos, All Hallows Eve…

but you know moths fly to light when they’re blind in delight.

The veil is thin

For me it’s a day to remember the ones I still love but are gone…

to light a candle to guide them for a second from our heart to our lips

while we remember and utter loudly their names

and then back into our soul were their memory is treasured

a spark that in nights like this one can flicker in that flame

For I believe true love knows nothing of life, death or time

So just remember

May you gather once more

if only for a night

By the way this photographies were not shared and it’s the first time they see the light, but they belong to the making of my videoclip “Haunted” that was my Halloween special last year.

Photos by me and Héctor taken in Ordesa Natural Park
(We returned under the stars that day)
Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com

This is my own and new TRIBUTE COVER of prequel series DARK CRYSTAL AGE OF RESISTANCE main theme composed by Daniel Pemberton. The series premiered last August but mylove for the original movie is from tender childhood. In fact… another Dark Crystal cover Pris? I’m not finished yet… This is my THIRD and a fourth (All Maudra Song) is in the making. Stay tuned!

This version was entirely performed and arranged by myself using different folk instruments like bowed psaltery, dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, piano, kalimba, small percussions and flutes among others. The recording is also available at my patreon, where I’m posting this candid tributes and covers.

I have always been a big fan of all Henson works from Dark Crystal to Fraggle Rock.

If you know Jim Henson’s Works (Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Storyteller and more) tell me which one is your favourite.

If you haven’t watched this movie the Dark Crystal movie from 1982 (first movie with no human characters) directed by Jim Henson (hero of my childhood) and Frank Oz, and for me the best fantasy movie ever made. I grew up as a child collecting the figures and books, and I’ve crossed several times paths with the team of artists that worked in the original movie, but I was not not prepared for my favourite movie to be back at the spotlight… so many things I can’t afford now LOL I won’t be able to catch up with merchandising anymore 🙂
Back in the day it was a flop, it was a very expensive project that faced for the first time how to create an entire world without the computer graphics that exist today. The whole movie is an ode to pupeteering and practical effects like no other. Water tanks with ink were used for the skies, matte painting on glass for the landscapes, and every single plant, animal, rock and detail was done to be a world out of our own and still very “earthy”

This Cover is the main theme of the new series and my version dedicated to all the team of artists that bring the world of Thra to life and of course congratulations to Daniel Pemberton for creating memorable new music for my all time favourite Universe. As a purist of the original movie I was excited about the new series but also scared. It satisfied my expectations and more 🙂 Even if I will be always a devoted fan of the original movie, the new series expands the folklore about a world I grew up to love as a child.

Making Of

My previous Dark Crystal Cover was all outdoors in Nature, this one is indoors at the studio, using purple leds, a smoke machine and props to mimic the atmosphere inside the Skeksis castle. I choked a bit on so much smoke but I think it looked rather magical at the end and very fitting with the looks of the series.

Cosplay

I tried to mimic the Gefling Deet, she is a Grottan that lives in the caves. She is very sweet and very connected to Earth and its creatures. She often carries glowing lichens and moss and she is (spoiler) affected by darkening. All the Darkening in the series is represented by the “purple” hues of the once clear Crystal of Truth that has been split and broken by the cruel Skeksis.

Above: The Dark Crystal is a tale balance between our light and shadows. Astral creatures called the Urskeks are fragmented into evil vicious Skeksis and Gentle but passive Mystics as the Crystal of Truth was cracked and darkened. Nether one nor another are even or complete. The whole arch in the series and later in the movie is to “HEAL” back together what was broken

Above: Lore one of the “new characters” in the series but originally envisioned by Jim Henson inspired by the Devon rocky landscapes. He (It) makes a little cameo in my video.

Note. thank you very much to Héctor Corcín for rendering the 3d parts to composite in my video and for your help in the post-production of the video. Thanks for your partnership and help always.

Recording the audio

As you have read in one of my recent posts I injured my hand not long ago and I’m not quite recovered… still I’m a stubborn determined person so I managed to finish this. So for me there is even much more effort than the one that is shown, and overcoming frustrations when I couldn’t play as well as I wanted to. It’s not perfect but I think that’s part of the charm too, that it is kind of rustic as the instruments that were used.

Above: Me playing “hammered dulcimer”. If you are familiar with my discord server you may have seen me rehearsing this with my sprained hand and a splint hahah 🙂
This instrument is also known as Santoos. Instead of being plucked the strings are hit percussively with “hammers” in the shape of spoons hence the name.

I also used my bowed psaltery (both plucked and bowed). This instrument has a very medieval-renaissance sound that was very fitting for the “vibe” I wanted to achieve.

As always I added some flutes. This was a challenge with my injured hand (I feel like a super-hero) but I managed 🙂

I also used small drums, gongs, bowls and shakers as percussion. Here with a seed shaker. I like this one because I wanted to use very “organic” and fantasy looking.

For the first time I included a kalimba or thumb piano. This was a recent gift from Héctor and this is the first time I feature it in a recording. (Yes Playing “thumb piano with a sprained thumb). Noone said I lack determination 🙂

I also used bowed glass, piano and other instruments that are not shown in the edit. Overall a bit painfulbut fun. Of course I took breaks but I feel very accomplished.

And of course even if the original theme by Daniel Pemberton has no vocals I had to include some choirs because that is my signature to it. It’s meant to be a candid tribute but also a personal reinterpretation.

Another world… Another time. Thra: A Wold created by Jim Henson and The Frouds

I have said it countless times… If there is someone I’ve always admired is Jim Henson and his legacy. You may remember previous posts with Dark Crystal and when I first started posting here a “Rainbow Connection” tribute.
My favourite film of all time is “The Dark Crystal” which is above all a story about “balance” that provided a solid foundation of principles

So first of all Happy Birthday Jim Henson…today he would have turned 83 years but he left us way to soon due to a pneumonia in 1990, way too soon.

My previous two Dark of Crystal tributes

As The Dark Crystal was such an important inspiration for me as a child I’ve recorded previously two other covers that I had shared previously.

Gelfling Song

• Gelfling Song sung by Kira in the original movie (1982) here performed by me with just voice, double Ocarina and ambient sounds I recorded myself along with Héctor.

Jen Play His Pipes

24th of September. Happy birthday Jim Henson (1936-1990)

Today is Jim Henson’s birthday… As you know yesterday I shared my third “Dark Crystal” tribute but it’s only one of the many tributes to his work I’ve done. I will be forever grateful for all the magic, wisdom, lessons of kindness he taught me as a child through his work.
Jim Henson’s works are about a rare wisdom, call it naive sometimes, but with a message that runs deep to the soul, to remind us there are things that matter, there are things we need to care about. Be good and honest, and everything will be all right. And all of this shaped me as a little child and made me become a better person. I am not the only one, I know of many others who were listening to these “lessons”.

Whats´s so amazing that keeps us stargazing…?

He said once…
When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there. ”― Jim Henson

Image taken from AZquotes (they allow embedding). Click to see original source.

Indeed he did make the world better…
At least Mine…

Here another tribute to this wonderful genius and creator: A Rainbow Connection originally sung by Kermit the Frog, a character he created and interpreted until the day he died.

Curious fact:

When he died all puppeteers gathered to sing “If just one person believes in you”
If you ever need motivation look for “Jim henson Memorial”

And when all those people
Believe in you
Deep enough
And strong enough
Believe in you
Hard enough
And long enough
It stands to reason
You yourself will start to see
What everybody sees in you
And maybe even you
Can believe in you, too

Thank you for your legacy…

With gratitude!

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Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com

The song has some fierce and ominous points but also airy ethereal hopeful soaring parts, It will be a bit different than my usual as it was also born from a time of “turmoil” but also taking action into that 🙂 You know… nothing is done until it’s done

Today 1st of September this new song premiers on all digital outlets (Spotify, Itunes, and more!) Please, share it and add it to your playlists. Please spread your word.

What is this song about? It may be different for everyone… Please do tell me what the words mean for you!

It could be of course a song against Global Warming and protection of our Mother Earth, but also it could be a song about our fears and anxieties and how we must control them and get untangled from all the doubts of “denial” in a broad way… Things that we should change and we leave for later until they take hold of us in a loom…

Let these words be your waking call..

Let’s unravel not to live in denial… What do you think it should be done before it’s too late?
Tell me in the comments

LYRICS

Feel like your spirit grows stronger
Though its challenge has only begun
There’s anything it can’t conquer
When the weights of the doubts are all gone
And defiant it won’t weep in silence
When it feels cause is fair to be won
It’s standing firm in sheer defiance
Because nothing is done until it’s done

We might be running out of time
Because nothing is done until it’s done

Shadows may gather in darkness
Neath the weight of impending gloom
We can’t get rid of this madness
Because we got tangled in its loom
Are the circles becoming spirals?
We’re the thread and the web’s been spun
Let’s unravel not to live in denial
Because nothing is done until it’s done

We might be running out of time
Because nothing is done until it’s done
We might be running out of time
And the time has come around
And nothing is done until it’s done

Let these words be your waking call
(The stronger we push, the faster we fall)
We might be running out of time
Because nothing is done until it’s done
Because nothing is done until it’s done
Let these words be your waking call

We might be running out of time
Nothing is done until it’s done

Today 5th of June is World Environment Day (WED) was first established by the United Nations in 1972 and celebrated since 1974 every year to create awareness and encourage people to take actions for the protection of our planet to reduce our carbon footprint and do something for our beloved planet. It’s a date that should be marked in the calendar but what it means should resonate the rest of the days of the year, every day.

Learning to be part of Nature

Every year World environment day chooses a main theme or topic to address. The fact that it focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern but that doesn’t mean we must ignore the others.

Last year the theme was “Beat Plastic Pollution” and I wrote in fact this other article

• https://blog.priscillahernandez.com/2018/06/05/5th-june-world-environment-day-beatplasticpollution/https://steemit.com/photography/@yidneth/june-5th-world-environment-day-2018-beaplasticpollution-small-actions-also-matter

This year the theme ” Beat Air Pollution” and is the host country is China and all over the planet people do small celebrations and “acts”, they clean the beaches and forests or plant trees.

Some years ago I used to live in Barcelona, though cosmopolitan and full of opportunity the air was not that clean. I moved since to a very small but green mossy place, and yes there are things I miss from the big city adventure but I have these kind of places… They are usually massively covered by lichens which is a sign precisely that the air is clean. Did you know that lichens are “air pollution” bio-indicators?

This is my corner of the planet…

A fairy green kingdom I love to visit

The miracle of everflowing life under the early Summer green canopy

We must not take things for granted though… I’m fortunate to be able to inhale and breathe clean air, but not all are that lucky. My actions, your actions, they all count to address the current crises that the planet is enduring. Climate change is changing our home so drastically and so quickly we may reach a point of not return…

Nothing is done until is done

I’m writing a these days, the title is called “Nothing is done until is done”
I feel we might be running out of time.

What have you done for the planet today?

Small actions count… even if it’s humble creating awareness with this single post…

But now seriously even the decision to go somewhere on foot instead of taking the car… all small actions combined can make a big change. We rely on this planet for food, water and for a place to live in… You want to live in a clean house right? Earth is our only home and we have been as a species way too negligent so far.

I choose to change that… yes one single voice

What about yours? Do you join me in the effort? We can, all together.

I understand that there are things that are out of our hands, that there are politicians full of greed that will always prefer “bread for today despite starving tomorrow”, but still I believe there is still time to make a difference, each one of us.

And as soundtrack for this post, I reshare again though I’ve done before my song GROW filmed in these forests

Above: My song GROW, an ODE TO NATURE

I will conlude the SAME way I concluded last year this very same date

This is an excerpt I wrote last year:”We live in the most amazing planet… home of so much diversity and life… cradle of so much beauty. But most still ignore how alarmingly quick it is all degrading, species vanishing into the oblivion of extinction, animals cornered in small habitats and doomed to fade away, our climate severely altered by our own pollution. And we see it all happening in front of our eyes… until we reach those critics points where things cannot be undone. One species gone, wild fires gone crazy due to severe draughts, tropical storms flooding countries out of the blue…
But we always choose “convenience”, the short-term fix…
Nature and Life in our planet are certainly at stake, and so also our existence because we belong to Earth and so far this is our ONLY HOME.
Don’t think it is not worth to make a difference… you can!”

What you will do, for this planet, for the life it holds, for US, or even for yourself is up to you.
You are responsible too.
You can choose, I did, I will act!

And you can gift yourself and others the chance to live in a better and cleaner planet…

Credits

All Pictures copyrighted to Priscilla Hernandez (YIDNETH.COM) in collaboration with Héctor Corcín.

Concept and costumes by Priscilla Hernandez.
Location: Urbasa Beechwoods (Navarra, Spain)Priscilla Hernandez singer-songwriter & illustrator http://yidneth.com

This is the third “Incantation” wearing my iconic witch hat and playing flute outdoors. The melody was entirely improvised on the spot though this time this is a longer one and I added more instruments back home at the home studio. It was filmed early Spring, barely weeks ago in some lovely rapeseed fields. I always love to create this as some kind of meditation or as a way to make them longer songs later. This one is lighthearted and I think very catchy because it stuck in my head and I couldn’t take it out as simple as it is… You’re warned! LOL

But this one might well be included in my “Blooming series” that you are familiar with if you read my posts.

I improvised the flute melody in the spot but then I added additional vocals and instruments at the home studio. The first of incantations was entirely recorded outdoors but this one was an “hybrid” experiment. I struggled editing the video because I swear the melody (even if I prefer myself when exploring moodier sounds) is rather catchy after a few spins and it was impossible not to hum it afterwards. As I said you are warned.

Rapeseed fields (Brassica Napus) in full bloom, at moments I felt like going to Oz… 🙂

Brassica Napus (that belong to the crops is used to make Canola or Colza Oil. I very much prefer the wild flowers but there is an undeniable transient beauty in their full bloom fields.

What is happiness but a collection of moments? Something warm that put a smile on our face

The previous Incantations : Which one is your favourite so far?

They all have in common I’m wearing this witch hat (made by my friends from El Costurero Real
and that they are composed outdoors. First one “Over the clouds” was entirely composed and recorded at the spot.
So here are now the other two previous incantations for comparison and feel free also reply which one is your favourite so far :). Maybe I’ll do one by the sea, or next fall when leaves fall :). So far they are having a great “seasonal” thing going on 🙂

This is the third in a series of candid videos filmed outdoors in which the core of the melody is composed in situ

First Incantation: Over the Clouds

This one went viral on many accounts on facebook (sadly it was cropped off my credits) but silver lining has brought a lot of curious people who checked who was playing. It was the most spontaneous, now two years ago, entirely recorded on the spot the day before Christmas two days ago.

Second Incantation: On your Wings

The Ravens Incantation, filmed last February, last Snow of the year, we used portable zoom recorders and crow chants were recorded there too, that is why is also called “The Raven’s incantation”

So more to come, maybe by the water, or maybe by fallen leaves, who knows

Easter Egg : Find the hidden rat!

As I have mentioned before just like in most of my videos (I still am waiting for someone pointing out where it is in my previous and official recent single) there is a “rat” hidden in the video :)… just in case you want to give it a try 😉 as a little game.

So the challenge is up… can you find a rat in the video? 🙂 it’s there I assure you. 🙂

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Priscilla Hernandez singer-songwriter & illustrator http://yidneth.com

A dream come true… I am having a rare Spanish Luna Moth on my face, a species I have wanted to see for a long time. It’s not bred but a wild one as they live in my region. Picture was taken at midnight a few weeks ago, so even if it is not the best due to light conditions, for me it’s a very special one and I’m going to tell you a little bit about this rare and beautiful species that almost look like out of the pages of a fairytale. How did this happen? And some curiosities about this “Ghost fairy”… keep on reading!

It is not secret for my readers here that I love moths, I even dress often like one or they’re mentioned recurrently in the lyrics of my moths. They also appear in many of my drawings…

I live now in Navarre, North of Spain, and here there is a particular species, famous worldwide for its beauty but living only were I live… sounds lucky, right? But I had not had the chance to see it yet. That dreams recently came true 🙂

Here is a link to a little video on twitter of me painting moths, moths and moths and going a bit nuts about them (by the way I must rescue and finish that painting). I could not attach the video here but you can see it in this link:
https://twitter.com/i/status/903726971141537792

Above: me by Xorroxin Waterfall wearing my Spanish Luna Moth wings (made by my friends from El Costurero Real)

A very rare and beautiful Moth Species

The Spanish Moon Moon Graellsia Isabellae is a rare and large moth Graellsia isabellae, the Spanish moon moth, is in the silkmoth family Saturniidae. The genus only has this species. The moth was first discovered by Mariano de la Paz Graëlls y de la Aguera in 1846.

There are not enough data yet to know how threatened the species may be but it can only be found in some parts of Spain and France. Now mostly in Spain and some areas in Switzerland. I happen to be lucky in enough to live in a region where they can be found. They eat needles from Pine trees and do you remember I often visit some deer to feed them… they can be found in that forest precisely.

Above: Male Graellsia Isabellae on pine bark taken last 3rd of May 🙂

The adults are out April-June. Adults don’t eat, their only pupose is to mate and lay eggs. A few weeks ago a conservationist group organized an activity to spot Graellsias, and having tried on my own for two years in a row without success, even knowing a particular grove that is considered a reservoir of the species (just had seen them fluttering quickly now and then) I decided to join and they set up a white sheet and special lights (mercury lamps) in order to attract them (and other moth friends).

##Attracting the moths with Mercury Vapur Lamps and Why do Moths fly to light?

Above: Setting up mercury vapour lamps which are the most used to attract moths. Why are moths attracted to light is explained by their sense of orientation. In a behavior called transverse orientation, some insects navigate by flying at a constant angle relative to a distant light source, such as the moon and some artificial lights confuses them in their navigation messing their compass. It is very well known that Moths have “Positive Phototaxis”, they move “towards” the light- Also it’s thought them to have an “escape” mechanism as it’s likely less dangerous to fly upwards (towards the light) in order to escape. It’s also known that once there they come to the light tend to stay around it because they become “blinded” by it. We play that in our advantage as they perched on our white sheet.

But you know moths fly to light when they’re blind in delight (from my own song Nothing)

So we stood a few hours in the cold… We suspected not many moths would come (and in fact there were some cute furry visitors but it wasn’t a crowdy night. We shared some snacks and chatted with the others while “Asociación Zerynthia” (the organizers) explained some facts about moths in general and about the prejudices against them. But were we meant to see the elusive species that night?

Most people were already giving up when suddenly a Graellsia appeared, with its slow graceful flutter. It was a male. People cheered and we all stood very quiet in order not to tread on it. Minutes later another male followed. Once they landed and calmed down we observed and took pictures, and finally with the supervision of the entomologists we took these portraits of me with one on my face 🙂

Soooo cute and it felt ticklish!

A few more interesting facts

There is a clear dimorphism between male and female. The male have feathery antennae and wing tails. Those antennae help the male to “smell” in order to find a suitable female to mate.

So maybe we have that misconceptions of moths as discoloured

These are my own lyrics from my song “At the Dreams Door” but not true at all 🙂 because, can’t they be more beautiful? Their wings look almost like a stained glass, kind of translucent against the light.

Like stained glass

Will I emerge as butterfly into the vibrant daylight
or am I doom to be the moth as colourless as before

Or maybe you were never such colourless being, maybe you were the most precious of them all, if someone would look to under the light

I’m so thrilled that I’m repeating the experience again in a week fro now, hopefully bringing better light.

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Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com