So a confession before I start. This short story, rather than a recorded folklore tale told from generation to generation comes from my own imagination. I hope you enjoy – and a modern-day bard’s song you will also find below.
In the heart of Dartmoor, nestled amidst the verdant moorland, lies the small village of Foxworthy. Here, the residents speak in hushed tones about a mysterious figure who wanders the moor during the darkest of nights, illuminated by the faintest glimmer of moonlight. They call this enigmatic being the Moonlit Maiden of Foxworthy, and her story is one of love, loss, and the unfathomable connection between life and the ethereal.
Long ago, Foxworthy was a thriving and bustling village, home to many happy families, content with their simple lives. Among these families lived a young woman named Elara, known for her exceptional beauty and grace. She had flowing auburn hair, eyes the color of the moorland heather, and a smile that could warm the coldest of hearts. It was said that even the birds would pause their songs to admire her as she strolled through the village.
Elara was deeply in love with a young man named Silas, a skilled blacksmith with strong hands and a gentle heart. Their love for each other was pure and true, and the villagers often marveled at the devotion they shared. Together, Elara and Silas would explore the wild and untamed beauty of Dartmoor, hand in hand, their laughter echoing through the heather-strewn landscape.
One fateful night, as a storm raged across the moor, Silas received an urgent call to tend to a broken wheel from a traveler passing through the village. With a heavy heart, he kissed Elara goodbye and promised to return before the night was through. As the hours ticked by, Elara’s concern for Silas grew, and she could no longer bear the thought of him being lost on the moor.
Clad in a flowing white dress, Elara ventured out into the tempest, guided only by the pale glow of the moon. The winds howled and the rain lashed at her face, but she pressed on, determined to find her beloved Silas. It is said that the elements themselves conspired against her, fearful of the love that she and Silas shared.
Hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, but Elara never returned. The village mourned the loss of their beautiful maiden and the heartbroken blacksmith who never recovered from his grief. From that day on, strange occurrences began to happen around the village and the moor.
On moonlit nights, when the winds whispered secrets to the heather, villagers would catch a glimpse of a ghostly figure, wandering the moor in search of something – or someone – lost. Her white dress shimmered in the moonlight, and her auburn hair seemed to dance in the breeze. It was the Moonlit Maiden of Foxworthy, forever searching for her lost love.
The villagers came to believe that the presence of the Moonlit Maiden was a sign that their love and devotion to one another would remain strong, even in the face of adversity. The story of Elara and Silas, the Moonlit Maiden of Foxworthy, serves as a poignant reminder that love can transcend the boundaries between life and the ethereal, and that true love is eternal, even in the darkest of times.
The Moonlit Maiden – A Bard’s Song
(Verse 1) In Foxworthy’s moonlit glade, Where shadows dance and spirits fade, A tale of love and loss was born, Of a maiden fair, her heart forlorn.
(Chorus) Oh, sing of the Moonlit Maiden fair, Her eternal embrace, a love so rare, A story of longing, a story of grace, The tale of the Moonlit Maiden’s embrace.
(Verse 2) A knight so brave with eyes of fire, Sought her hand, his heart’s desire, But fate, cruel fate, did intervene, And stole him away, a love unseen.
(Chorus) Oh, sing of the Moonlit Maiden fair, Her eternal embrace, a love so rare, A story of longing, a story of grace, The tale of the Moonlit Maiden’s embrace.
(Bridge) In Foxworthy’s woods, the spirits sigh, As the Moonlit Maiden’s love won’t die, She waits and watches, her love to reclaim, In the glimmering shadows, she whispers his name.
(Chorus) Oh, sing of the Moonlit Maiden fair, Her eternal embrace, a love so rare, A story of longing, a story of grace, The tale of the Moonlit Maiden’s embrace.
(Outro) So listen, dear traveler, to the wind’s soft cry, For the Moonlit Maiden’s love will never die, In Foxworthy’s glade, her story we trace, The eternal embrace of the Moonlit Maiden’s grace.
