15

Aiden K. Feltkamp

With the recent discovery of the Annals of Glendo Plumabun, a cultural text dating back to the height of the Roman Empire, I have been able to translate this ancient Celtic carol. Since the ancient Celts kept and related their history orally, we can assume this song dates back centuries before its written form. The melody has been lost to time, along with 12 of its 15 verses, but we have recovered this excerpt. 

I have translated the carol into contemporary American English, retaining the original work’s syllabic count and rhyme scheme. The song follows a common pattern of verse-refrain, with only a small deviation in one of the surviving refrains which suggests an openness to improvisation. 

-Historian and translator Aiden K. Feltkamp

Istus left her crochet needles

at the public bath

Please give her back her crochet needles

or you’ll feel her wrath

The daylight flees

and darkness reigns --

that is the way of Fate.

But lend your hand, 

your heart, your hearth;

we’ll live and celebrate. 

Baldur left his battle axes

at the public bath

Please give him back his battle axes

or you’ll feel his wrath

The daylight flees

and darkness reigns --

that is the way of Fate.

But lend your hand, 

your heart, your hearth;

we’ll live right through to day.

Comtron left their thermo servos

at the public bath

Please give them back their thermo servos

or you’ll feel their wrath

The daylight flees

and darkness reigns --

that is the way of Fate.

But lend your hand, 

your heart, your hearth;

we’ll live and celebrate.

Did you have previous associations with this number before making this work?

I didn't have a special relationship or association with 15 before. I actually wracked my brain for something at first, but couldn't find anything personal that 15 would link to. I thought about age, but nothing from that year of my life sparked creativity for me. So I started hunting elsewhere for inspiration. It hit me rather quickly that unless I have a specific memory or experience related to a number, I don't feel much for them. That was an interesting challenge for this project.

What inspired you to make this piece?

First, I did a bunch of research around the number to see if it had any significance in another context that I wasn't aware of. Numerology came to mind right away, but I only know the life path numbers and they don't go up to 15. When nothing came of that, I instead focused on the overall project itself: the digital advent calendar. I really enjoy ritual and holiday, but I have deeply mixed feelings around the American/Christian celebrations that I grew up with. I've been doing a lot of research this year into Celtic Druidism and their Wheel of the Year celebrations. The ancient Celtic aspect of my heritage has always spoken to me most, and digging into it has been rewarding. I've been engaged with the culture since my teens, but I've avoided the religious aspect of it until now. I'm still at the beginning of my journey in terms of Druidism, but I let that exploration and learning inspire my contribution to this project. I thought, what would I like to incorporate into this Yule season? And the answer was a carol. So I wrote song lyrics.

Aside from a response to this number, what does the work say to you now that you've made it?

This project pointed out to me how much I love to create things that seem "real" or historical, but aren't. That fine line between truth and fiction is really fun to play around with. I think it comes from my love for world-building, in my science-fiction and fantasy writing, and it also comes from this hyperawareness of perspective in history. Our concept of what has happened when we weren't there, or before we were born, is based on what others tell us about it. It's based on what's survived, what's been passed down. And privilege and power factor heavily into all of this, which makes me trust it even less. That comes through for me in this piece, and in my previous Bait/Switch work, and it was interesting to me to see that pattern emerging. I hadn't thought on that aspect fully, and now I've really taken time to analyze that propensity and interest in my creative process.

Aiden K. Feltkamp (they/he) is a trans nonbinary writer and DEI specialist creating opera texts, poetry, and science fiction. Their work centers on gender euphoria, remembrance, and social justice. When they're not writing, or working as the Director of Emerging Composers and Diversity for American Composers Orchestra, they're hanging out with their partner, 2 parrots, and cat.