Ratzusca above made some good points. Uriah heap is playing with a cultural archetype here, and it would seem to me that our spontaneous interpretation will depend on our cultural background. However, it is unlikely that the song refers to a fairy or a specialized Celtic goddess. Calling her "the mother of all men" limits the possible selections somewhat. A catholic might interpret her to be an appearance of the virgin Mary. For me, being Buddhist, it was always clear that the song is about Kuan shi Yin, (Guanshi, Guanyin etc.), an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Kuanyin is also called "the hearer of cries" and even "Lord of the World". Uriah Heap stated that the story was inspired by the appearance of an unknown girl - one of the classic folk legends of Kuan Yin is about the appearance of her in the form of a beautiful black haired unknown girl. And - it is pretty much her job description to respond to "cries" and lift people from darkness, turn violent thoughts into compassion and fill dark hearts with life again. Here is a short video about this particular legend... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cD1tBRE2TA
But ultimately it does not matter: it can be equally well argued that the Lady in Black is some sort of "incarnation" of the christian Mary. It doesn't change the message the least bit. That there is a way out of darkness, that violence is no solution. That we can find relief and calm satisfaction in our most ordinary life. Perhaps only there. And that if we want to change the world we have to begin with ourselves. Ultimately common sense stuff. But so important...
Ratzusca above made some good points. Uriah heap is playing with a cultural archetype here, and it would seem to me that our spontaneous interpretation will depend on our cultural background. However, it is unlikely that the song refers to a fairy or a specialized Celtic goddess. Calling her "the mother of all men" limits the possible selections somewhat. A catholic might interpret her to be an appearance of the virgin Mary. For me, being Buddhist, it was always clear that the song is about Kuan shi Yin, (Guanshi, Guanyin etc.), an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Kuanyin is also called "the hearer of cries" and even "Lord of the World". Uriah Heap stated that the story was inspired by the appearance of an unknown girl - one of the classic folk legends of Kuan Yin is about the appearance of her in the form of a beautiful black haired unknown girl. And - it is pretty much her job description to respond to "cries" and lift people from darkness, turn violent thoughts into compassion and fill dark hearts with life again. Here is a short video about this particular legend... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cD1tBRE2TA
But ultimately it does not matter: it can be equally well argued that the Lady in Black is some sort of "incarnation" of the christian Mary. It doesn't change the message the least bit. That there is a way out of darkness, that violence is no solution. That we can find relief and calm satisfaction in our most ordinary life. Perhaps only there. And that if we want to change the world we have to begin with ourselves. Ultimately common sense stuff. But so important...