Heartsong

**Heartsongs**, also referred to as centres during *Game Theory*, are the core energy of a fae's being.

## Details

'Heartsongs paralleled not so neatly with the human concept of the soul. Each fae had a heartsong, or a core energy, and each heartsong vibrated in synchronicity with an abstract concept. . . . As long as [a fae] lived in service to that heartsong . . . [they] would remain mentally and emotionally sound. Most fae had a single heartsong for their entire lives, and that was why some fae were so singularly good at representing things such as wealth, virtue, healing, strength, and so on.'

Though multiple fae can share the same heartsong, they may each choose to serve their heartsong differently. Heartsongs are tied strongly to the health of the fae, and rarely, 'usually due to trauma, a heartsong could corrupt. Then it would fester, and drive the fae to commit poisonous acts. Someone with a heartsong of righteousness may commit mass murder in their zealotry. A fae with a corrupted core of cleverness, may turn their sights to evil matters, more evil than most Unseelie might consider acceptable. If the heartsong didn’t stabilise or change naturally, it would often lead to the death of the fae, and many other fae besides. Even the mild destabilisation of a heartsong lead to soul sickness.' Although heartsongs can change, it is stated that 'no one truly abandoned a centre once it had been a part of them' and fae may still be partly influenced by their old heartsongs.

Being subjected to the antithesis of one's heartsong can harm and eventually break a heartsong completely, allowing it to form into a new heartsong. An example of this was when Gwyn ap Nudd's heartsong of triumph was broken by being forced to concede victory to Augus during the events of *Deeper into the Woods*.

Heartsongs are also involved in soul-magic and can be forcibly removed by a skilled Mage, although the only fae who have ever been known to accomplish this are Olphix and Davix, who took the Raven Prince's heartsong, at least one unknown fae's heartsong, and later that of Mosk. The removal of a heartsong creates a great upswell of power that the Mages can use for their own purposes. An unknown fae's heartsong was used by Olphix and Davix to grant power to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, rendering them nearly invulnerable and able to be reshaped by the reigning monarchs. The Raven Prince's heartsong was used to make the fixed classes, as well as, 'render Kings nigh immortal, make them the arbiters of class and divide the world between underfae and all the rest. And then, to fix alignments in place, so that all fae must be born Seelie, or Unseelie, and no fae may ever change.'

Some fae, such as Augus Each Uisge, Fenwrel the Mouse-Maiden, Luridan, the Raven Prince, Mosk Manytrees, and certain healers, are able to sense the heartsongs of others, sometimes including - to varying extent - what they represent and whether they are stable, frail, corrupted, or broken/absent. Although Augus and Fenwrel can sense meridians, making it possible that heartsongs are connected to meridians somehow, other fae can still sense a heartsong's health or absence, and it's unclear that Luridan has that same specialization. Fae who are missing a heartsong are described as feeling 'empty' and 'wrong' by fae capable of sensing heartsongs.

Some Mages can also change their heartsongs at will, though it takes time. Gwyn is one of the few characters who isn't a Mage shown in canon to have chosen his own heartsong.

When fae have multiple heartsongs, it can be difficult to nigh impossible for a diviner to read much, if any of their future.

## Other Known Heartsongs

Examples of heartsongs that have also appeared in *The Fae Tales Verse*, but are not currently known to be held by fae, either because the fae in question lost it or died, and no other fae has been noted to have it:

* Abundance (Ash Glashtyn)
* Acceptance (The Raven Prince)
* Appearance (Crielle ferch Fnwy)
* Boldness (Mafydd Brant)
* Cruelty (Efnisien ap Wledig)
* Curiosity (Terho the Mouse-Lad)
* Dominance (Augus Each Uisge)
* Justice (Gwyn ap Nudd)
* Mischief (Davix)
* Mystery (The Raven Prince)
* Perception/Perceptiveness (Mikkel)
* Risk (Mosk Manytrees)
* Romance (King Oengus Og)
* Ruthlessness (Lludd Llaw Eraint)
* Surrender (Gwyn ap Nudd)
* Triumph (Gwyn ap Nudd)
* Wildness (Gwyn ap Nudd)

## Quotations

* 'Gwyn wondered if he’d been transitioning from surrender into wildness anyway. Wondered if he had – over the past few centuries – been bending his will to it so diligently that it had no choice but to return. Mages could will a heartsong into being, perhaps Gwyn’s desperation had called it back. It would have been helped by literally living in the wilds as an underfae, determined to stay alive, to adhere to his survival instinct. Maybe he found something even in his desperate, animalistic fear.'

## Trivia

* Not-Poignant noted on their Not-Poignant tumblr that a fae with multiple heartsongs is more likely to return to one they've had before than one they haven't.
* Not-Poignant noted on their Not-Poignant tumblr that Fenwrel's heartsong is Direction, which would align with her appetite. But this hasn't been mentioned directly in canon.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 March 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8069799. Chapter 1: I - The Waterhorse.
2. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 16 February 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/31475208. Chapter 15: Isn't it Better?
3. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 January 2016. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1775002. Chapter 2: Prologue.
4. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 January 2016. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1775002. Chapter 2: Retribution.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 October 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/50374646. Chapter 17: Just Like You.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 March 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/55060255. Chapter 27: Risk.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 April 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/33382401. Chapter 20: Night Terrors.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 October 2017. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/28495692. Chapter 6: The Court of Five Thrones.
9. ↑ not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8152002. Chapter 2: II - The Waterhorse.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 19 September 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5127665. Chapter 10: Battlefields.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 16 September 2017. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/27454425. Chapter 2: I'll Not Feel Pity.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 16 September 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/84324043. Chapter 15: The Enemy of My Enemy.
13. ↑ not\_poignant. "The Gwyn and Augus Ice Plague Interludes.” *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 2 October 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20362345/chapters/49572251. Chapter 2: Lost Without You.
14. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 18 June 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/4283271. Chapter 4: Suspicions.
15. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 8 May 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8723191. Chapter 42: Heartsong.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 14 May 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8820031. Chapter 43: Wildness.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 29 May 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9068368. Chapter 45: Service.
18. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 19 October 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/38607599. Chapter 32: Somewhere Safe.
19. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 January 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2363349. Chapter 39: Alone.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 August 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/102269367. Chapter 40: A New Season.
21. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 January 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2257937. Chapter 35: Release.
22. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 28 October 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/86595049. Chapter 18: The Silent Dances.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 December 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/52448491. Chapter 22: Service.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 13 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1894662. Chapter 11: Abandoned.
25. ↑ Not-Poignant. "idk if this question has been answered (and if it has im sorry) but do readers..." *Actually A Little Bit Poignant.* 9 Oct 2016, 5:03 AM. https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/151553811798/idk-if-this-question-has-been-answered-and-if-it.
26. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 11 August 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1791304. Chapter 3: Desperation.
27. ↑ not\_poignant. "The NIghtingale and Terho the Mouse-Lad." *The Fae Tales Verse, Archive of Our Own,* 5 May 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1571246.
28. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 17 August 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1809886. Chapter 4: Clean.
29. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 22 August 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1826870. Chapter 5: Status.
30. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 March 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8003448. Chapter 37: Explosion.
31. ↑ Not-Poignant. "Pia, I was wondering what Mikkel's heartsong actually is...?" *Actually A Little Bit Poignant.* 31 July 2015, 3:20 AM. https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/125498923285/pia-i-was-wondering-what-mikkels-heartsong.
32. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 15 June 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/34608941. Chapter 22: Twisting and Turning.
33. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 29 November 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2132476. Chapter 29: Corporal.
34. ↑ Not-Poignant. "Say a fae loses their heart song, heart song #1..." *Actually A Little Bit Poignant.* 20 Apr 2015, 5:07 AM. https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/116899030525/say-a-fae-loses-their-heart-song-heart-song-1.
35. ↑ Not-Poignant. "Hey so I was wondering, after this ten year gap between COFT and TIP..." *Actually A Little Bit Poignant.* 21 Dec 2018, 8:02 AM. https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/181293816808/hey-so-i-was-wondering-after-this-ten-year-gap.
36. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 2 January 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/6705320. Chapter 24: Listen.