Loxian
Encyclopedia
Loxian is an artistic language
and alphabet created by writer and lyricist
Roma Ryan
for Enya
's 2005 album Amarantine
. The language is featured in three songs on the album (Less than a Pearl, The River Sings, and Water Shows the Hidden Heart). The term apparently derives from the Greek
Loxos, meaning oblique.
Ryan created the language when she found herself unable to create satisfactory lyrics in English, Irish
or Latin
for some of Enya's songs. She came up with the idea after having worked with Tolkien's fictional Elvish languages while writing lyrics in these languages for one of Enya's tracks, recorded for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack in 2001.
Loxian is described by its creators as "a futuristic language from a distant planet"; its script (seen both in the Amarantine CD and the book Water Shows the Hidden Heart) is said to draw on Tolkien, Runic language and elements of Pitman shorthand
.
After examining Loxian, Terence Dolan
, a professor
of English at University College Dublin
, has offered his professional opinion regarding the language.
Enya describes the Loxians as beings who "live on another planet and are looking out, wondering, 'Are we the only ones who exist?' "
Roma Ryan has written a book that was published in December 2005, called Water Shows The Hidden Heart, which gives background information on the three Loxian songs and explore her developing of the language.
Enya and Ryan consider Loxian to be under copyright
; reproducing the language without the permission of Ryan or Enya's record label
, Aigle Records, is considered a copyright violation. As with Klingon
, it is disputed whether a language itself can be copyrighted.
The First Loxian Games, a series of treasure hunts commenced on 1 September 2008. The Second Loxian Games began on 9 October 2009. Including riddles, quests and 'treasure hunt' style tasks with prizes to be won.
Artistic language
An artistic language is a constructed language designed for aesthetic pleasure. Unlike engineered languages or auxiliary languages, artistic languages usually have irregular grammar systems, much like natural languages. Many are designed within the context of fictional worlds, such as J. R. R....
and alphabet created by writer and lyricist
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
Roma Ryan
Roma Ryan
Roma Shane Ryan is an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist, currently living in Artane, Ireland, with her husband Nicky....
for Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
's 2005 album Amarantine
Amarantine (album)
Amarantine is an album by Irish musician Enya. The album was released on November 22, 2005. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for 2007.The release date was announced by Roma Ryan on September 23, 2005, at the official Enya forum...
. The language is featured in three songs on the album (Less than a Pearl, The River Sings, and Water Shows the Hidden Heart). The term apparently derives from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Loxos, meaning oblique.
Ryan created the language when she found herself unable to create satisfactory lyrics in English, Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
or Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for some of Enya's songs. She came up with the idea after having worked with Tolkien's fictional Elvish languages while writing lyrics in these languages for one of Enya's tracks, recorded for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack in 2001.
Loxian is described by its creators as "a futuristic language from a distant planet"; its script (seen both in the Amarantine CD and the book Water Shows the Hidden Heart) is said to draw on Tolkien, Runic language and elements of Pitman shorthand
Pitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
.
After examining Loxian, Terence Dolan
Terence Dolan
Terence Dolan is an Irish lexicographer and radio personality. He is currently Professor of Old and Middle English in the School of English and Drama, University College Dublin. He acts as the School's Research Co-ordinator, and is the director of the Hiberno-English Archive website. He has a...
, a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, has offered his professional opinion regarding the language.
Enya describes the Loxians as beings who "live on another planet and are looking out, wondering, 'Are we the only ones who exist?' "
Roma Ryan has written a book that was published in December 2005, called Water Shows The Hidden Heart, which gives background information on the three Loxian songs and explore her developing of the language.
Enya and Ryan consider Loxian to be under copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
; reproducing the language without the permission of Ryan or Enya's record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Aigle Records, is considered a copyright violation. As with Klingon
Klingon language
The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....
, it is disputed whether a language itself can be copyrighted.
The First Loxian Games, a series of treasure hunts commenced on 1 September 2008. The Second Loxian Games began on 9 October 2009. Including riddles, quests and 'treasure hunt' style tasks with prizes to be won.
External links
- The Loxian Games
- Water Shows The Hidden Heart ISBN 0-9552011-0-1
- Loxian on the BBC
- More about Loxian
- The Sunday Times – Ireland
- "Amarantine" press release