Fleetwood Mac: Rhiannon Meaning

Song Released: 1976

Rhiannon Lyrics

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn’t you love to love her
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover

All your life you’ve never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Surfer_Coyote

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   Nov 19th 2008 !⃝

   There is a book by Mary Leader called TRIAD that Stevie was reading on a flight. The main character was possessed by another woman named Rhiannon. Stevie wrote the lyrics in about ten minutes. It wasn't until later that Stevie learned of the Welsh goddess and was pleasantly surprised to see that her lyrics fit the myths as well.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   cyberfreak

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   Oct 15th 2004 !⃝

   Rhiannon is said to be the maker of birds, the goddess of steeds, and the protector of horses. Rhiannon had left her magical world to marry a mortal king and she had then lost all of her powers. She did not lose knowledge of them, she knew what would happen and could do nothing about it, which was difficult. As punishment for a crime she did not commit, Rhiannon was forced to carry people around on her back, thus she was called the Mare-Goddess. Rhiannon commands attention, like a ringing bell. Rhiannon is also said that she: "Rules her life like a bird in flight.“ In which birds are heavenly creatures. "And who will be her lover,” could be a reference to her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham, in which they were not getting along that well at the time. "Wouldn't you love to love her." Means that Rhiannon is unattainable and that she likes to be in charge.
3. anonymous

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   Dec 16th 2022 !⃝

   you should all know now that its about a Welsh fable/story/superstition/bout a Witch, that was executed, apparently for ,...being a witch !
4. anonymous

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   Aug 14th 2020 !⃝

   She's a lost soul haphazardly going through life forever seeking the yang to her yin in a romantic partner who somehow never seems to fulfill her regardless of how much they may or may not love each other. Hence she's a mystery, no one will truely have her.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 20th 2018 !⃝

   Stevie said “This song is about a witch” in a concert right before the song. Case closed.
6. kooljohn176

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   Nov 9th 2014 !⃝

   A magical song sung by Stevie Nicks playing with Fleetwood Mac about this enchanting woman called Rhiannon that comes to life out of old mythology passed down into the medieval and Renaissance time stories to the present, like also a beautiful ''Lady'' that has the ability to shapeshift into a beautiful ''Hawk'' bird of flight.
7. Deborah Lee

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   Sep 10th 2011 !⃝

   Rhianon. The meaning of a white welsh witch.
8. anonymous

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   Aug 23rd 2011 !⃝

   I think its about a woman who is very possessive and beautiful who can control you and sort of mislead you,she gets her way,through mysterious powers that she has naturally and those are allure and sort of being possessive
9. anonymous

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   Jul 7th 2011 !⃝

   i want to know what you all think the phrase "taken by the wind" means?
10. anonymous

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    Apr 17th 2011 !⃝

    The song is about a woman accuses of being a witch and burned alive.
11. JasmineStar

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    Aug 11th 2009 !⃝

    I have read some interviews done by Stevie Nicks in more recent years, and it is interesting that she claims she just liked to dress in a certain style back then, but that she had no interest in the goddess type spirit energy that i and many others had thought we felt through her music and dance in fleetwood mac. i guess she could easily now say that Rhiannon had nothign to do with any goddess stories.
    It is my feeling that maybe she got given a hard time for being in that energy space back then, and would not necessariy talk about some of the things behind these songs. Or maybe it was just me and others who read some goddess spiritual energy about her at the time, and maybe she believes she did not actually carry that energy. Not sure.
12. lustinthemovies

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    Nov 26th 2006 !⃝

    Rhiannon was the name of a character in the Mabinogion, a book of Welsh myths and legends that Stevie Nicks was fond of. She saw a lot of herself in the character of Rhiannon and wrote the song loosely based around the story of Rhiannon in the aforementioned book.
13. anonymous

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    May 14th 2006 !⃝

    When Stevie Nicks was on Story Tellers, she said that she was reading a book when she wrote this song and one of the characters is named Rhiannon and she thought it was pretty.

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