Within Temptation Metaphors

MEGAMETAPHORS AND PERSONIFICATION IN SONG
LYRICS BY WITHIN TEMPTATION

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the megametaphors and personifications in song lyrics
by Within Temptation.
Megametaphor is a type of metaphor that runs through the entire literary
text.
Personification is the representation of a thing or a quality as a person, in
literature or art.
Now I shall move on to the proper analysis:
"Mother Earth"
Birds and butterflies
Rivers and mountains she creates
But you'll never know
The next move she'll make
You can try
But it is useless to ask why
Cannot control her
She goes her own way
She rules until the end of time
She gives and she takes
She rules until the end of time
With every breath
And all the choices that we make
We are only passing through on her way
I find my strength
Believing that your soul lives on
Until the end of time
I'll carry it with me
Once you will know my dear
You don't have to fear
A new beginning always starts at the end
Until the end of time
In the song Mother Earth one cant help but notice the megametaphor of the Earth being
personified as a woman. One of her faces is being the creator of all things - Birds and
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butterflies | Rivers and mountains she creates. The Mother Earth is unpredictable and
completely independent people cannot foresee or influence her actions as they have no
control over her. Another one of her embodiments is that she is an eternal, primordial ruler
people are just insignificant, mortal beings dependent on her decisions.
"Ice Queen"
When leaves have fallen
And skies turned into grey
The night keeps on closing in on the day
A nightingale sings his song of farewell
You better hide for her freezing hell
On cold wings she's coming
You better keep moving
For warmth, you'll be longing
Come on just feel it
Don't you see it?
You better believe it.
When she embraces
Your heart turns to stone
She comes at night when you are all alone
And when she whispers
Your blood shall run cold
You better hide before she finds you
Whenever she is raging
She takes all life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins of our world
She covers the earth with a breathtaking cloak
The sun awakes and melts it away
The world now opens its eyes and sees
The dawning of a new day
Whenever she is raging
She takes all life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins of our world
This song carries a megametaphor of winter being a woman, specifically an Ice Queen. Her
presence is presaged by nightingales farewell song which is a metaphor for birds migration. I
believe that the line: When she embraces | Your heart turns to stone,could be read in two
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ways one is that the Queens embrace stands for the surrounding cold that can kill; the other
possible explanation is that when your heart turns to stone (as in commonly used expressions
stone-cold heart or heart of stone) the person is devoid of emotions. She comes at night
when you are all alone here, the night might be a representation of the fact that during
winter the nights are longer. Being alone can be either an indication of the state of having
nobody around or having no one to seek help from, thus being forced to face the Ice Queen all
on your own. The Queens power is great, her fury unstoppable and sometimes even deadly:
Whenever she is raging | She takes all life away. Queens rage is a metaphor for a hard
winter, and life taken away for the withered plants. After the Queen covers the earth with a
breathtaking cloak which is a metaphor for the earth covered with snow and ice, her
creations are countered by Queens natural enemy the Sun. The world now opens its eyes
and sees is a perfect example of animization of the world. In the next line, the dawning is a
metaphor for a beginning of a new stage, which is represented by a new day.
"Deceiver Of Fools"
He feeds on fear
He feeds on pain
He rules again
With growing hate
He will guide
Their faith again
No light in the darkness
Is too small to see
There's always a sparkle of hope
If you just believe
He told the tale so many times
About the dream not meant to be
In a world of the free
He plays with your mind
As faith for the future faded fast
He grows strong with their displeasure
It sets him free
Deceiver of hearts
Deceiver of fools
He rules with fear
Deceiver of hearts
Deceiver of fools
He rules again
He feeds on fear
Poisons the truth
To gain their faith
3
To lead the way

To a world of decay
He rules your heart
He will sell your soul to the grave
No hesitation he'll make
He belongs to the dark
Please awake
And see the truth
He can only be
If you believe what he tells you
Remember who you are
What you stand for
And there will always be a way
In my heart there is a place
In my heart there is a trace
Of a small fire burning
A sheltering ray shines through this night
Although it 's small, it's bright
But darkness is lurking
He will sell your soul to bitterness and cold
Fear him
Deceiver of hearts
Deceiver of fools
He rules with fear
Deceiver of hearts
Deceiver of fools
Shall he rule again?
This song is based on the megametaphor of the Devil being a ruler. The other main theme of
these lyrics is the contrast between good and evil, light and dark. The first two lines of the
song contain the metaphors of fear and pain being food. The Devil devours these emotions,
which gives him power over people. [...] In the second stanza the darkness is an analogy of
the reign of the Devil and the light refers to the good side or hope. In the third stanza, the
tale is a euphemism for a lie the Devil tells people. The line He plays with your mind
implies that peoples minds are toys. In the fourth stanza, faith, which faded fast, is a
symbol of light. The line He rules with fear might suggest that fear is a symbol of imperial
insignia (e.g. sceptre). The Devil Poisons the truth | To gain their faith | To lead the way | To
a world of decay metaphors found in these lines are analogous to the behaviour of a king,
gaining faith of his soldiers, leading them into battle and a world of decay might refer to the
battlefield after the fight.
In conclusion, the band Within Temptation uses a great amount of rich metaphors in their
lyrics. Not only are the metaphors elaborate but also contain references to folklore or myths.
The personifications arent always unidirectional, thus, may be approached from different
angles in order to explore all the hidden messages. In addition to the main megametaphor,
these lyrics contain many micrometaphors which, upon analysis, may reveal more details of
and in consequence prove helpful in further interpretation of the main metaphorical theme of
a given song.

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MEGAMETAPHORS AND PERSONIFICATION IN SONG

LYRICS BY WITHIN TEMPTATION

To lead the way

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