silence grows
my feelings flow
I'm dreaming now
of all the things I know
I'm here on my own
CST Approved
A rather beautiful song by Slowdive which originally appeared on the Slowdive EP in 1990. Rachel Goswell sung the above lyrics for it.
There are actually two versions of this song, Avalyn and Avalyn II, the latter being about twice as long as the former and more ambient. Avalyn II has no lyrics or, rather, the lyrics are so processed that they cannot be clearly heard.
Avalyn is also a feminine first name/forename. It is considerably rare, and seems to be a pronounced twisting of the name "Evelyn." Other than that, it doesn't have an origin or etymology of its own; it doesn't actually mean anything (although the Kabalarians state that it implies empathic tendencies, quick wits and sensitivity). Nevertheless, a handful of girls are born each year that carry the name, most often in English-speaking countries such as England, Australia, Canada, and the United States, and very occasionally in French-speaking nations such as France and Belgium (and, surprisingly, in non-French-speaking Singapore). Recently, the name has undergone a shortening, of a kind, as I've met a number of newborn girls and toddlers whose given names are "Ava." It was even more rarely used in the early 1900s (one instance I can think of is actress Ava Gardner, who was born in 1922, and whose given name is "Ava").
The Kabalarians state of people named Avalyn "(...) desire for peace at any price can result in going out of your way to avoid arguments and confrontation or hurting the feelings of others." This describes me perfectly, so maybe they're on to something.
Given that it lacks true meaning and the fact that it only first popped up, inexplicably and without fanfare, about 150 years ago, the word itself carries a kind of je ne sais quoi quality about it. I've seen it being used as a handle (by people besides me), as the name of a design firm, as a pet's name, and of course as a number of womens' names. It's kind of saddening to me that such a pretty name is so rare.
The only socially-notable person to carry the name is, as far as I know, author Avalyn Hunter, a middle-aged woman who writes non-fiction books about race horses. Allow me to gauge her notoriety: she doesn't even have a Wikipedia article, and if you Google her name, all you'll get is books about horses. The Amazon link at the start of this paragraph is pretty much all the information I could find.
Whoa. Who left all these wonderful softlinks?
I finally saw Slowdive perform this song live on July 20, 2014. My heart fills with joy whenever I remember it. Here's the whole show.