Heavy metal turned folklore into modern hits, from Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath

Forget those dusty old history books, if you want to find volumes of monsters, myths and ancient legends then take a look in your record collection. From Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, music’s heavy metal icons have long mined tales of the supernatural for their lyrical inspiration. Now a new book takes a deep, dark dive into the folklore that inspired some of music’s biggest bands and their hits. Andy Boot, author of Metal Mythology, explains: “There’s a lot more to the music than people might think, both in terms of how it sounds and what’s behind it. “Heavy metal has always carried a strange double life. On the surface: noise, rebellion, volume, aggression. Below lives something older, stranger and far more enduring. Metal, perhaps more than any other modern cultural form, is a vault where ancient mythologies, occult philosophies and folkloric remnants continue to breathe.” From werewolves and fairies to vampires and witch hunters Andy, 61, says stories of the “old ways” have been with us for thousands of years, passed down through generations. He adds: “Myths helped people understand why the sun rose, why the crops failed, why the sea swallowed ships. "These were tales told at firesides, in temples and later in the penny dreadfuls, Gothic magazines and Sunday sermons. But then, in the second half of the 20th century, these stories found a new home. Heavy metal became the vessel for an inheritance stretching back thousands of years. The myths never died; they simply found a louder stage.” Andy, who wrote for music magazine Kerrang!, is both a fan and an expert in the genre and in his book points to key names from history whose broader influence and ideas impacted on some of metal’s biggest stars. JRR Tolkien was the master of high fantasy who created the fictional world of Middle-Earth complete with its own myths and languages. An Oxford scholar and specialist in ancient literature, his writing inspired Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin to pen The Battle of Evermore, which appeared on the band’s untitled 1971 album. Other hits such as Ramble On and Misty Mountain Hop also have strong ties with The Lord of the Rings universe. Andy says: “The Battle of Evermore is a folk ballad and very Tolkienesque; it links together the idea of fantastic fiction being drawn from folk culture.” Meanwhile prominent occultist and magician Aleister Crowley founded his own religious philosophy. Dubbed the wickedest man in the world by newspapers for his rejection of Victorian morals and excessive lifestyle, Andy calls him “the first rock star”. Led Zep lead guitarist Jimmy later became a devotee and, explains Andy: “His fascination with Aleister Crowley, ceremonial magic, runic symbols, and occult iconography became part of the band’s mythos.” A third key name is Scottish folklorist James George Frazer whose 1890 book The Golden Bough is regarded as a reference tool for those exploring Paganism. That includes Newcastle band Skyclad – the name itself originates from a reference to ritual nudity. Andy explains: “Metal wants big stories; battles, gods, heroes, demons, sacred places, epics, visions, crusades, quests. It wants a world large enough to justify the enormity of the music itself. Metal is theatre so it seeks theatrical stories.” Although a devotee of the genre, the author’s early musical taste was an eclectic one: “At school, when other kids were listening to Slade and Sweet and the Bay City Rollers, I was listening to the Jeff Lovell orchestra – I loved film music. “When I was nine, I bought a Rick Wakeman album. I had no idea who he was, I just knew this record was about King Arthur and I loved that. Then I heard Kiss and Black Sabbath and metal became one of the earliest things I got into musically.” The collision of myths and metal came, he argues, because both the sound and the time were right, with the Black Country – home to Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Godflesh and Diamond Head – playing a key role. “In the dawn of the industrial era everything was done through canals and Birmingham was in the middle of that system. So you had people from all over the country converging in those places bringing with them a lot of shared stories. “Then there was a revival of interest in traditional English, Scottish, and Irish music around the time that rock bands started to go beyond the basic rhythm and blues blueprint. Plus you had people interested in pushing their own music in different directions. It was a perfect storm.” As to his own favourite legends which have inspired music, he pinpoints an Edgar Allan Poe story, saying: “Murders in the Rue Morgue by Iron Maiden relays the author’s tale of the mysterious murder by a gorilla in 19th century Paris. Hemispheres by Rush is interesting too. It’s an allegory about the conflict between heart and mind played out as a war between Greek gods.” The British have long had an obsession with horror, folklore and history too. But there is one long-standing myth that has yet to feature in any heavy metal song, and Andy says it’s among the most compelling. The story of Spring-Heeled Jack has echoed down the decades since the Victorian era with sightings of the devil-like creature with glowing eyes reported right across the country. The fire-breathing horror targeted women in suburban areas, grabbing and tearing at their clothes. Andy says: “It’s such a brilliant story but to my knowledge no band has ever used it in their music. Maybe that’s my follow-up book!” *Metal Mythology by Andy Boot (Mirror Books, £12.99) is on sale now.