Venusian lullaby
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A certain Venusian lullaby was sung many times throughout the Doctor's travels.
The Venusian language it was written in was long dead by the 26th century. Some archaeological sources suggested that the tune wasn't a lullaby, but instead a bawdy rhyme. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising [+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"]) The first line, "Klokeda partha mennin klatch" translated roughly to "Close your eyes, my darling. Well three of them, at least"! (TV: The Dæmons [+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"]) Ian Chesterton sung the line as "Close your eyes - or three of them at least" when he was convinced he was Inikhut, a Venusian of 3,000,000,000 BC. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby [+]Loading...["Venusian Lullaby (novel)"]) The "ablark, araan, aroon" refrain had to do with the number of limbs they had. The Seventh Doctor told Bernice Summerfield not to ask what "shunna teerenatch" meant. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising [+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"]) A longer variant that Inikhut's bud-mother Jellenhut sang was at least 11 lines long. It asked the children to close their five eyes and fold their five legs one by one underneath the belly of their wishes, hopes, dreams, and sleep. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby [+]Loading...["Venusian Lullaby (novel)"])
A contradictory account claims it was composed by Felina using the melody of a centuries-old Earth Christmas carol entitled, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", which Felina first heard performed by Henry Gordon Jago when he was trying to soothe a herd of angry shanghorns. (AUDIO: Voyage to Venus [+]Loading...["Voyage to Venus (audio story)"])
The First Doctor sang it to calm the baby Josetta Newman in 1950s London. (AUDIO: An Ordinary Life [+]Loading...["An Ordinary Life (audio story)"])
It was used by the Third Doctor to soothe Aggedor, along with the spinning mirror/torch, which apparently had a hypnotic effect on the beast. (TV: The Curse of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Curse of Peladon (TV story)"], The Monster of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Monster of Peladon (TV story)"]) He also chanted the first line when he was warding away Bok. (TV: The Dæmons [+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"])
In the late 2000s, an illustrated book of Venusian lullabies was used by Rhys Williams to placate a giant Zansi baby when he and Gwen Cooper took care of him. (COMIC: Rift War! [+]Loading...["Rift War! (comic story)"])
The Fifth Doctor used the lullaby, along with Erimem's signet ring, to soothe an attacking Aggedor on Peladon in the 41st century. (AUDIO: The Bride of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Bride of Peladon (audio story)"])
On Kirith, the Seventh Doctor tried to soothe a creature he encountered on Kandasi Island by playing a popular Venusian lullaby on the mouth organ, but it only irritated the creature even more. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse [+]Loading...["Timewyrm: Apocalypse (novel)"]) Later, he sang it to calm himself. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising [+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"])
The Eighth Doctor used the lullaby to calm a lizard man. (AUDIO: The Elixir of Doom [+]Loading...["The Elixir of Doom (audio story)"])
The Tenth Doctor could hypnotise people with a Venusian lullaby. (PROSE: Peacemaker [+]Loading...["Peacemaker (novel)"])
The Eleventh Doctor used the lullaby when he organised an orchestra to prevent the Drexxons escaping from their cell in a Perpetuity Chamber, which was locked by a musical key. (PROSE: Death Riders [+]Loading...["Death Riders (novel)"]) The Eleventh Doctor also used the lullaby to soothe an early Type 1 TARDIS. (COMIC: The Lost Dimension [+]Loading...["The Lost Dimension (comic story)"])
Iris Wildthyme used the lullaby to soothe the creatures of Wonderland. (AUDIO: The Land of Wonder [+]Loading...["The Land of Wonder (audio story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | edit source]
- Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor) liked to say he has made up the tune to the song by putting nonsense words to "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". If this is true, and the song wasn't devised by an episode writer or house composer, this would give Pertwee the distinction of having written a song for Doctor Who (or at least the lyrics to one).
- The original Christmas carol has since been heard several times in the 2005-present revived series.
- The lyrics have been transcribed differently over the years by writers of Doctor Who prose and comic stories:
- Kiokleda partha mennin klatch! (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Dæmons [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Dæmons (novelisation)"])
- Klokeda, partha, mennin klatch,
- Ablark, araan, aroon.
- Klokeeda shunna teerenatch,
- Aroon, araan, aroon, araan (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon (novelisation)"], Legacy [+]Loading...["Legacy (novel)"])
- Aroon, araan, aroon
- Aroon, araan, aroon, araan
- Aroon, araan, aroon. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon (novelisation)"])
- Klokeda partha mennin klatch... (PROSE: Lucifer Rising [+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"], COMIC: The Lost Dimension [+]Loading...["The Lost Dimension (comic story)"])
- Arooon-haruuhn-harooon... (COMIC: The Lost Dimension [+]Loading...["The Lost Dimension (comic story)"])
