Abstract
This article explores the use of songs in fantasy televisual media, considering what types of songs are being sung, where they are placed within the context of the show, and by whom they are being sung. I analyze elements of culture and character that enhance worldbuilding as well as explore the use of repetition through leitmotifs, context, and intertextual Invoking Petra Zimmerman's concept of the "semantic co-text" (2013), I examine the context of each song, including what occurs before and after the choice for characters to sing, considering what drives them to the point of song and what it adds to their internal story. This, combined with a hermeneutic approach to semiotic analysis, allows for a close reading of the lyric text. Finally, I draw together the analysis through a consideration of the phonaesthetic choices (Fimi 2010) and the performance of each song as an act of "musicking" (Small 1998) to consider them as individual moments as well as connected motifs within the broader fantasy context. Songs in longform fantasy media enrich the fabric of the text and provide audiences textual clues to hook into and return to. Music is integral to cultural practices; therefore, when examining texts which create new fan communities and new fantastic contexts, it is imperative to pursue the elements which support interior authenticity and allow audiences to accept the context and authority of the story being told.