Melodies were a species originating from Yavin 8, characterized as water-based humanoids, according to legends. These beings were native to the depths of their homeworld's purple mountains, with Sistra Mountain being a particularly notable location.
The Melodies began their lives on land, hatching from eggs. These young Melodies resided near the underground freshwater lakes within the moon's equatorial mountain ranges' caverns and inlets. This continued until they reached the age of 20, at which point they underwent a transformation into adult Melodies, also referred to as Elders, during an event known as the Changing Ceremony.
Prior to this transformation, the younger Melodies took care of the infant Melodies. This care involved collecting trico, which was then processed into a paste used to feed the infants until they were old enough to consume the silver-backed fish inhabiting the mountain pools. The lives of young Melodies were fraught with danger, as they were frequently targeted by predators such as the bird-like avrils, the rodent-like raiths, the serpentine reels, and the spidery purellas.
During the Changing Ceremony, these Melodies, also known as Changelings, were escorted to a shallow cove to initiate their transition from land-dwellers to water-breathers. This specific cove was selected as the only secure location for the Ceremony. The cove's surface was covered with a blue-green algae, which generated oxygen through photosynthesis, providing the Changelings with breathable air.
The transformation could last for weeks, leaving the Changelings vulnerable to attacks from Yavin 8's predators. Consequently, the unchanged Melodies guarded them. During the ceremony, a Changeling's legs would fuse into a single finned tail, and they would develop gills for underwater respiration. Upon completion of this transformation, the Melodie would become an Elder and retreat to the deep underground lakes within the mountains, where they would spend the remainder of their adult lives. Elders could surface for short periods to communicate with their young. This ability was absent in the oldest Melodies, who were permanently confined to the water.
The Melodies' origins trace back to the arid, tundra moon of Yavin 8, one of the three habitable moons orbiting the gas giant Yavin, alongside Yavin 4 and Yavin 13. As an amphibious species, they inhabited the rivers and lakes nestled within the moon's purple mountains. Some xenobiologists later speculated that the Melodies, along with the native predators of their homeworld, might have been creations of Sith alchemy.
In 3997 BBY, during the reign of Sith Lord Exar Kun over the Massassi of Yavin 4, he imprisoned their offspring within a spherical dark side artifact known as the Golden Globe. This was done to control the Massassi and drain the life force of those trapped inside. In desperation, the Massassi parents journeyed to Yavin 8, where they encountered the Melodies' children. These children led them to their Elders, who were unable to offer assistance due to their inability to leave the water.
Consequently, the Massassi inscribed messages on the rocks and caves of Yavin 8, hoping that someone would eventually read them and provide aid. However, these messages were written in the Massassi tongue, rendering them difficult for non-speakers to decipher. Tragically, the Massassi were annihilated in 3996 BBY during the Jedi/Republic assault on the jungle moon. This historical event was preserved solely in the form of legends passed down by storytellers known as "Keeper of Legends."
Millennia later, around 0 BBY, the Rodian Suz Tanwa encountered the species during an expedition in the Yavin system. However, he kept their existence a secret from the galaxy, fearing that the Galactic Empire would enslave them. In 22 ABY, Master Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 discovered the Melodies and allowed Lyric, a Force-sensitive member of the species, to study at the Praxeum. Her parents permitted her to attend due to the perilous conditions on their homeworld. Later, when Lyric returned to Yavin 8 for her Changing Ceremony, Jedi trainees Anakin Solo and Tahiri Veila escorted her. During their journey, they were attacked by native carnivores, including an avril, a reel, a purella, and several raiths, but they successfully defended themselves.
It was also from the Keeper of Legends Aragon that Anakin and Tahiri learned about the ancient Massassi carvings. They located these carvings in a cave. During their time on Yavin 8, Anakin and Tahiri also encountered Sannah, whom they discovered to be Force-sensitive and brought with them to Yavin 4. Sannah later assisted them in translating the ancient Massassi carvings, revealing the origins of the Golden Globe and how to defeat it.
Shortly after the Yuuzhan Vong captured the Jedi Praxeum, they presumably seized control of the moon. The extragalactic invaders also deployed deadly Jedi-hunting voxyn on the moon, and Lyric was among their victims. The species' fate following the Yuuzhan Vong War remains unknown, although Sannah attended the Conclave on Zonama Sekot in 30 ABY.