13EDWARD

FOOTNOTES:[144]Opera nuova, nella quale si contiene una incatenatura di più villanelle ed altre cose ridiculose.... Data in luce per me Camillo, detto il Bianchino, cieco Florentino. Fliegendes Blatt von Verona, 1629. Egeria, p. 53; p. 260, note 31.—With the above (Egeria, p. 59) compare especially the beginning of ItalianB, further on.[145]It begins:"Dôve sî stâ jersira,Figliuol mio caro, fiorito e gentil?Dôve sî stâ jersira?""Sôn stâ dalla mia dama;Signóra Mama, mio core sta mal!Son stâ dalla mia dama;Ohimè! ch'io moro, ohimè!"[146]E.g. (B):1"E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Figlio mio rico, sapio e gentil?E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Gentil mio cavalier?"2"E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Signora madre, el mio cuor stà mal!E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Oh Dio, che moro, ohimè!"3"E cossa t'àla dato da çena,Figlio mio?" etc.4"E la m'à dato 'n'anguila rostita;Signora madre," etc.[147]Grundtvig notices this absurdity, Eng. og skotske F. v, p. 286, note **.[148]"The nurse or nursery maid who sung these verses (to a very plaintive air) always informed the juvenile audience that the step-mother was a rank witch, and that the fish was an ask (newt), which was in Scotland formerly deemed a most poisonous reptile." C. K. Sharpe, in the Musical Museum, Laing-Stenhouse,IV, 364*.[149]A golden bird, sitting on the bride's hand, sings, "You had better not go there; you will have a bad mother-in-law and a bad father-in-law." There are ill omens also in Passow, No 437.

[144]Opera nuova, nella quale si contiene una incatenatura di più villanelle ed altre cose ridiculose.... Data in luce per me Camillo, detto il Bianchino, cieco Florentino. Fliegendes Blatt von Verona, 1629. Egeria, p. 53; p. 260, note 31.—With the above (Egeria, p. 59) compare especially the beginning of ItalianB, further on.

[145]It begins:"Dôve sî stâ jersira,Figliuol mio caro, fiorito e gentil?Dôve sî stâ jersira?""Sôn stâ dalla mia dama;Signóra Mama, mio core sta mal!Son stâ dalla mia dama;Ohimè! ch'io moro, ohimè!"

[145]It begins:

"Dôve sî stâ jersira,Figliuol mio caro, fiorito e gentil?Dôve sî stâ jersira?""Sôn stâ dalla mia dama;Signóra Mama, mio core sta mal!Son stâ dalla mia dama;Ohimè! ch'io moro, ohimè!"

[146]E.g. (B):1"E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Figlio mio rico, sapio e gentil?E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Gentil mio cavalier?"2"E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Signora madre, el mio cuor stà mal!E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Oh Dio, che moro, ohimè!"3"E cossa t'àla dato da çena,Figlio mio?" etc.4"E la m'à dato 'n'anguila rostita;Signora madre," etc.

[146]E.g. (B):

1"E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Figlio mio rico, sapio e gentil?E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Gentil mio cavalier?"2"E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Signora madre, el mio cuor stà mal!E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Oh Dio, che moro, ohimè!"3"E cossa t'àla dato da çena,Figlio mio?" etc.4"E la m'à dato 'n'anguila rostita;Signora madre," etc.

1"E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Figlio mio rico, sapio e gentil?E dove xestu stà gieri sera,Gentil mio cavalier?"

2"E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Signora madre, el mio cuor stà mal!E mi so' stato da la mia bela;Oh Dio, che moro, ohimè!"

3"E cossa t'àla dato da çena,Figlio mio?" etc.

4"E la m'à dato 'n'anguila rostita;Signora madre," etc.

[147]Grundtvig notices this absurdity, Eng. og skotske F. v, p. 286, note **.

[148]"The nurse or nursery maid who sung these verses (to a very plaintive air) always informed the juvenile audience that the step-mother was a rank witch, and that the fish was an ask (newt), which was in Scotland formerly deemed a most poisonous reptile." C. K. Sharpe, in the Musical Museum, Laing-Stenhouse,IV, 364*.

[149]A golden bird, sitting on the bride's hand, sings, "You had better not go there; you will have a bad mother-in-law and a bad father-in-law." There are ill omens also in Passow, No 437.

A. a.Motherwell's MS., p. 139.b.Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 339. From recitation.B.Percy's Reliques, 1765,I, 53. Communicated by Sir David Dalrymple.C.MS. of A. Laing, one stanza.

A. a.Motherwell's MS., p. 139.b.Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 339. From recitation.

B.Percy's Reliques, 1765,I, 53. Communicated by Sir David Dalrymple.

C.MS. of A. Laing, one stanza.

A b, "given from the recitation of an old woman," is evidentlyA aslightly regulated by Motherwell.B, we are informed in the 4th edition of the Reliques, p. 61, was sent Percy by Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. Motherwell thought there was reason to believe "that his lordship made a few slight verbal improvements on the copy he transmitted, and altered the hero's name to Edward,—a name which, by the bye, never occurs in a Scottish ballad, except where allusion is made to an English king."[150]Dalrymple, at least, would not be likely to change a Scotch for an English name. The Bishop might doubtless prefer Edward to Wat, or Jock, or even Davie. But as there is no evidence that any change of name was made, the point need not be discussed. As for other changes, the word "brand," in the first stanza, is possibly more literary than popular; further than this the language is entirely fit. The affectedly antique spelling[151]in Percy's copy has given rise to vague suspicions concerning the authenticity of the ballad, or of the language: but as spelling will not make an old ballad, so it will not unmake one. We have, but do not need, the later traditional copy to prove the other genuine. 'Edward' is not only unimpeachable, but has ever been regarded as one of the noblest and most sterling specimens of the popular ballad.

Motherwell seems to incline to regard 'Edward' rather as a detached portion of a ballad than as complete in itself. "The verses of which it consists," he says, "generally conclude the ballad of 'The Twa Brothers,' and also some versions of 'Lizie Wan:'" Minstrelsy,LXVII, 12. The Finnish parallel which Motherwell refers to, might have convinced him that the ballad is complete as it is; and he knew as well as anybody that one ballad is often appended to another by reciters, to lengthen the story or improve the conclusion.[152]More or less of 'Edward' will be found in four versions of 'The Twa Brothers' and two of 'Lizie Wan,' further on in this volume.

This ballad has been familiarly known to have an exact counterpart inSwedish. There are four versions, differing only as to length: 'Sven i Rosengård,'A, Afzelius, No 67,III, 4, eleven two-line stanzas, with three morelines of burden;B,III, 3, six stanzas (Bergström's ed., No 54, 1, 2);C, Arwidsson, No 87A,II, 83, eighteen stanzas;D, No 87 B,II, 86, sixteen stanzas. The same inDanish:A, Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske Folkeviser, p. 175, nine stanzas;B, Boisen, Nye og gamle Viser, 10th ed., No 95, p. 185, 'Brodermordet.' And inFinnish, probably derived from the Swedish, but with traits of its own:A, Schröter's Finnische Runen, p. 124, 'Werinen Pojka,' The Bloodstained Son, fifteen two-line stanzas, with two lines of refrain;B, 'Velisurmaaja,' Brother-Murderer, Kanteletar, p. x, twenty stanzas.

All these are a dialogue between mother and son, with a question and answer in each stanza. The mother asks, Where have you been? The son replies that he has been in the stable [Danish, grove, fields; FinnishA, on the sea-strand]. "How is it that your foot is bloody?"[153][clothes, shirt; Finnish, "How came your jerkin muddy?" etc.] A horse has kicked or trod on him. "How came your sword so bloody?" He then confesses that he has killed his brother. [SwedishDand the Danish copies have no question about the foot, etc.] Then follows a series of questions as to what the son will do with himself, and what shall become of his wife, children, etc., which are answered much as in the English ballad. Finally, in all, the mother asks when he will come back, and he replies (with some variations), When crows are white. And that will be? When swans are black. And that? When stones float. And that? When feathers sink, etc. This last feature, stupidly exaggerated in some copies, and even approaching burlesque, is one of the commonplaces of ballad poetry, and may or may not have been, from the beginning, a part of the ballads in which it occurs. Such a conclusion could not be made to adhere to 'Edward,' the last stanza of which is peculiar in implicating the mother in the guilt of the murder. Several versions of 'The Twa Brothers' preserve this trait, and 'Lizie Wan' also.

The stanza of this ballad was originally, in all probability, one of two lines—a question and an answer—with refrains, as we find it inA10, 11, 12, and the corresponding Swedish and Finnish ballad; and in 'Lord Randal,'J,K, etc., and also the corresponding Swedish and German ballad.A1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 are now essentially stanzas of one line, with refrains; that is, the story advances in these at that rate.A4, 7 (==C) are entirely irregular, substituting narrative or descriptive circumstances for the last line of the refrain, and so far forth departing from primitive simplicity.[154]The stanza inBembraces always a question and a reply, but for what is refrain in other forms of the ballad we have epical matter in many cases.A1, 2, substantially, ==B1;A3, 4 ==B2;A5, 6 ==B3;A8, 9 ==B4;A11 == 6;A12 == 7.

Testaments such as this ballad ends with have been spoken of under No 11.

Ais translated by Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske Folkeviser, No 26, p. 172; by Rosa Warrens, Schottische V. L., No 21, p. 96; by Wolff, Halle des Völker,I, 22, and Hausschatz, p. 223.B, in Afzelius,III, 10; "often in Danish," Grundtvig; by Herder, Volkslieder,II, 207; by Döring, p. 217; Gerhard, p. 88; Knortz, Schottische Balladen, No 27. SwedishA, by W. and M. Howitt, Literature and Romance of Northern Europe,I, 263.[155]

a.Motherwell's MS., p. 139. From Mrs King, Kilbarchan.b.Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 339.

1'What bluid's that on thy coat lap,Son Davie, son Davie?What bluid's that on thy coat lap?And the truth come tell to me.'2'It is the bluid of my great hawk,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid of my great hawk,And the truth I have told to thee.'3'Hawk's bluid was neer sae red,Son Davie, son Davie:Hawk's bluid was neer sae red,And the truth come tell to me.'4'It is the bluid of my greyhound,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid of my greyhound,And it wadna rin for me.'5'Hound's bluid was neer sae red,Son Davie, son Davie:Hound's bluid was neer sae red,And the truth come tell to me.'6'It is the bluid o my brither John,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid o my brither John,And the truth I have told to thee.'7'What about did the plea begin,Son Davie, son Davie?''It began about the cutting of a willow wandThat would never been a tree.'8'What death dost thou desire to die,Son Davie, son Davie?What death dost thou desire to die?And the truth come tell to me.'9'I'll set my foot in a bottomless ship,Mother lady, mother lady:I'll set my foot in a bottomless ship,And ye'll never see mair o me.'10'What wilt thou leave to thy poor wife,Son Davie, son Davie?''Grief and sorrow all her life,And she'll never see mair o me.'11'What wilt thou leave to thy old son,Son Davie, son Davie?''I'll leave him the weary world to wander up and down,And he'll never get mair o me.'12'What wilt thou leave to thy mother dear,Son Davie, son Davie?''A fire o coals to burn her, wi hearty cheer,And she'll never get mair o me.'

1'What bluid's that on thy coat lap,Son Davie, son Davie?What bluid's that on thy coat lap?And the truth come tell to me.'

2'It is the bluid of my great hawk,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid of my great hawk,And the truth I have told to thee.'

3'Hawk's bluid was neer sae red,Son Davie, son Davie:Hawk's bluid was neer sae red,And the truth come tell to me.'

4'It is the bluid of my greyhound,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid of my greyhound,And it wadna rin for me.'

5'Hound's bluid was neer sae red,Son Davie, son Davie:Hound's bluid was neer sae red,And the truth come tell to me.'

6'It is the bluid o my brither John,Mother lady, mother lady:It is the bluid o my brither John,And the truth I have told to thee.'

7'What about did the plea begin,Son Davie, son Davie?''It began about the cutting of a willow wandThat would never been a tree.'

8'What death dost thou desire to die,Son Davie, son Davie?What death dost thou desire to die?And the truth come tell to me.'

9'I'll set my foot in a bottomless ship,Mother lady, mother lady:I'll set my foot in a bottomless ship,And ye'll never see mair o me.'

10'What wilt thou leave to thy poor wife,Son Davie, son Davie?''Grief and sorrow all her life,And she'll never see mair o me.'

11'What wilt thou leave to thy old son,Son Davie, son Davie?''I'll leave him the weary world to wander up and down,And he'll never get mair o me.'

12'What wilt thou leave to thy mother dear,Son Davie, son Davie?''A fire o coals to burn her, wi hearty cheer,And she'll never get mair o me.'

Percy's Reliques, 1765,I, 53. Communicated by Sir David Dalrymple.

1'Why dois your brand sae drap wi bluid,Edward, Edward,Why dois your brand sae drap wi bluid,And why sae sad gang yee O?''O I hae killed my hauke sae guid,Mither, mither,O I hae killed my hauke sae guid,And I had nae mair bot hee O.'2'Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid,Edward, Edward,Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid,My deir son I tell thee O.''O I hae killed my reid-roan steid,Mither, mither,O I hae killed my reid-roan steid,That erst was sae fair and frie O.'3'Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair,Edward, Edward,Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair,Sum other dule ye drie O.''O I hae killed my fadir deir,Mither, mither,O I hae killed my fadir deir,Alas, and wae is mee O!'4'And whatten penance wul ye drie, for that,Edward, Edward?And whatten penance will ye drie for that?My deir son, now tell me O.''Ile set my feit in yonder boat,Mither, mither,Ile set my feit in yonder boat,And Ile fare ovir the sea O.'5'And what wul ye doe wi your towirs and your ha,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye doe wi your towirs and your ha,That were sae fair to see O?''Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa,Mither, mither,Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa,For here nevir mair maun I bee O.'6'And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,Whan ye gang ovir the sea O?''The warldis room, late them beg thrae life,Mither, mither,The warldis room, late them beg thrae life,For thame nevir mair wul I see O.'7'And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir?My deir son, now tell me O.''The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir,Mither, mither,The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir,Sic counseils ye gave to me O.'

2'Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid,Edward, Edward,Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid,My deir son I tell thee O.''O I hae killed my reid-roan steid,Mither, mither,O I hae killed my reid-roan steid,That erst was sae fair and frie O.'

3'Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair,Edward, Edward,Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair,Sum other dule ye drie O.''O I hae killed my fadir deir,Mither, mither,O I hae killed my fadir deir,Alas, and wae is mee O!'

4'And whatten penance wul ye drie, for that,Edward, Edward?And whatten penance will ye drie for that?My deir son, now tell me O.''Ile set my feit in yonder boat,Mither, mither,Ile set my feit in yonder boat,And Ile fare ovir the sea O.'

5'And what wul ye doe wi your towirs and your ha,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye doe wi your towirs and your ha,That were sae fair to see O?''Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa,Mither, mither,Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa,For here nevir mair maun I bee O.'

6'And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,Whan ye gang ovir the sea O?''The warldis room, late them beg thrae life,Mither, mither,The warldis room, late them beg thrae life,For thame nevir mair wul I see O.'

7'And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir,Edward, Edward?And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir?My deir son, now tell me O.''The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir,Mither, mither,The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir,Sic counseils ye gave to me O.'

MS. of Alexander Laing, 1829, p. 25.

'O what did the fray begin about?My son, come tell to me:''It began about the breaking o the bonny hazel wand,And a penny wad hae bought the tree.'

A. b.

14. tell to me O.And so every fourth line.74. That would never hae been a tree O.104. And she'll never get mair frae me O.113. The weary warld to wander up and down.

14. tell to me O.And so every fourth line.

74. That would never hae been a tree O.

104. And she'll never get mair frae me O.

113. The weary warld to wander up and down.

Initialquforwandzforyhave been changed throughout towandy.67. let.

Initialquforwandzforyhave been changed throughout towandy.

67. let.

FOOTNOTES:[150]An eager "Englishman" might turn Motherwell's objection to the name into an argument for 'Edward' being an "English" ballad.[151]That is to say, initialquhandzfor modernwhandy, for nothing else would have excited attention. Perhaps a transcriber thought he ought to give the language a look at least as old as Gavin Douglas, who spellsquhy,dois,ȝour. Thequhwould serve a purpose, if understood as indicating that the aspirate was not to be dropped, as it often is in Englishwhy. Thezis the successor of ȝ, and was meant to be pronouncedy, aszis, or was, pronounced ingaberlunzieand other Scottish words. See Dr J. A. H. Murray's Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, pp. 118, 129. Sincequhandzserve rather as rocks of offence than landmarks, I have thought it best to usewhandy.[152]Motherwell also speaks of a ballad of the same nature as quoted in Werner's 'Twenty-Fourth of February.' The stanza cited (in Act I, Scene 1) seems to be Herder's translation of 'Edward' given from memory.[153]We have a similar passage in most of the copies of the third class of the German ballads corresponding to No 4. A brother asks the man who has killed his sister why his shoes [sword, hands] are bloody. See p. 36, p. 38. So in 'Herr Axel,' Arwidsson, No 46,I, 308.[154]These have perhaps been adapted to the stanza of 'The Twa Brothers,' with some versions of which, as already remarked, the present ballad is blended.[155]With regard to translations, I may say now, what I might well have said earlier, that I do not aim at making a complete list, but give such as have fallen under my notice.

[150]An eager "Englishman" might turn Motherwell's objection to the name into an argument for 'Edward' being an "English" ballad.

[151]That is to say, initialquhandzfor modernwhandy, for nothing else would have excited attention. Perhaps a transcriber thought he ought to give the language a look at least as old as Gavin Douglas, who spellsquhy,dois,ȝour. Thequhwould serve a purpose, if understood as indicating that the aspirate was not to be dropped, as it often is in Englishwhy. Thezis the successor of ȝ, and was meant to be pronouncedy, aszis, or was, pronounced ingaberlunzieand other Scottish words. See Dr J. A. H. Murray's Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, pp. 118, 129. Sincequhandzserve rather as rocks of offence than landmarks, I have thought it best to usewhandy.

[152]Motherwell also speaks of a ballad of the same nature as quoted in Werner's 'Twenty-Fourth of February.' The stanza cited (in Act I, Scene 1) seems to be Herder's translation of 'Edward' given from memory.

[153]We have a similar passage in most of the copies of the third class of the German ballads corresponding to No 4. A brother asks the man who has killed his sister why his shoes [sword, hands] are bloody. See p. 36, p. 38. So in 'Herr Axel,' Arwidsson, No 46,I, 308.

[154]These have perhaps been adapted to the stanza of 'The Twa Brothers,' with some versions of which, as already remarked, the present ballad is blended.

[155]With regard to translations, I may say now, what I might well have said earlier, that I do not aim at making a complete list, but give such as have fallen under my notice.

A. a, b.'Babylon; or, The Bonnie Banks o Fordie,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 88.c.The same, Appendix, p. xxii, NoXXVI.B. a.Herd's MSS,I, 38,II, 76.b.'The Banishd Man,' The Scots Magazine, October, 1803, p. 699, evidently derived from Herd.C.Motherwell's MS., p. 172.D.Motherwell's MS., p. 174.E.'Duke of Perth's Three Daughters,' Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 212.

A. a, b.'Babylon; or, The Bonnie Banks o Fordie,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 88.c.The same, Appendix, p. xxii, NoXXVI.

B. a.Herd's MSS,I, 38,II, 76.b.'The Banishd Man,' The Scots Magazine, October, 1803, p. 699, evidently derived from Herd.

C.Motherwell's MS., p. 172.

D.Motherwell's MS., p. 174.

E.'Duke of Perth's Three Daughters,' Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 212.

B ais from tradition of the latter half of the eighteenth century; the other copies from the earlier part of this.

Three sisters go out (together,A,B,C, successively,D,E) to gather flowers (A,B,E). A banished man (outlyer bold,D, Loudon lord,E) starts up from a hiding-place, and offers them one after the other the choice of being his wife or dying by his hand.

(A.)'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee penknife?'(D.)'Wiltow twinn with thy maidenhead, or thy sweet life?'

(A.)'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee penknife?'

(D.)'Wiltow twinn with thy maidenhead, or thy sweet life?'

The first and the second express a simple preference for death, and are killed and laid by, "to bear the red rose company" (A). The youngest, inA, says she has a brother in the wood, who will kill him if he kills her. The outlaw asks the brother's name, finds that he himself is the man, and takes his own life with the same weapon that had shed the blood of his sisters.B,C,Dhave three brothers, the youngest of whom is the banished lord (C), the outlyer bold (D). The story is defective inB,C. InDthe outlaw, on finding what he has done, takes a long race, and falls on his knife. The conclusion ofEis not so finely tragic. A brother John comes riding by just as the robber is about to kill the third sister, apprehends him by the agency of his three pages, and reserves him to be hanged on a tree,

Or thrown into the poisond lake,To feed the toads and rattle-snake.

According to the account given by Herd, and repeated by Jamieson, the story of the lost conclusion ofBmade the banished man discover that he had killed his two brothers as well as his two sisters.

This ballad, with additional circumstances, is familiar to all branches of the Scandinavian race.

Danish.There are many versions from oral tradition, as yet unprinted, besides these two:A, 'Hr. Truels's Døttre,' Danske Viser,III, 392, No 164, there reprinted from Sandvig, Beskrivelse over Øen Møen, 1776:B, 'Herr Thors Børn,' from recent tradition of North Sleswig, Berggreen, Danske Folke-Sange, 3d ed., p. 88, No 42.

A.Herr Truels' three daughters oversleep their matins one morning, and are roused by their mother. If we have overslept our matins, they say, we will make up at high mass. They set out for church, and in a wood fall in with three robbers, who say:

'Whether will ye be three robbers' wives,Or will ye rather lose your lives?'

Much rather death, say they. The two elder sisters submitted to their fate without a word; the third made a hard resistance. With her last breath she adjured the robbers to seek a lodging at Herr Truels' that night. This they did. They drank so long that they drank Herr Truels to bed. Then they asked his wife to promise herself to all three. First, she said, she must look into their bags. In their bags she saw her daughters' trinkets. She excused herself for a moment, barred the door strongly, roused her husband, and made it known to him that these guests had killed his three daughters. Herr Truels called on all his men to arm. He asked the robbers who was their father. They said that they had been stolen by robbers, on their way to school, one day; had had a hard life for fourteen years; and the first crime they had committed was killing three maids yesterday. Herr Truels revealed to them that they had murdered their sisters, and offered them new clothes, in which they might go away. "Nay," they said, "not so; life for life is meet." They were taken out of the town, and their heads struck off.Bdiffers fromAin only a few points. The robbers ask lodging at Herr Thor's, as being pilgrims. When he discovers their true character, he threatens them with the wheel. They say, Shall we come to the wheel? Our father drinks Yule with the king. They tell him their story, and their father offers them saddle and horse to make their best way off. They reply, "We willgive blood for blood," spread their cloaks on the floor, and let their blood run.

Swedish.'Pehr Tyrsons Döttrar i Wänge.'A, Arwidsson,II, 413, No 166.B, Afzelius,III, 193, No 98: ed. Bergström,I, 380, No 84, 1.C, Afzelius,III, 197: ed. Bergström,I, 382, No 84, 2, as old as the last half of the seventeenth century.D, Afzelius,III, 202: ed. Bergström,I, 384, No 84, 3.E, "C. J. Wessén, De paroecia Kärna (an academical dissertation), Upsala, 1836," Arwidsson, as above, who mentions another unprinted copy in the Royal Library.

A.Herr Töres' daughters overslept matins, dressed themselves handsomely, and set off for mass. All on the heath they were met by three wood-robbers, who demanded, Will ye be our wives, or lose your lives? The first answered: God save us from trying either! the second, Rather let us range the world! the third, Better death with honor! But

First were they the three wood-robbers' wives,And after that they lost their young lives.

The robbers strip them; then go and ask to be taken in by Herr Töres. He serves them with mead and wine, but presently begins to wish his daughters were at home. His wife sees him to bed; then returns to her guests, who offer her a silken sark to pass the night with them. "Give me a sight of the silken sark," she cries, with prophetic soul: "God have mercy on my daughters!" She rouses her husband, and tells him that the robbers have slain his bairns. He puts on his armor and kills two of them: the third begs to be spared till he can say who were his kin; his father's name is Töres! Father and mother resolve to build a church for penance, and it shall be called Kerna.B,C,D. The girls meet three "vallare," strolling men, and none of them good (C). The robbers cut off the girls' heads on the trunk of a birch (cf. EnglishC5: "It's lean your head upon my staff," and with his pen-knife he has cutted it aff): three springs burst forth immediately. They go to the house, and ask the mother if she will buy silken sarks that nine maids have stitched (B). She says:

'Open your sacks, and let me see:Mayhap I shall know them all three.'

The father, inB, when he discovers that he has slain his own sons, goes to the smith, and has an iron band fastened round his middle. The parents vow to build a church as an expiation, and it shall be called Kerna (B,C).

Färöe.'Torkilds Riim, eller St. Catharinæ Vise, 'Lyngbye, Færøiske Qvæder, p. 534/p. 535. In this form of the story, as in the Icelandic versions which follow, the robbers are not the brothers of the maids. Torkild's two daughters sleep till the sun shines on their beds. Their father wakens them, and tells Katrine she is waited for at church. Katrine dresses herself splendidly, but does not disdain to saddle her own horse.

And since no knave was ready to help,Katrine bridled the horse herself.And since no knave was standing about,Herself put the bit in her horse's mouth.

And since no knave was ready to help,Katrine bridled the horse herself.

And since no knave was standing about,Herself put the bit in her horse's mouth.

First she came upon three strollers (vadlarar[156]), then two, then one, and the last asked her whether she would pass the night with him (vera qvöldar vujv) or die. He cut off her head, and wherever her blood ran a light kindled; where her head fell a spring welled forth: where her body lay a church was [afterwards] built. The rover came to Torkild's house, and the father asked if he had seen Katrine. He said she had been at Mary kirk the day before, and asked for a lodging, feigning to be sick. This was readily granted. He went to bed, and Aasa, the other sister, waited upon him. He offered her a silken sark to sleep with him. Aasa asked to see the sark first, and found on it her sister's mark.The fellow went on to offer her a blue cloak and gold crown successively, and on both of these she saw her sister's mark. Aasa bade him good-night, went to her father, and told him that the man they had housed had killed his daughter. Torkild ordered his swains to light a pile in the wood: early the next morning they burned the murderer on it.

Icelandic.Five Icelandic versions, and the first stanza of two more, are given in Íslenzk Fornkvæði,I, 108 ff, No 15, 'Vallara kvæði.'

The story is nearly the same as in the Färöe ballad. Two of Thorkell's daughters sleep till after the sun is up (B,C). They wash and dress; they set out for church (C). On the heath they encounter a strolling man,A; a tall, large man,C,E; a horseman or knight,D. He greets them: "Why will ye not speak? Are ye come of elves, or of kings themselves?"A[Are ye come of earls, or of beggar-churls?B]. They answer, We are not come of elves, nor of kings themselves; we are Thorkell's daughters, and serve Mary kirk. He asks, Will ye choose to lose your life, or shall I rather take you to wife? The choice, they say, is hard: they would rather die. He kills them and buries them. At night he goes to Thorkell's house, where Asa is alone. He knocks to be let in; Asa refuses; he draws the latch with his deft fingers (A,C,D). He offers Asa a silken sark to sleep with him [and a blue cloak to say nothing,A]. She asked to see the sark, and knew her sisters' work, begged him to wait a moment, went to her father, and told him that the murderer of his daughters was there. Thorkell dashed his harp to the floor [and kicked over the table,D,E]. The murderer in the morning was hanged like a dog,A,B. [Thorkell tore at his hair and cut him down with an elder-stock,C; they fought three days, and on the fourth the villain was hanged in a strap,E, the knight was hanging like a dog,D]. A miraculous light burned over the place where the maids had been buried,A16,C27,D24,E12. When their bodies were taken into the church, the bells rang of themselves,D.

Norwegianversions of this ballad have been obtained from tradition, but none as yet have been published.

"The mains and burn of Fordie, the banks of which are very beautiful," says Aytoun (I, 159), "lie about six miles to the east of Dunkeld." Tradition has connected the story with half a dozen localities in Sweden, and, as Professor Grundtvig informs me, with at least eight places in the different provinces of Denmark. The Kerna church of the Swedish ballads, not far from Linköping (Afzelius), has been popularly supposed to derive its name from a Catharina, Karin, or Karna, killed by her own brother, a wood-robber, near its site. See Afzelius, ed. Bergström,II, 329 ff: Danske Viser,III, 444 f.

Ais translated by Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske Folkeviser, No 34, p. 216, and, with some slight use of Aytoun,I, 160, by Rosa Warrens, Schottische Volkslieder der Vorzeit, No 18, p. 85. DanishA, by Prior,III, 252.

a.Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 88.b.The same.c.The same, Appendix, p. xxii, NoXXVI, apparently from South Perthshire.

1There were three ladies lived in a bower,Eh vow bonnieAnd they went out to pull a flower.On the bonnie banks o Fordie2They hadna pu'ed a flower but ane,When up started to them a banisht man.3He's taen the first sister by her hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.4'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'5'It's I'll not be a rank robber's wife,But I'll rather die by your wee pen-knife.'6He's killed this may, and he's laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.7He's taken the second ane by the hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.8'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'9'I'll not be a rank robber's wife,But I'll rather die by your wee pen-knife.'10He's killed this may, and he's laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.11He's taken the youngest ane by the hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.12Says, 'Will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'13'I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Nor will I die by your wee pen-knife.14'For I hae a brother in this wood.And gin ye kill me, it's he'll kill thee.'15'What's thy brother's name? come tell to me.''My brother's name is Baby Lon.'16'O sister, sister, what have I done!O have I done this ill to thee!17'O since I've done this evil deed,Good sall never be seen o me.'18He's taken out his wee pen-knife,And he's twyned himsel o his ain sweet life.

1There were three ladies lived in a bower,Eh vow bonnieAnd they went out to pull a flower.On the bonnie banks o Fordie

2They hadna pu'ed a flower but ane,When up started to them a banisht man.

3He's taen the first sister by her hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.

4'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'

5'It's I'll not be a rank robber's wife,But I'll rather die by your wee pen-knife.'

6He's killed this may, and he's laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.

7He's taken the second ane by the hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.

8'It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'

9'I'll not be a rank robber's wife,But I'll rather die by your wee pen-knife.'

10He's killed this may, and he's laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.

11He's taken the youngest ane by the hand,And he's turned her round and made her stand.

12Says, 'Will ye be a rank robber's wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?'

13'I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Nor will I die by your wee pen-knife.

14'For I hae a brother in this wood.And gin ye kill me, it's he'll kill thee.'

15'What's thy brother's name? come tell to me.''My brother's name is Baby Lon.'

16'O sister, sister, what have I done!O have I done this ill to thee!

17'O since I've done this evil deed,Good sall never be seen o me.'

18He's taken out his wee pen-knife,And he's twyned himsel o his ain sweet life.

a.Herd's MSS,I, 38,II, 76.b.The Scots Magazine, Oct., 1803, p. 699, communicated by Jamieson, and evidently from Herd's copy.

1There wond three ladies in a bower,Annet and Margret and MarjorieAnd they have gane out to pu a flower.And the dew it lyes on the wood, gay ladie2They had nae pu'd a flower but ane,When up has started a banished man.3He has taen the eldest by the hand,He has turned her about and bade her stand.4'Now whether will ye be a banisht man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'5'I will na be ca'd a banished man's wife,I'll rather be sticked wi your pen-knife.'6And he has taen out his little pen-knife,And frae this lady he has taen the life.7He has taen the second by the hand,He has turned her about and he bad her stand.8'Now whether will ye be a banisht man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'9'I will na be ca'd a banished man's wife;I'll rather be sticked wi your pen-knife.'10And he has taen out his little pen-knife,And frae this lady he has taen the life.11He has taen the youngest by the hand,He has turned her about and he bad her stand.12'Now whether will ye be a banished man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'13'I winnae be called a banished man's wife,Nor yet will I be sticked wi your pen-knife.14'But gin my three brethren had been here,Ye had nae slain my sisters dear.'* * * * *

1There wond three ladies in a bower,Annet and Margret and MarjorieAnd they have gane out to pu a flower.And the dew it lyes on the wood, gay ladie

2They had nae pu'd a flower but ane,When up has started a banished man.

3He has taen the eldest by the hand,He has turned her about and bade her stand.

4'Now whether will ye be a banisht man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'

5'I will na be ca'd a banished man's wife,I'll rather be sticked wi your pen-knife.'

6And he has taen out his little pen-knife,And frae this lady he has taen the life.

7He has taen the second by the hand,He has turned her about and he bad her stand.

8'Now whether will ye be a banisht man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'

9'I will na be ca'd a banished man's wife;I'll rather be sticked wi your pen-knife.'

10And he has taen out his little pen-knife,And frae this lady he has taen the life.

11He has taen the youngest by the hand,He has turned her about and he bad her stand.

12'Now whether will ye be a banished man's wife,Or will ye be sticked wi my pen-knife?'

13'I winnae be called a banished man's wife,Nor yet will I be sticked wi your pen-knife.

14'But gin my three brethren had been here,Ye had nae slain my sisters dear.'

* * * * *

Motherwell's MS., p. 172. From J. Goldie, March, 1825.

1There were three sisters on a road,Gilly flower gentle rosemaryAnd there they met a banished lord.And the dew it hings over the mulberry tree2The eldest sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.3'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'4'I'll rather consent to lose my lifeBefore I'll be a banished lord's wife.'5'It's lean your head upon my staff,'And with his pen-knife he has cutted it aff.6He flang her in amang the broom,Saying, 'Lye ye there till another ane come.'7The second sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.8'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'9'I'll rather consent to lose my lifeBefore I'll be a banished lord's wife.'10'It's lean your head upon my staff,'And with his pen-knife he has cutted it aff.11He flang her in amang the broom,Saying, 'Lie ye there till another ane come.'12The youngest sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.13'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'14'O if my three brothers were here,Ye durstna put me in such a fear.'15'What are your three brothers, altho they were here,That I durstna put you in such a fear?'16'My eldest brother's a belted knight,The second, he's a ...17'My youngest brother's a banished lord,And oftentimes he walks on this road.'* * * * *

1There were three sisters on a road,Gilly flower gentle rosemaryAnd there they met a banished lord.And the dew it hings over the mulberry tree

2The eldest sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.

3'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'

4'I'll rather consent to lose my lifeBefore I'll be a banished lord's wife.'

5'It's lean your head upon my staff,'And with his pen-knife he has cutted it aff.

6He flang her in amang the broom,Saying, 'Lye ye there till another ane come.'

7The second sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.

8'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'

9'I'll rather consent to lose my lifeBefore I'll be a banished lord's wife.'

10'It's lean your head upon my staff,'And with his pen-knife he has cutted it aff.

11He flang her in amang the broom,Saying, 'Lie ye there till another ane come.'

12The youngest sister was on the road,And there she met with the banished lord.

13'O will ye consent to lose your life,Or will ye be a banished lord's wife?'

14'O if my three brothers were here,Ye durstna put me in such a fear.'

15'What are your three brothers, altho they were here,That I durstna put you in such a fear?'

16'My eldest brother's a belted knight,The second, he's a ...

17'My youngest brother's a banished lord,And oftentimes he walks on this road.'

* * * * *

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