The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
"The Queen of Elfan's Nourice" or "The Queen of Elfland's Nourice" (Roud 3723, Child 40) is an English-language folk song, although fragmentary in form.[1][2]
Synopsis
[edit]A mortal woman laments being taken from her four-day-old son. The Queen of Elfland promises that if she nurses the queen's child, she will be returned. The Queen then points out their path: the road to Elfland, rather than to Heaven or Hell.[3]
Motifs
[edit]The path to Elfland appears to be taken from the ballad "Thomas the Rhymer" rather than be a part of this tale.[4]
The plot of the ballad revolves about a common piece of folklore, the taking of human woman to Elfland to nurse fairy babies;[5] women were often regarded as being in particular danger of being taken by the fairies immediately after giving birth.[6]
This ballad was one of 25 traditional works included in Ballads Weird and Wonderful (1912) and illustrated by Vernon Hill.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "The Queen of Elfan's Nourice"
- ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 358, Dover Publications, New York 1965
- ^ Waltz, Robert B.; Engle, David G. (2012). "The Queen of Elfan's Nourice". Folklore The Traditional Ballad Index: An Annotated Bibliography of the Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World. California State University, Fresno. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 358, Dover Publications, New York 1965
- ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 358-9, Dover Publications, New York 1965
- ^ Carole B. Silver, Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness, p 167 ISBN 0-19-512199-6
- ^ Chope, R.P. (1912). "Willy's Lady". Ballads Weird and Wonderful. Ballantyne, Hanson & Co. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
External links
[edit]
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