Hind Horn
Encyclopedia
"Hind Horn" is traditional folk ballad
.
, and he persuades him to trade clothing. Hind Horn gets to the castle and begs a cup of wine; when the king's daughter gives it to him, he drops the ring in. She asks where he got, and he told her she gave it to him. She declares she will throw off her fine clothing and beg with him from town to town, and he tells her that his clothing is only a disguise, she will be a great lady.
It was tradition at the time that any beggar who came to the back door of a house to beg from the bride on a wedding day would receive whatever reasonable thing he asked for.
", the latest parts of which are thirteenth century; the French romance
, Horn et Rymenhild; and the fourteenth-century "Horn Childe and Maiden Rimnild", also English, but closer to the French version.
It appears to contain a stanza from "The Whummil Bore
".
Several Swedish variants are known, including "Herr Legman och Herr Thor", from the sixteenth century.
The hero's absence, return, disguised arrival at the wedding feast, and recognition by dropping a ring into the bride's wine cup is a common motif found in both ballads and fairy tales, such as Soria Moria Castle
and The Raven
.
The magic ring
is also found, with the same properties, in the ballad "Bonny Bee Hom
".
's 1998 CD "Flesh & Blood" and on Brian Peters' 2002 CD "Lines".
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
.
Synopsis
Hind Horn and the king's daughter Jean fall in love. He gives her a silver wand, and she gives him a diamond ring and tells him when the stones grow pale, he has lost her love. One day, on his travels, he sees it growing pale and sets out for her father's castle. A beggar tells him that the king's daughter is going to marryFalse hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
, and he persuades him to trade clothing. Hind Horn gets to the castle and begs a cup of wine; when the king's daughter gives it to him, he drops the ring in. She asks where he got, and he told her she gave it to him. She declares she will throw off her fine clothing and beg with him from town to town, and he tells her that his clothing is only a disguise, she will be a great lady.
It was tradition at the time that any beggar who came to the back door of a house to beg from the bride on a wedding day would receive whatever reasonable thing he asked for.
Variants
The popular ballad contains little more than the climax of a tale that is told at much great length in several manuscripts: the English "King HornKing Horn
King Horn is a Middle English chivalric romance dating back to the middle of the thirteenth century. It survives in three manuscripts: MS. Harleian 2253 at the British Museum, London; MS. Laud. Misc 108 at the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and MS. Gg. iv. 27. 2 at the Cambridge University Library. It...
", the latest parts of which are thirteenth century; the French romance
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, Horn et Rymenhild; and the fourteenth-century "Horn Childe and Maiden Rimnild", also English, but closer to the French version.
It appears to contain a stanza from "The Whummil Bore
The Whummil Bore
"The Whummil Bore" is Child ballad 27. A whummil is a tool for drilling holes.-Synopsis:The narrator served the king seven years and saw his daughter only once, through a whummil bore. She was being dressed by her maids.-Commentary:...
".
Several Swedish variants are known, including "Herr Legman och Herr Thor", from the sixteenth century.
The hero's absence, return, disguised arrival at the wedding feast, and recognition by dropping a ring into the bride's wine cup is a common motif found in both ballads and fairy tales, such as Soria Moria Castle
Soria Moria Castle
Soria Moria Castle is a Norwegian fairy tale made famous by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their classic Norske Folkeeventyr...
and The Raven
The Raven (Brothers Grimm)
"The Raven" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 93 in their collections.It is Aarne-Thompson type 401, the girl transformed into an animal.-Synopsis:...
.
The magic ring
Magic ring
A magic ring is a ring, usually a finger ring, that has magical properties. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. Magic rings are found in the folklore of every country where rings are worn, and they endow the wearer with a variety of abilities, including invisibility, the granting of...
is also found, with the same properties, in the ballad "Bonny Bee Hom
Bonny Bee Hom
-Synopsis:A lady laments that her love had left her. He, still there, comes to comfort her but tells her that he is sworn to leave. She gives him a ring: while he wears it, he will shed no blood, but if he sees the stone fade, he will know she is dead. He has not been gone more than months when...
".
Recording
This can be found on Maddy PriorMaddy Prior
Maddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...
's 1998 CD "Flesh & Blood" and on Brian Peters' 2002 CD "Lines".