The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh
Encyclopedia
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh, also known as The Laidly Worm of Bamborough, is a Northumbria
n ballad
about a princess
who changed into a dragon
(the "laidly worm" of the title).
, a kind king in Bamburgh Castle
takes a beautiful but cruel witch as his queen
after the death of his wife. The King's son, Childe Wynd, has gone across the sea but his daughter, Princess Margaret, is turned into a dragon by the witch.
The enchantment used is usually:
Later in the story, the prince returns and, instead of fighting the dragon, kisses it, restoring the princess to her natural form. He then turns the witch-queen into a toad
and becomes king
himself.
ic Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis
.
There is no authoritative version of the ballad. Robert Lambe "discovered' it as fragments, which makes sense if it had generated variants over the centuries since Duncan Frasier had originally penned it. Lambe was an expert on the origins and meanings of ancient obscure words, and helped track down the meanings of some of the words found in the ballads in the "Reliques".
The Laidly Worm never made it into the "Reliques" but was reprinted in various other books since its discovery. He sent the fragments to his friend Bishop Percy, another antiquarian. Percy had embarked on a British Empire
spanning project to collect all the oral and written lore and ballads, which he assembled into a volume called "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry".
After Richard the Lionheart was released in exchange for a hostage, the hostage took with him to Germany a copy of an Arthurian
romance involving a snake maiden. In the 1190s Zatikhoeven rewrote this tale as "Lanzelet" and renamed the Irish
lady Elidia.
If The Laidly Worm o' Spindleston Haugh is an ballad written by Duncan Frasier, Frasier may have heard "Lanzelet" or some daughter of the parent loathly lady
narrative, such as Kempion
.
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n ballad
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...
about a princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
who changed into a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
(the "laidly worm" of the title).
Synopsis
In the Kingdom of NorthumbriaNorthumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
, a kind king in Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
takes a beautiful but cruel witch as his queen
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
after the death of his wife. The King's son, Childe Wynd, has gone across the sea but his daughter, Princess Margaret, is turned into a dragon by the witch.
The enchantment used is usually:
-
-
-
- I weird ye to be a Laidly Worm,
- And borrowed shall ye never be,
- Until Childe Wynd, the King's own son
- Come to the Heugh and thrice kiss thee;
- Until the world comes to an end,
- Borrowed shall ye never be.
-
-
Later in the story, the prince returns and, instead of fighting the dragon, kisses it, restoring the princess to her natural form. He then turns the witch-queen into a toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
and becomes king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
himself.
Variants
In Joseph Jacob's version, the dragon Princess Margaret becomes is appeased by putting aside seven cows for her per day. The prince her brother therefore hears of it and comes for her, despite his stepmother's attempt to keep him away, both magical and by force of arms. In other respects the story matches that stated above.Origins of the tale
The story has a lot in common with the IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis
Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis
Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis is a late legendary saga without an apparent historic basis. It is about two children of a jarl, and one of them is Hjálmþér whose evil stepmother commands him to work as a thrall until he has performed an impossible task....
.
There is no authoritative version of the ballad. Robert Lambe "discovered' it as fragments, which makes sense if it had generated variants over the centuries since Duncan Frasier had originally penned it. Lambe was an expert on the origins and meanings of ancient obscure words, and helped track down the meanings of some of the words found in the ballads in the "Reliques".
The Laidly Worm never made it into the "Reliques" but was reprinted in various other books since its discovery. He sent the fragments to his friend Bishop Percy, another antiquarian. Percy had embarked on a British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
spanning project to collect all the oral and written lore and ballads, which he assembled into a volume called "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry".
After Richard the Lionheart was released in exchange for a hostage, the hostage took with him to Germany a copy of an Arthurian
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
romance involving a snake maiden. In the 1190s Zatikhoeven rewrote this tale as "Lanzelet" and renamed the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
lady Elidia.
If The Laidly Worm o' Spindleston Haugh is an ballad written by Duncan Frasier, Frasier may have heard "Lanzelet" or some daughter of the parent loathly lady
Loathly lady
The loathly lady is a common literary device used in medieval literature, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale. The motif was prominent in Celtic mythology and to a lesser extent Germanic mythology, where the lady often represented the sovereignty of the...
narrative, such as Kempion
Kemp Owyne
-Synopsis:The heroine is turned into a worm , usually by her stepmother, who curses her to remain so until the king's son comes to kiss her three times. When he arrives, she offers him a belt, a ring, and a sword to kiss her, promising the things would magically protect him; the third time, she...
.
See also
- Kemp OwyneKemp Owyne-Synopsis:The heroine is turned into a worm , usually by her stepmother, who curses her to remain so until the king's son comes to kiss her three times. When he arrives, she offers him a belt, a ring, and a sword to kiss her, promising the things would magically protect him; the third time, she...
- a Child Ballad version of the tale, in which Childe Wynd is replaced by Kemp Owyne - Loathly ladyLoathly ladyThe loathly lady is a common literary device used in medieval literature, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale. The motif was prominent in Celtic mythology and to a lesser extent Germanic mythology, where the lady often represented the sovereignty of the...
- The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the SeaThe Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea"The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea" is Child ballad number 36.-Synopsis:A young man, transformed into a laily worm, tells his story: his father married an evil woman as his stepmother, and she transformed him into a worm and his sister into a mackerel. His sister combed his hair every...
Sources
- Henderson, Joan. The Laidly Worm of Bamborough. 1991.
- http://www.ferrum.edu/thanlon/dragons/collect.htm