A period in which men held in memory and handed down by word of mouth their entire stock of knowledge seems to us immeasurably distant. Yet, during a recent six years in Britain, I took down from oral tradition over 6,000 typewritten pages of manuscript, writes James W. Carpenter, American collector.
In this memory hoard were approximately 2,500 songs and ballads and 300 folk plays. In-eluded were love lyrics, drinking choruses, nursery songs; sailors' songs and chanteys; between 600 and 700 versions of British popular ballads ("child ballads"), and 300 versions of mummers' plays, guyzards, sword-dance plays, and the like—besides many curious folk tales and legends. But of the lot the collection of 700 ballads, recorded in sound, were most magically evocative of the vanished days that gave them birth. As it happens, it is the only comprehensive traditional collection covering both England and Scotland, and it includes more popular ballads with their tunes than any other two collections in history.
With no printing press to depend on, without even the art of writing, what would the foh be likeliest to cherish in their memories? Ballads. with beautiful tunes, of course, whatever their words; humorous songs; romances; forlorn battles; unevenly matched duels; night raids on cattle; storming end burning of castles, and the like. According to record, however, the like-hest of all to be preserved are the natural religious beliefs of the folk.. "Superstitions," ihey are called, when immediately outmoded by newer beliefs; "mythology," when seen through the vista of centuries.
Many of the oldest ballads go back to a time when broomfield hills were fairy haunts, and Elfin Knight and Fairy Queen trysted with mortals in forests green. In "The Elfin Knight" a maiden, casting a wish-charm upon the Lord of Elfin, summons him to her bed.
Tam Lin, the gray elf, forces the love of Fair Janet, who has trespassed upon his domain in Carter haugh and "pu'd the double rose." He then reveals to her that he was once an earthly knight, caught by the Queen of the Fairies yon green hill to dwell" Explaining to her that the fairy folk will ride at midnight on Halloween, he gives her directions for breaking the fairy charms:
first let pass the black, lady, And syne let pass the brown, But quickly run to the milk-white steed, Pu' ye his rider down.
They'll turn me in your arms, lady, Into an esk and adder; But hold me fast and fear me not, I am your bairn's father.
They turn him into a bear, a lion, and finally into @ burning gleed, which she throws into well water, and the elf becomes a knight.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.