Wit combats with ballad revenants: "Proud Lady Margaret" and "The Unquiet Grave."

Article Abstract:

Versions of 'Proud Lady Margaret' and 'The Unquiet Grave' combine elements of two ballad types: wit combat and revenant. Wit combat ballads involve roles of Poser and Matcher in supernatural encounters or courtship. This ballad type demonstrates that the kinds of knowledge and intellect necessary to defeat supernatural forces are similar to those required to make a good match in courtship. In typical revenant ballads, the revenant returns to correct a wrong reaction to death by the Visited. Both types are concerned with the regulation of female conduct, which allows them to be combined in rare cases.

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"Edward," incest, and intertextuality: problems of authority and indeterminacy in the traditional ballad

Article Abstract:

The Child ballad "Edward" is almost incoherent without reference to other sources. Many versions exist, including portrayals of matricide, patricide, and sibling rivalry that may or may not include murder. The best interpretations combine the ballad's authority, the authority of traditional ballad singers, and the authority of the ballad tradition. The incest motif has come to be associated with "Edward."

Portrayals, Incest

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"...the wit of a woman it comes in handy,/at times in an hour of need": some comic ballads of married life

Article Abstract:

A number Englsih and Scottish domestic comic ballads from the nineteenth century are analyzed for cultural significance and connection to tales of the times. Their relation to German Schwank songs is also detailed.

International aspects, Study and teaching, Folklore, Multiculturalism

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