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Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane is Child ballad number 28. [1]
Despite similarity in names, it appears to have no connection with Tam Lin , nor with the tale of Childe Rowland, though they both have characters named Burd Ellen; indeed, Francis James Child was unable to connect this ballad with any other tradition or ballad. [2]
The ballad is quite probably fragmentary in its current form.
Burd Ellen is weeping. Young Tamlane tells her to rock her son. She tells him to rock the child himself, she has done more than her share. Instead, he goes to sea, with her curse.
Burd Ellen sits in her bower windowe,
With a double laddy double
And for the double dow
Twisting the red silk and the blue
With the double rose and the May-hay.
And whiles she twisted and whiles she twan
And whiles the tears fell down amang.
Till once thee by cam Young Tamlane
"Come light, oh light, and rock your young son."
"If you winna roack him, you may not let him rair,
For I hae rockit my share and more."
Young Tamlane to the seas he's gane,
And a' women's curse in his company gane.
TamLin is a character in a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, also known as the Glasgow Reel. The story revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the Queen of the Fairies. The motif of capturing a person by holding him through all forms of transformation is found throughout Europe in folktales.
"The Wife of Usher's Well" is a traditional ballad, catalogued as Child Ballad 79 and number 196 in the Roud Folk Song Index; it is originally from Britain but is also popular in North America. No complete original version has survived, but the song has been 'remade' in America in a cohesive form.
"Allison Gross" is a traditional ballad, catalogued as Child Ballad #35. It tells the story of "the ugliest witch in the north country" who tries to persuade a man to become her lover and then punishes him by a transformation.
Billy Blind, Billy Blin, Billy Blynde, Billie Blin, or Belly Blin is an English and Lowland Scottish household spirit, much like a brownie. He appears only in ballads where he frequently advises the characters. It is possible that the character of Billy Blind is a folk memory of the god Woden or Odin from Germanic mythology, in his "more playful aspect" and is speculated to have been the same character as Blind Harie, the "blind man of the game" in Scotland.
"The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea" is Child ballad number 36.
"Kemp Owyne" is Child Ballad number 34.
"Hind Horn" is a traditional English and Scottish folk ballad.
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet is an English folk ballad.
Child Waters is Child ballad number 63, existing in several variants.
"Young Waters" is Child ballad number 94.
Jellon Grame is Child ballad number 90 and a murder ballad.
"The Fair Flower of Northumberland" is a folk ballad.
The Bent Sae Brown is Child ballad 71.
Fause Foodrage is Child ballad 89, existing in several variants.
"The Bonny Hind" is Child ballad number 50.
"Gil Brenton" is Child ballad 5, Roud 22, existing in several variants.
"Young Andrew" is an old song catalogued as Child ballad 48.
Crow and Pie is Child ballad 111. It is one of the oldest preserved ballads, dating to c. 1500. Pie is the now-obsolete original name for the magpie, a bird often connected with sorrow and misfortune. The crow is a scavenger, often thought of as feeding upon the bodies of men hanged or slain in battle, and thus associated with unhallowed and violent death.
Clerk Saunders is Child ballad 69. It exists in several variants.
"Brown Robyn's Confession" is Child ballad 57.
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