Ballads of Mystery and Miracle and Fyttes of Mirth: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Second Series

In Short

This second collection of folk poetry brings together classic British narrative songs centered on supernatural encounters, miraculous events, and humorous domestic scrapes. From mortal men spirited away to fairy realms to cruel stepmothers using dark magic to obstruct a birth, the verses capture a world governed by strict taboos, fate, and ironclad vows. Through centuries of oral tradition, these lyrics have endured because they reduce human passion, dread, and wit to their absolute essence, set to hypnotic rhythms that demand to be sung rather than merely read.

The Story

The volume traces an expansive arc across the extraordinary and the mundane, beginning in the realm of mystery where mortal lives intersect with otherworldly powers. True Thomas is bound to serve the Queen of Elfland for seven long years, riding through red blood to the knees before choosing the winding path to her realm over the roads of righteousness and wickedness. Elsewhere, young Janet ventures to Carterhaugh to claim her true love, Tam Lin, a mortal knight captured by the Fairy Queen who must be saved before he is sacrificed as a seven-year tribute to hell. Darker forces haunt the hearth as well: Willie’s mother uses vile sorcery and witch knots to prevent his bride from giving birth, until a helpful spirit, the Belly Blind, instructs Willie on how to trick the witch into breaking her own spell.

The tales then move into tragic reckonings of betrayal, death, and phantom visitations. Clerk Sanders is murdered in his lover Margaret’s bed by her jealous seventh brother, leaving her to mourn his blood-soaked corpse and vow years of austere grief. Tragic grief also strikes a Border widow whose bower is destroyed by the King, forcing her to carry her slain knight’s body on her back to dig his solitary grave. Spectral lovers return from the sea, as when a woman abandons her husband and child to sail with her former suer, only to discover too late that he is a demon who sinks her into the ocean depths. Meanwhile, sacred miracles unfold in parallel to these dark legends, showing Joseph initially refusing to pick cherries for the pregnant Mary until the unborn Christ child commands the highest tree to bow low before her.

The collection concludes with sharp turns toward earthly cleverness and comedic battle. Captain Wedderburn wins a reluctant lady to his bed by successfully answering three impossible riddles regarding boneless chickens and stoneless cherries. In a similar contest of wits, a clever maiden outplays a arrogant knight by taking his horse to her father's walled hall, shutting him outside to call him a fool for not taking advantage of his opportunity in the open field. Finally, domestic strife reaches a hilarious peak when a stubborn husband and wife make a silent pact that whoever speaks first must bar the door against the cold, resulting in both remaining utterly quiet while late-night intruders eat their food and threaten their household.

How It Unfolds

The voyage to Fairyland True Thomas meets the Queen of Elfland and is carried away on her swift steed to serve her for seven years. She leads him through deep waters and shows him the three paths of righteousness, wickedness, and fairyland, forbidding him from speaking a word if he ever wishes to return home.

Breaking the witch's curse Willie's mother uses dark magic to prevent his wife from delivering her child, refusing all gold and gifts to lift the spell. The Belly Blind intervenes, advising Willie to shape a wax child and host a fake christening, which tricks the witch into revealing how to undo her nine witch knots.

Ransom at Carterhaugh Janet journeys to Carterhaugh, where she finds Tam Lin and learns he is trapped under the Fairy Queen's spell and fears being paid as a tribute to hell. He gives her precise instructions on how to recognize his milk-white steed at midnight on Halloween and pull him down to break the enchantment.

Murder in the bower Seven brothers discover Clerk Sanders sleeping beside their sister Margaret, and the seventh brother runs his bright sword straight through Sanders's body. Margaret awakes to find her bed soaked in his blood, prompting her to swear seven years of mourning without shoes, combs, or bright clothes.

Sorrow of the Border widow A widow watches her husband slain and his property seized when the King breaks into their bower. Left completely alone by her fleeing servants, she sews his shroud, carries his body across her back, and digs his grave with her own hands.

The demon's trap A married woman is enticed onto a ship by her former lover, who promises to take her where white lilies grow. Once at sea, his face turns grim, the water becomes tempestuous, and he casts her into the main to drown alongside thousands of perishing ships.

Miracle in the orchard While walking through an orchard, a pregnant Mary asks Joseph to gather cherries, but he rudely tells her to let the child's father pick them. The unborn Jesus commands the tallest tree to bow down to Mary's hand, leaving Joseph to repent his harsh words.

Outwitting the knight A knight attempts to take advantage of a maiden in the open fields, but she convinces him to ride with her to her father's walled hall instead. Upon reaching the gate, she quickly slips inside, locks the door, and ridicules his foolish hesitation.

The stubborn silence A husband and wife agree that whichever of them speaks first must get up and lock the outer door against the freezing wind. Intruders enter their dark home at midnight and eat their cooked puddings, but neither spouse breaks silence until the thieves attempt to shave the husband and kiss the wife.

The People

• True Thomas: A mortal man who meets the Queen of Elfland by a grassy bank. He desires to serve his companion, but he is constrained by her strict command to maintain total silence during his seven-year journey through the fairy world. He returns to earth only after his full term of servitude has concluded.

• Janet: A brave young woman who refuses to hide her pregnancy from her father. She seeks out her lover, Tam Lin, at Carterhaugh, facing fairy magic and eerie nocturnal rites to pull him down from his horse and save him from the underworld.

• Tam Lin: A knight captured by the Queen of Fairies after falling from his horse during a hunt. He longs to escape his supernatural captivity before the fairy folk pay their seven-year tribute to hell, relying entirely on Janet's courage to secure his freedom.

• Willie: A devoted husband trapped between his love for his suffering wife and the malice of his mother. He tries repeatedly to bribe his mother to lift her birth-curse, ultimately relying on supernatural counsel to trick her and save his wife.

• Willie's Mother: A vile witch who uses knots and charms to prevent her daughter-in-law from giving birth, wishing death upon her so her son will marry another. She is ultimately outwitted by a clever ruse.

• Clerk Sanders: A tragic lover who sneaks into Margaret's bower. He is slain in his sleep by Margaret's jealous seventh brother, leaving behind a grief-stricken partner.

• Margaret: A devoted woman whose lover is murdered beside her in the night. Devastated by his death, she commits herself to severe physical penance and lifelong mourning.

• The Border Widow: A resilient woman whose husband is executed by the King. Abandoned by her household, she performs every funeral rite herself before swearing never to love another man.

• Captain Wedderburn: A confident officer who encounters the Lord of Rosslyn's daughter. He desires to win her as his bride, using his sharp intelligence to solve three complex riddles and earn her consent.

In Its Own Voice

"And see not ye that bonny road, / Which winds about the fernie brae? / That is the road to fair Elfland, / Where you and I this night maun gae."

The Queen of Elfland points out the hidden, magical path to True Thomas as they pause on their long journey through strange waters.

"I took his body on my back, / And whiles I gaed, and whiles I sate; / I digg'd a grave, and laid him in, / And happ'd him with the sod sae green."

A grieving Border widow describes the painful, solitary labor of burying her slain husband after her household flees.

"O then bespoke the babe, / Within his mother's womb: / 'Bow down then the tallest tree, / For my mother to have some.'"

The unborn Christ child intercedes from inside Mary's womb to perform a miracle after Joseph refuses to gather fruit for her.

What It's Really About

At its core, the collection explores the fragile boundary between the earthly world and the unknown forces that surround it. The narratives repeatedly test human endurance against absolute, unyielding conditions—whether those conditions take the form of supernatural taboos, binding oaths, or brutal acts of violence. Faithfulness emerges as a central obsession, shown through women who brave terrifying fairy rites or dedicate their lives to perpetual grief for a lost spouse. Simultaneously, the comedic verses examine the battle of the sexes and the absurd extremes of human pride. Ultimately, the book asks how mortals preserve their dignity, cleverness, and love when confronted by mortal danger, uncanny magic, or their own stubborn natures.

Why Read It Today

This collection appeals to anyone who delights in folklore, historic poetry, and the unvarnished roots of storytelling. Reading these ballads feels like sitting by a fire in a cold, distant century, listening to tales passed down through generations of singers. The language possesses a stark, melodic power that strips away unnecessary ornament, delivering immediate emotional impact through memorable refrains and sudden dramatic twists.

Modern readers should be prepared for archaic Scots vocabulary, irregular historical spellings, and abrupt narrative jumps where ancient stanzas have been lost to time. The ballads also reflect stark period realities, featuring brutal violence, unsparing grief, and casual cruelty. Yet these difficulties are far outweighed by the raw vitality of the verse. What remains long after reading is the haunting imagery—a red river waded in total darkness, a cherry tree bending to a mother's hand, or a solitary widow wrapping her slain knight in green sod.