Queen Berngerd, The Bard and the Dreams, and Other Ballads

In Short

This collection gathers a series of verse ballads that translate the stark, rhythmic tradition of Scandinavian folklore into English. Through tales of covetous queens, saintly kings, and wandering bards, the work explores themes of vanity, divine favor, and the persistence of memory. Written by a master of linguistic curiosity and travel writing, these poems act as a bridge between the mythic past of the Danes and Norwegians and the sharp, observational wit of their translator. Their enduring appeal lies in their direct, unvarnished delivery of human frailty and miraculous redemption.

The Story

The collection opens with the dark, cautionary tale of Queen Berngerd, a woman defined by her insatiable greed and disdain for the peasantry. Berngerd demands that the King grant her impossible tributes, seeking to turn the land into a site of endless toll and taxation. Despite her husband’s warnings that such cruelty invites the wrath of the people and the curse of heaven, she persists, plotting to bind the country with steel and misery. The narrative takes a supernatural turn when the spirit of the deceased Queen Dagmar appears in a dream to the King, warning him that he must bring his wife to the front lines of the upcoming war. The King obeys, and on the battlefield, Berngerd is killed by the very first arrow fired. Her death brings no tears; she is buried in the "cold black ground," leaving behind a reputation of such "evil savour" that it serves as a permanent lesson against the vanity of the rich.

From this grim morality, the collection shifts to the redemptive life of Dame Martha. Unlike the grasping queen, Martha is defined by her charity, feeding the hungry and sheltering the prisoner. Even when her castle is burned by invaders, she remains steadfast in her faith, eventually rebuilding her home as a haven for the destitute. Her death is a moment of communal mourning, and a miracle follows: a healing fountain springs up where her bier was rested, a monument to her piety that persists long after her passing.

The focus then turns to the interior life of a poet in "The Bard and the Dreams." A wandering musician falls into a visionary sleep, guided by an ancient spirit through ruins filled with the bones of heroes and hidden gold. He encounters a series of shifting manifestations—an elusive maiden, a lightning-fleet spirit, and finally an angelic figure that he can never quite reach. These visions leave the bard with a "threefold life," a deep awareness of the past, the living present, and the unborn future.

Finally, the narrative concludes with the maritime rivalry of "King Oluf the Saint." King Oluf and his brother Harald race for the crown of Norway, wagering their kingdoms on a sailing match. While Harald takes the fast, traditional "Dragon" ship, Oluf chooses the humble "Ox." Through devotion and faith, Oluf miraculously guides his slow vessel over mountains and dales, turning elves into stone and sailing across the land itself. By trusting in Christ rather than his own speed, he arrives home three days early, securing his throne and proving that those aided by the divine shall always prevail over the fury of their enemies.

How It Unfolds

The queen’s corruption Berngerd presents a list of cruel demands to her husband, seeking to exploit the poor and tax the very breath of the peasantry. The King rejects her malice, yet finds himself unable to escape her influence until a spectral vision intervenes to seal her fate.

The saintly intercession The narrative moves to the life of Dame Martha, whose quiet, consistent acts of kindness contrast sharply with the previous story's violence. Her legacy is literally etched into the landscape, as the earth produces a spring in honor of her selfless spirit.

The visionary journey A young bard enters a dreamscape where history, gold, and ethereal beauty collide. He learns that the true poet’s duty is to witness the cycle of life, from the "roselet departed" to the buds that have yet to bloom.

The miraculous race King Oluf prepares for his final, impossible voyage against his brother. The journey defies physics, as the King transforms the landscape into a path for his vessel, sailing over mountain peaks as if they were calm water.

The final triumph Oluf arrives victorious, leaving his brother to succumb to dragon-like rage. The collection ends by reinforcing the idea that humility and faith provide the only true path to success.

The People

Queen Berngerd serves as the primary antagonist, a figure of unchecked arrogance who views the world only in terms of what she can extract from it. She is defined by her desire to see the common people "skinned alive," a mindset that leads directly to her unmourned, ignominious death.

Dame Martha stands as the moral antithesis to Berngerd. She is defined by her service to the "indigent" and the "prisoner." She does not seek power or gold; instead, she seeks to alleviate the suffering caused by war and scarcity. Her transformation is one of spirit, leaving a fountain as her testament.

The nameless Bard acts as the observer. He is a man caught between the physical world and the visionary realm. He moves from a state of youthful confusion to a mature understanding of time, eventually finding "threefold life" through the wisdom revealed in his dreams.

King Oluf the Saint is the embodiment of divine confidence. He is a ruler who understands that his legitimacy comes from his devotion rather than his ship’s speed. By choosing the "Ox" over the "Dragon," he demonstrates that his strength lies in his humility, which ultimately grants him the power to command the very elements and defeat his enemies.

In Its Own Voice

The poem "Queen Berngerd" establishes the protagonist’s cold-hearted nature through her own demands for wealth:

"Each peasant's wife of a son made light Shall give me an ounce of gold so bright; But if to a daughter birth she give, Only the half I'm content to receive."

In "The Bard and the Dreams," the poet grapples with the fleeting nature of the inspiration he chases:

"But, just as he hoped that the height was surmounted, Far distant again they each other confronted."

The collection concludes with a sharp rebuke in "To a Conceited Woman," where the author expresses his views on social hierarchy:

"Whilst I'm a man, a prince of the creation, You're but a female woman by your station;"

What It's Really About

At its core, this book examines the tension between worldly ambition and spiritual obedience. It argues that power, when used to exploit the weak, leads inevitably to ruin, while faith—even when it seems as slow and unlikely as a "draught ox"—is the ultimate source of strength. The poems ask whether we are defined by the gold we accumulate or the kindness we leave behind. The recurring motif of the "rose" in the bard’s visions suggests that life is a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and that the individual's role is to harmonize with this movement rather than fight against it.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the austere beauty of Scandinavian ballads will find much to admire here. The poems possess a rhythmic, hypnotic quality that feels both ancient and immediate, moving with the steady, pulsing beat of a folk song. For those interested in the history of English literature, this collection offers a window into the mind of a Victorian polymath who was deeply invested in the mythic roots of Northern Europe.

However, the reader should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes contained within the verses. The author’s sharp, often abrasive tone regarding gender and social class—as seen in the poem "To a Conceited Woman"—reflects the rigid, often exclusionary social hierarchies of the nineteenth century. These passages can feel jarring and abrasive to a modern reader, standing in stark contrast to the ethereal, dreamlike nature of the better-known ballads. The book is best approached as a historical artifact that balances genuine lyrical grace with the blunt, sometimes cruel prejudices of its time. If you can navigate the occasional polemic, you will find a collection that lingers in the mind, much like the fountain left in the wake of Dame Martha’s life—a strange, refreshing, and enduringly vivid fragment of a bygone world.