The mermaid's prophecy, and other songs relating to Queen Dagmar

In Short

This narrative ballad collection follows the arrival of the Bohemian princess Dagmar in Denmark to marry King Valdemar, detailing the political alliances, supernatural warnings, and mythic trials surrounding her reign. After an embassy secures her hand through a high-stakes board game, Dagmar wins the devotion of her new subjects by lifting oppressive taxes and pardoning prisoners. However, eerie encounters—including a captured mermaid’s fatal prophecy of her death in childbirth and a knight's rescue of a maiden from a sea giant—reveal the underlying tragedy and peril of the royal court. It endures as a vivid blend of medieval history and folklore.

The Story

The tale opens in the Danish court, where King Valdemar entrusts his bold knight, Sir Strange Ebbesen, with an embassy to Bohemia to secure a young bride. Assembling a distinguished retinue of learned bishops, eloquent lords, and noble knights, Sir Strange sails for three weeks across the sea. Upon reaching Bohemia, the Danish envoys present their suit, and the Bohemian king consults his queen, who agrees to the marriage provided Denmark offers a fitting dowry and status. To seal the agreement and gain private access to the princess, Sir Strange engages her in a series of games on a board made of solid red gold. Winning the third game, he secures her consent for King Valdemar. Before they depart, the young princess receives counsel from her father to remain pious and just, ensuring her reign brings hope to her new subjects.

When the bridal fleet neared Denmark after a two-month voyage, King Valdemar rides out on the beach to meet them. Mistaking the battle-scarred monarch for a squinting commoner, the princess initially reacts with anger, suspecting Sir Strange of deception. The knight defends his lord's honor, explaining that Valdemar is a valiant warrior who lost an eye in battle while defending his realm. Reassured, the princess enters Denmark, where their wedding is celebrated with great joy across all social classes. Upon her arrival at Ribe, Queen Dagmar uses her morning gift to ask for merciful acts: the removal of the heavy plough-tax on commoners, the release of political captives, and the pardon of the King's imprisoned uncle, Bishop Valdemar. Though the King warns that freeing his uncle risks future rebellion, he grants her request. The released bishop immediately vows revenge for his twelve-year captivity, proving the King's fears justified and grieving the young Queen.

Shadows deepen around the court when the King captures a magical mermaid and imprisons her in a dungeon. Queen Dagmar intercedes, ordering the mermaid brought to her chamber and offering her comfort. In return, the mermaid reveals a dark prophecy: the Queen will bear three sons, but the birth of the third will claim her life. Horrified yet resigned, Dagmar secures the mermaid’s release back into the ocean. The narrative then shifts to a legendary rescue involving the knight Roland, whose ship is dragged to the sea floor by a monstrous trold. In the underwater mountain cavern of the giant Rosmer Shank-stretcher, Roland finds the captive Dame Ellenlile. Through clever trickery, Ellenlile hides inside a chest of gold that the giant carries to the surface for Roland, allowing them both to escape and leaving the grief-stricken giant turned to stone.

How It Unfolds

The embassy departs King Valdemar dispatches Sir Strange Ebbesen and a fleet of distinguished Danish nobles to Bohemia to request the King's daughter in marriage.

Winning the princess Sir Strange arrives at the Bohemian court and plays three games of chess on a red-gold board against the princess, winning her hand for his sovereign.

Arrival on the sand After a two-month sea voyage, the princess spots King Valdemar riding on the shore; though initially dismayed by his battle-scarred appearance, she accepts his noble character.

The Queen's mercy Following the royal wedding, Queen Dagmar requests as her morning gifts the removal of the oppressive plough-tax and the release of political prisoners, including the King's uncle.

The mermaid's vision When Queen Dagmar frees an imprisoned mermaid from the dungeon, the creature repays her kindness with a tragic prophecy, foretelling the Queen's death during the birth of her third son.

Escaping the sea giant In a parallel legend, the knight Roland sinks to the ocean floor, where he discovers Dame Ellenlile held captive in the cavern of the giant Rosmer Shank-stretcher.

Return to the surface Ellenlile hides inside a gold-filled chest that the giant unsuspectingly carries to the shore, enabling her escape with Roland and turning the heartbroken giant into stone.

The People

• Queen Dagmar (Princess of Bohemia): Desires to be a just, compassionate ruler to her new Danish subjects. Constrained by the harsh political realities of her husband's realm and the looming tragic fate foretold by the supernatural, she remains devoted to mercy and wins the love of the peasantry.
• King Valdemar: Wants to secure his kingdom's lineage and power through strategic marriage and military force. Hindered by rebellious relatives and foreign threats, his stern, pragmatic nature is softened only by his deep affection for Dagmar.
• Sir Strange Ebbesen: A loyal, diplomatic Danish knight who desires to fulfill his king's command. He navigates delicate negotiations, defends his king's reputation, and safely guides the prospective queen across the sea.
• Bishop Valdemar: The King's uncle, whose primary ambition is freedom and vengeance after twelve years of imprisonment. Though pardoned by Dagmar, his unyielding fury forces him into exile, ruining his chance at reconciliation.
• Rosmer Shank-stretcher: A formidable ocean giant who desires to keep Dame Ellenlile in his mountain realm. FOOLED by her cunning trick, he inadvertently carries her to freedom, transformed by grief into a mountain rock.

In Its Own Voice

When Sir Strange arrives in Bohemia to negotiate the royal marriage, the King receives the Danish delegation with formal hospitality:

"Take napkins, Sirs, and water take, Sit down at our table board; We bid ye welcome to our land, Fit answer we'll award."

Upon reaching the Danish coast, the new queen immediately uses her influence to ease the burdens of the common people:

"The second boon I most earnestly crave, Nor must thou that refuse, Take off from each plough the tax that's on, And from prison the captives loose."

Brought before the court, the captive sea creature delivers her solemn prediction to the queen:

"Three babes thou shalt bear, each a beautiful boy, And in leaving thy womb they thy life shall destroy, And thus fair Queen thy will is done."

What It's Really About

The collection explores the precarious balance between royal power, moral duty, and inescapable fate. At its core, the narrative contrasts the brutal, transactional nature of medieval statecraft with the transformative power of mercy. Queen Dagmar represents an ideal of selfless leadership; her immediate concern upon gaining influence is to relieve the economic burdens of the peasantry and free the suffering. However, the text argues that human virtue cannot override destiny or eradicate human malice. Dagmar's act of mercy in freeing Bishop Valdemar yields only renewed hatred, while her kindness to the captured mermaid earns her the tragic knowledge of her own early death. The poems suggest that while earthly power is fleeting and fraught with peril, a legacy of compassion endures in the collective memory of a nation.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers modern readers a captivating gateway into Scandinavian balladry and medieval narrative poetry. Translated by George Borrow, the text preserves the stark, rhythmic cadence of traditional oral storytelling, where historic realism constantly touches the realm of myth. Readers who enjoy legendary romance, historical folklore, or sea-bound fantasy will find themselves drawn to its vivid imagery and dramatic turns.

While the verse structure is straightforward, reading the work requires adapting to archaic phrasing, traditional ballad repetition, and medieval political terminology. The refrains embedded within the prophecy scenes create a hypnotic, cyclical momentum that mirrors the ebb and flow of the ocean. Beyond its stylistic interest, the book remains memorable for its striking characterizations: a battle-tested king with a single eye, a young queen who places her subjects' welfare above courtly luxury, and atmospheric encounters with deep-sea creatures. It is a brief but rich literary monument to a beloved historical figure, wrapped in the mysterious atmosphere of northern folklore.

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