Ulf Van Yern, and Other Ballads

In Short

This collection of translated Northern and Celtic ballads gathers stark, rhythmic tales of honor, vengeance, incestuous tragedy, and poetic wit. Through narrative verse, it follows legendary warriors like Vidrik Verlandson assisting young Ulf Van Yern in a bloody feud against a rival king, alongside tragic romantic jousts and forbidden love between unrecognized siblings. It survives as a vivid testament to George Borrow’s passion for Scandinavian and Gaelic folk lore, preserving the primitive energy, sharp dialogue, and direct dramatic force of oral storytelling traditions.

The Story

The narrative journey opens with young Ulf Van Yern standing before the Danish King, seeking warriors to help him avenge his murdered father. The King offers his finest men, including the formidable Vidrik Verlandson and stark Diderik, whose terrifying power is instantly demonstrated when Diderik angrily strikes off two courtmen's heads. Vidrik sends his swift messenger, young Hammergray, to warn the enemy King of Brattens Vendel. Hammergray rides with astonishing speed, adorned in gold and pearls, and delivers the challenge to the Vendel monarch. Though the Vendel King mockingly suggests Ulf should stay home tending sheep, his own warriors tremble at the mention of Vidrik, remembering how the blacksmith’s son once slaughtered fifteen men as if it were a game. When a local kemp insults Vidrik’s lineage, Hammergray kills him on the spot before returning to rally the Danish forces.

Under the cover of a dark, misty night, seven hundred armored knights ride across Birting's moor, their polished weapons gleaming like daylight. Upon reaching the battlefield, they form a ring and name Vidrik their chief. A fierce battle erupts with swords and bows, blood and sweat pouring as shield hits shield. Recognising Vidrik’s banner bearing a hammer and tongs, the Vendel King despairs, knowing Vidrik spares no one. Yet, the Vendel King charges bravely, landing eighteen heavy blows on Vidrik. Bound by a silken thread given by his maiden, the Vendel King prepares for the counterstrike. Vidrik grips his sword Mimmering so hard that blood bursts from under his nails, and he cleaves the Vendel King from helm to navel, completing Ulf’s quest for vengeance.

The collection then shifts to shorter, poignant ballads of fate and courtship. In "The Chosen Knight," Sir Oluf rides out seeking a worthy opponent, only to meet a mysterious knight adorned with golden birds and wheels on his harness, sent by three maidens. Their fourth joust ends with both knights tumbling dead to the earth, causing the youngest maiden to die of grief. In "Sir Swerkel," a festive court dance turns into tragedy when Sir Swerkel betroths fair Kirstine, only for his mother to reveal they are long-separated brother and sister born while he was away in Rome. Despite hunting harts and hinds to purge her image from his mind, Swerkel cannot forget her; he is driven from the country while Kirstine is confined to a cloister. Finally, the collection closes with a intellectual duel between Finn and a maiden, where rapid-fire riddles expose deep truths about nature, love, and human character, followed by sharp, humorous epigrams.

How It Unfolds

The call for vengeance Young Ulf Van Yern asks the Danish King for warriors to avenge his father's death. The King offers his greatest champions, including the formidable Vidrik Verlandson and Diderik.

The swift defiance The messenger Hammergray rides to the hall of Brattens Vendel to deliver Ulf's declaration of war. After killing a boastful kemp who mocked Vidrik, Hammergray returns to prepare the army.

The night ride and clash Seven hundred armored knights ride through the dark moor, their gleaming weapons illuminating the way. A violent battle begins, and the Vendel King realizes he must face the feared blacksmith's son.

The fatal duel The Vendel King lands eighteen blows on Vidrik before Vidrik strikes back with his sword Mimmering. Vidrik cleaves the King in two, fulfilling Ulf's vengeance before the Danish forces ride home.

The fatal joust and forbidden love Sir Oluf dies in a mysterious duel against a knight sent by three maidens, while Sir Swerkel unknowingly betroths his own sister. Unable to erase her memory through hunting, Swerkel is exiled while she enters a cloister.

The battle of wits Finn challenges a clever maiden with a series of quick riddles on life, nature, and human nature. She answers every question with sharp wisdom, concluding the volume alongside brief satirical epigrams.

The People

• Ulf Van Yern: A determined young warrior driven entirely by the obligation to avenge his slain father. He seeks aid from the Danish court, ultimately securing his family's honor through Vidrik's martial prowess.
• Vidrik Verlandson: A legendary hero and blacksmith's son whose sheer power strikes terror into his enemies. He values honor and relentless combat, wielding his famed sword Mimmering to cut down the Vendel King.
• Hammergray: A nimble, fiercely loyal messenger who travels with unmatched speed. He defends Vidrik's reputation with immediate violence, slaying any who dare speak ill of his leader.
• The Vendel King: A proud monarch who initially mocks young Ulf but recognizes the deadly threat posed by Vidrik. He fights bravely in the final duel, enduring his fate with regal dignity.
• Sir Swerkel: A joyful knight who falls in love with fair Kirstine during a court dance, only to be crushed by the revelation that she is his sister. He tries in vain to forget her before being driven into exile.
• Fair Kirstine: A graceful maiden raised in the Queen's court whose brief happiness vanishes upon discovering her true lineage, leading to her eventual life in a cloister.

In Its Own Voice

"To avenge my father's death / Lend me warriors of thy band."

Ulf Van Yern stands before the Danish monarch, declaring his sole purpose for entering the royal court.

"He at home had better stay, / Crouch and shake the bush below; / One blow only stood his sire, / He'll not stand me half a blow."

The arrogant King of Brattens Vendel dismisses the threat posed by young Ulf before the battle begins.

"In wedlock united ye never must be, / For brother and sister, believe me, are ye."

Sir Swerkel's mother delivers the devastating truth that destroys her son's plans for marriage.

What It's Really About

Underneath its rhythmic verse and heroic posturing, the collection explores the unyielding grip of fate, duty, and honor. The main ballad shows how filial obligation overrides personal safety, demanding bloodshed to restore family standing regardless of the human cost. Cruelty and heroic chivalry exist side by side; violence is both a lighthearted game to warriors and an inescapable destiny. In the romantic ballads, human desire collides directly with tragic taboos and unavoidable doom, proving that neither strength nor love can overcome blood ties or preordained tragedy. The riddles near the end shift from physical combat to intellectual mastery, suggesting that human wisdom and quick-witted truth are just as sharp as any forged blade.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an immediate, unfiltered look into the atmosphere of ancient Scandinavian and Celtic storytelling. Borrow’s verse moves with a driving, hypnotic momentum that makes the blood-soaked feuds and tragic romances feel surprisingly modern and dramatic. Readers who enjoy oral tradition, Arthurian legend, or northern mythology will appreciate the stark simplicity of the narrative arcs and the memorable, larger-than-life characters.

The work does present a few hurdles for modern readers. The antique phrasing, rigid ballad meter, and stark depiction of sudden violence reflect 19th-century translation styles and medieval ballad structures. Furthermore, the abrupt shifts in tone—from brutal battlefield decapitations to poetic riddle-contests—can feel disorienting if expected to form a single continuous narrative. Yet what stays with you is the sheer narrative vigor. The image of armored knights riding through the dark moor, their polished weapons shining like daylight, captures a primal, enduring love for story that still resonates today.