The Twa Sisters

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The Twa Sisters or Minnorie or Binnorie (Roud 8, Child 10), is a ballad existing in many variants. It falls in the category of murder ballads.

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[edit] Synopsis

Two sisters go down by the sea, and the older pushes the younger in and refuses to pull her out again. Her motive, when included, is sexual jealousy. (In some variants, a third sister is mentioned, but the third sister never appears.)

The body floats ashore, and someone makes a musical instrument of it and, eventually, brings it to her father's hall. There, the instrument sings on its own of the murder.

[edit] Versions

Joseph Jacobs recast in fairy tale form as part of English Fairy Tales (1890).

Pentangle released their album Cruel Sister in 1970, the title track being a rendition of this ballad.

Patricia C. Wrede retold it as Cruel Sisters in her Book of Enchantments (1996), telling it from the point of view of the third sister, and giving it a revisionist twist.

The Danish band Sorten Muld's song '2 Søstre' ('Two Sisters' in English), the English translation of which recounts this folktale.

Finnish folk music group Gjallarhorn has a Swedish version titled 'Systrarna' ('The Sisters') on their most recent album, Rimfaxe.

Canadian singer and harpist Loreena McKennitt tells a similar story, possibly a variant, in her song The Bonny Swans.

The Irish group Clannad has a version entitled 'Two Sisters' on their album Dúlamán.

Tom Waits includes his own version of Two Sisters on the Bastards disc of his Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards trilogy.

Folk Metal band In Extremo recorded a German version of the song ("Two Sestra") for the last track of their debut album Weckt Die Toten!.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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