The King's Dochter Lady Jean

"The King's Dochter Lady Jean" is Child ballad 52.[1]

Contents

Synopsis

The heroine goes to the woods. A man meets her, tries to woo her, and rapes her. He asks her name, and they learn that they are brother and sister. In some variants, he kills her; in most, she goes home, and is tasked by her family for why she ails, and she and her brother both die when they meet there.

Variants

Other ballads on this theme include "Sheath and Knife", "The Bonny Hind", and "Lizie Wan".[2]

The opening section parallels that of "Hind Etin" and "Tam Lin".[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "The King's Dochter Lady Jean"
  2. ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 185, Dover Publications, New York 1965
  3. ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 450, Dover Publications, New York 1965