Bluegrass Messengers

Fair Ellender- Mrs. Boggs (WV) 1917 Cox D

[From Folk-Songs of the South- Cox, 1925; His extensive notes follow.

R. Matteson 2012, 2014]

10. LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET (Child, No. 73)

Eleven variants have been recovered under the following titles: "The Brown Girl," "Fair Ellender and the Brown Girl" "Fair Ellender," "Fair Ellenger,"  "Lord Thomas," "Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor," and "Lord Thomas and  Fair Ellender" (cf. Cox, XIV, 120). All of these variants belong to the same  version, and nine of them tell a complete story. D and H begin with a description of Lord Thomas. In the other variants the story begins by the hero's asking his mother to solve the riddle as to whether he shall marry Fair Eleanor or  bring the brown girl home. Since the brown girl has house and lot (land) and  Fair Eleanor has none, she advises him to marry the brown girl. Thereupon he  dresses himself up in state, takes his merry men with him, rides to Fair Eleanor's hall, and invites her to his wedding on the morrow. She says that is very  bad news to her for she expected to be his bride. Later she asks her mother to solve the riddle as to whether she shall go to Lord Thomas's wedding or stay at home. Her mother advises her to stay at home since she will have few friends  at the wedding and many enemies, but she is determined to go. Thereupon she  arrays herself in her finery, takes her merry maids with her, and rides to Lord  Thomas's hall. In answer to her knocking, Lord Thomas himself lets her in,  leads her into the hall, and chooses for her the highest seat. Fair Eleanor twits  him with having married such a brown wife, whereupon the brown girl stabs her  with a penknife between the short ribs and the long. Lord Thomas asks why she looks so pale and she suggests that he must be blind not to observe her heart's blood trickling down to her knee. With a little hand-sword Lord Thomas cuts off the head of the brown girl, kicks it against the wall, and then slays himself with the same sword. Before he dies, he requests that Fair Eleanor be buried in his arms and the brown girl at his feet.

The West Virginia variants are closely related to group D of Child, as is shown by many striking incidents in common, such as the meeting and quick parting of the lovers; Lord Henry loves the little finger of Fair Eleanor better than he does the whole body of the brown girl; Lord Thomas dressed in green and taken for a king; Lord Thomas dressed in black (the rhyme requires the word white)  and taken for a knight ; Fair Eleanor taken for a queen; Fair Eleanor seated in  the noblest chair, or chair of gold, or given the highest seat; the well in the yard  of Fair Ellen's father.

For American texts see Child, in, 509 (Virginia; from Babcock, Folk-Lore  Journal, VII, 33) Journal, XVIII 128 Barry: Vermont, Massachusetts by way  of New Jersey) XIX 235, Belden; Missouri, Arkansas); xx, 254 (Pettit; Kentucky); XXVII, 71 (Barry; tune only); XXVIII 152 (Perrow; North Carolina);  XXIX, 159 (Tolman; Pennsylvania by way of Kansas; texts reported from Virginia and Indiana); McGill, p. 26 (Kentucky); Focus, 111, 204, and IV, 162  (Virginia); Shoemaker, p. 138 (Pennsylvania); Campbell and Sharp, No. 16  (North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts); Pound, No. 12 (Maryland by way of Nebraska); Mackenzie, p. 97 (Nova Scotia); Means,  Outlook, September 9, 1899, LXIII, 120; Berea Quarterly, April, 1905, IX, No. 3,  p. 10; October, 1910, XIV, No. 3, p. 27; October, 1915, XVIII, No. 4, p. 14; Child  MSS., XXIII, article 73; Wyman MS., No. 9 (Kentucky); Minish MS. (North  Carolina); The Forget-Me-Not Songster (New York, Nails & Cornish), p. 236.  See also Belden, No. 4; Shearin and Combs, p. 8; Pound, p. n; F. C. Brown,  p. 9; Bulletin, Nos. 2, 3, 5-10; Campbell, The Survey, New York, January 2,  1915, XXXIII, 374; Reed Smith, Journal, XXVII, 62; XXIII, 200.

1 Lord Thomas he was a gay gentleman,
He was lord of many a town;
He fell in love with pretty Fair Ellen,
The fairest of all around.

2 "Come father, come mother, come tell me now,
I'll ask you both at one:
Whether I must marry pretty Fair Ellen,
Or bring the brown girl home."

3 "The brown girl she has house and lands,
Fair Ellen she has none;
So I'll advise you as a great blessing
To bring the brown girl home."

4 He rode up to Fair Ellender's gate,
So loudly he tingled and called;
Who more ready to bid him walk in
Than pretty Fair Ellen herself!

5 "What's your news, Lord Thomas? " she said,
"The news you bring to me?"
"I've come to ask you to my wedding."
"It's very sad news to me."

6 "Lord Thomas, it's very sad news," she said,
"And it's very sad news to me;
For I intended your bride to be,
And you bridegroom to me."

7 "Come father, come mother, come tell me now,
I'll ask you both as one:
Whether I must go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or tarry with thee at home."

8 "There may be many and many your friends,
While there may be many your foes;
And I'll advise you as a grand blessing
To tarry with me at home."

9 "Little do I care for friends who'll be there,
Still less do I care for foes;
For I must go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I'll go."

10 She dressed herself in scarlet red,
All trimmed in an immense of green;
And every city that she rode through,
She was taken to be some queen.

11 She rode up to Lord Thomas's gate,
So loudly she tingled and called;
Who more ready to bid her walk in
Than Lord Thomas, Lord Thomas of all!

12 He took her by the lily-white hand
And led her through the hall,
And sat her down at the head of the table
Among the ladies all.

13 "Throw none of your slurs, Fair Ellen," he said,
"Throw none of your slurs at me;
For I love the end of your little finger,
More than her whole body."

14 The brown girl she had a little penknife,
Both blades were keen and sharp;
And between the long rib and the short one
She pierced Fair Ellen's heart.

15 "O what's the matter, Fair Ellen?" he said,
"I think you are wonderful pale;
For once you were as fair a young color
As any one in the dale."

16 "O what's the matter, Lord Thomas?" she said,
"Why can't you plainly see?
I can feel my own heart's blood
Go trickling down my knee."

17 He took the brown girl by the hand,
He led her through the hall,
And with a sword cut off her head,
And threw it against the wall.

18 He put the sword against the wall,
The blade against his breast,
Saying, "Here goes the life of three young lovers;
God send their souls to rest!"