Date: 23 Mar 22 - 06:40 PM

Steve Gardham wrote:

>It would be useful for instance to have all of the Irish versions together and analyse what they collectively contain.

Agreed! Now all we need is a young and enthusiastic volunteer (hint, hint?)

- Tony

---

Date: 24 Mar 22 - 01:42 AM

RE putative precursors to the Percy MS version of "The Maid and the Palmer" (therein: "Lillumwham"): these are discussed further in Joseph C. Harris, "'Maiden in the Mor Lay' and the medieval Magdalene tradition", Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 1 (1971): 59-87, available at https://www.academia.edu/11379372/Maiden_in_the_mor_lay_and_the_medieval_Magdalene_tradition

Harris (p. 63-4) gives a speculative account of the evolution formation of the Magdalene ballad over time:

"Form I ... tells how Mary Magdalene in her sin and vainglory was touched by the preaching of Jesus; she confessed to him and was given a penance of seven years in the wilderness. ...

Form II (a hypothetical reconstruction) was born in Catalonia from a crossing of Form I with the Catalan ballad of the Samaritan woman ... the result being that Mary Magdalene met Jesus at a well but did not at first recognize him for what he was; he asked for water and surprised the woman with the knowledge of her sins; Mary Magdalene confessed, and the remainder of the ballad resembled Form I with penance, questioning, and salvation.

Having spread to Scandinavia, Form II was combined with motifs from "The Cruel Mother" (Child no. 20) to produce Form III: he asks for a drink and accuses her of sin; he then lists her adulteries and child murders (the new trait), and the ballad continues as in II and I."

Then later (p. 69): "A comparison of the eccentric and poorly preserved English versions of the ballad of the penance of Mary Magdalene, "The Maid and the Palmer" (Child no. 21) with the Continental versions indicates that the ballad came to Great Britain from Scandinavia rather than directly from France." ... "there is every reason to believe that full versions like those on the Continent also existed in medieval England [my interpretation: pre-1500]".

Now you may or may not accept Harris' logic and/or conclusions, but here at least is his opinion regarding the age and evolution of the ballad. Just sayin'...

Regards - Tony