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29 Mar 18 - 03:20 AM (#3913758) Subject: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Harry Rivers Can anyone suggest any traditional songs about Witches or Witchcraft, please? I've searched the DigiTrad with the keyword "witch" and that brings up about 40 examples. Not all of those are traditional (eg Donovan's Season of the Witch) and some only contain the word 'witch' as a derogatory term for a woman (eg Kafoozalum). All suggestions gratefully received. Many thanks Harry |
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29 Mar 18 - 04:06 AM (#3913764) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Jim Carroll Broomfield Hill springs to mind instantly Maid on the Shore is a fairly obvious one The use of witchcraft, particularly by disapproving mothers to get rid of unwanted suitors for their sons include Clyde's Water and Lord Gregory A superb example of the use of the accusation of witchcraft to break up an unwanted liason is to be found in the beautiful 'Andrew Lammie' Tam Lin, of course - a woman who fights to free her lover from the otherworld The Two Magicians The use of witchcraft in ballads and songs is not immediately obvious For ballad references, Lowrie C Wimberly's 'Folklore in the English and Scottish Ballads is a superb reference. Enjoy your search Harry - it's good fun Jim Carroll |
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29 Mar 18 - 04:14 AM (#3913765) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Dave the Gnome Try a search on the forum for 'Pendle' as well. |
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29 Mar 18 - 04:32 AM (#3913771) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,SteveT I'd second the recommendation for Wimberly's book. One of my favourite songs about the use of witchcraft is Willie's Lady (Child number 6) which I've never got round to learning - but I will one day. I also remember Dave and Toni Arthur's Hearken to the Witches Rune from 1971 and, although I haven't heard it, Kate and Corwen (Ancient Music ) have a CD out with several tracks which may be relevant) |
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29 Mar 18 - 09:00 AM (#3913838) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Susan of DT Bonnie Lass of Anglesey Rolling of the Stones - some versions Allison Gross/Cross Wife of Usher's Well Wild Boar - some versions witchcraft acted on a character not herself a witch Kemp Owyne King Henry Marriage of Sir Gawaine Reynardine may be a warlock |
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29 Mar 18 - 09:56 AM (#3913842) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,henryp There Was An Old Woman Tossed Up In A Blanket There was an old woman tossed up in a basket Seventeen times as high as the moon. But where she was going, I could not but ask it, For in her hand she carried a broom. “Old woman, old woman, old woman,” quoth I, “Whither, oh whither, oh whither so high?” “To sweep the cobwebs from the sky And I'll be with you by and by.” |
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29 Mar 18 - 10:54 AM (#3913859) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond; lots to be going on with but please keep the suggestions coming. All the best, Harry |
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29 Mar 18 - 11:32 AM (#3913864) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Georgiansilver The Witch Queen of New Orleans ... Redbone. |
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29 Mar 18 - 11:37 AM (#3913866) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Tattie Bogle Not traditional, but written in the traditional idiom by Karine Polwart: "The Dreadful End of Marianna for Sorcery". On Malinky's "Last Leaves" album. |
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29 Mar 18 - 11:44 AM (#3913868) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Jeri Witches and War Whoops: Early New England Ballads |
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29 Mar 18 - 12:30 PM (#3913891) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Ged Fox Florence and Jean - a Two Magicians variant from Occitania |
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29 Mar 18 - 12:51 PM (#3913881) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Susan of DT not traditional: Susanna Martin (in DT) |
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29 Mar 18 - 01:30 PM (#3913901) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Steve Gardham Do you mean specifically witchcraft as opposed to the supernatural in general? If so that cuts the field down considerably. Casting spells and shapechanging would fit but not devils and fairies. Also there are ballads of people being accused of witchcraft in earlier centuries as already mentioned. |
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30 Mar 18 - 03:36 AM (#3913981) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Harry Rivers At present, I'm specifically interested in witches and witchcraft rather than the more general supernatural. I'm looking for songs/ballads recounting either historic events (such as the Pendle witch trials) or fictitious examples of witches using their craft. The parameters may change with time. Harry |
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30 Mar 18 - 01:31 PM (#3914080) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Steve Gardham You might find some interesting material on some of the broadside sites Bodleian Broadside Ballads, National Library of Scotland EBBA at UCSB. Specific reference to witches is rare in oral tradition. |
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19 Feb 22 - 05:23 AM (#4137157) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Norbert Knape Some remarks about witches in British Folk (in German): https://norbert-knape.de/?p=848 |
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13 Aug 22 - 04:11 PM (#4150173) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Nigel Parsons A WITCH’S GUIDE TO ESCAPE NP 2019 (Fits to the hymn tune ‘Marching’ "Through the night of doubt and sorrow") Through the years you give the books out, honouring the lib’ry creed Give the kids the books they ask for, not the ones they really need. Slowly, try to train their reading, guide them from the primrose path, Never heed your colleague’s tutting, never fear the witches wrath. Ev’ry day you fight your conscience, knowing that one day you’ll lose (and) Give a child books that will help them, not the ones the child would choose. Out of sight are books of learning, ancient tomes of hidden lore. Needed for that final lesson, needed then, but not before. Then at last the child, quite ready, reads the book that sets them free. And ‘the book’ returns to storage, drawn from Salem’s library. Based on the 'short story' winner of the Hugo awards (Dublin 2019) Story here |
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17 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM (#4150472) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: leeneia Willie's Lady. An old ballad about Willie, his bride from away, and his mother, a witch for sure. |
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17 Aug 22 - 06:00 PM (#4150501) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Sandra in Sydney Willie's Lady by the very talented Celtic trio Triantan, the members are still singing, but alas no longer together |
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18 Aug 22 - 08:38 AM (#4150540) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST "The hag is astride" a seventeenth century poem about witches, sung to a seventeenth century tune (originally about angling.) |
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24 Aug 22 - 11:02 PM (#4150949) Subject: ADD: Twenty Shillings Each (Bill Dodds) From: GUEST,Bill Dodds Harry, If you are still looking for songs featuring witches here is one I wrote last year about something that happened in my hometown of Newcastle, UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBqwGDsEgk TWENTY SHILLINGS EACH (Bill Dodds) There were two Ellenor’s, Margrit’s and Elisabeth’s Three Jane’s, one Mary, Kattren, Aylis, Isabell and Ann Standing together, watching and waiting Hoping and praying that cruel men will change their minds Twenty sixth of March, sixteen forty nine, madness descended Twenty pieces of silver, twenty shillings each That was the price they were worth In sixteen thirty six, a third of the people In the town of Newcastle were killed by Bubonic Plague Sixteen forty four, an army from Scotland Occupied the city for more than seven hundred days Pestilence and plague, death and destruction were blamed on witches The town became ready to give praise to the Lord And drive the Devil from their town In sixteen forty nine, John the bellman Was asking people if neighbours were practicing ‘Black Arts’ Grudges and grievances, gossip and rumour Greed and envy soon gave him a list of thirty names City fathers, put them all on trial, to end this nightmare Thirty women, and a man Ready to face, Puritan laws A finder of witches was brought down from Scotland The women stripped naked, their bodies searched for Devil’s marks Pricked with a bodkin to see if they bled No chance at all, facing a spring loaded blade Paid by results, most were found guilty, a cruel fate awaited Death was the sentence, to be hung by the neck Thou shalt not, suffer a witch to live Crowds had gathered on the Town Moor of Newcastle In front of wooden scaffolds, that frosty first day of spring Fourteen women, victims of malice Prejudice and fear, were hoping for reprieve Twenty sixth of March, sixteen forty nine, madness descended Twenty pieces of silver, twenty shillings each That was the price that finally sealed their fate There were two Ellenor’s, Margrit’s and Elisabeth’s Three Jane’s, one Mary, Kattren, Aylis, Isabell and Ann Standing together, shivering and trembling Learning the hard way that cruel men never change their minds Footnote Eleanor Lownsdale, spoke up for the women (then was accused herself) 14 witches, 1 wizard, 9 moss troopers were hung on the same day on Newcastle Town Moor (half a mile from where I live). The Scottish Witchfinder was responsible for 220 deaths (he was eventually found to be a fraud and hung) |
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24 Aug 22 - 11:46 PM (#4150950) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Joe Offer Bill, what was the twenty shillings for? Was that a bounty paid to those who reported someone to be a witch? I really enjoyed the song. -Joe- |
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25 Aug 22 - 02:15 AM (#4150952) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: rich-joy Though this is not songs per se, I have recently read and enjoyed 4 novels about witches and their family craft, written by Pacific NW author, musician/singer/teacher, yogini, et al LOUISA MORGAN : https://www.louisemarley.com/written-as/louisa-morgan/ Two novels are set mainly in Brittany and England and concern a Romany family : The Great Witch of Brittany + A Secret History of Witches; two are set mainly in the US and also England : The Age of Witches + The Witch's Kind. I can recommend all four! I will also be checking out her many others (e.g. "The Glass Harmonica"). Cheers! R-J |
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25 Aug 22 - 05:23 AM (#4150965) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Harry I had to put this project on hold but I still have all my research notes and I'm planning on returning to it later this year. Thank you to all who continue to contribute with suggestions. Harry |
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28 Aug 22 - 05:33 PM (#4151301) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Bill Dodds Joe, this 'witchfinder' was paid 20 shillings for each witch who was found and convicted. Obviously with a financial incentive like this it was in the witchfinders interest to find and convict as many as possible. A suspected witch who was pricked by a blade and didn't bleed was nearly always found guilty. It was alleged that this particular witchfinder used a spring loaded blade to avoid drawing blood. Lots of people accused neighbours and enemies of being a witch as a way to settle old scores, get rid of love rivals etc. This was the largest single execution of 'witches' in England. Overall, up to 1,000 in England were killed for being a witch, 90% of them were women. Over 2,500 'witches' were killed in Scotland, 84% of them were women. |
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01 Sep 22 - 06:07 AM (#4151674) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Harry Hi Bill, Where do you get these figures? Latest research puts the numbers for England much lower. From 1560 to 1685, when the last execution of a 'witch' took place in Devon, just over 500 (mainly older women) were put on trial which resulted in 112 executions. Similarly for Scotland, modern research puts the number at closer to 1500 executions with a major increase in persecutions following James VI's marriage to Anne of Denmark in 1590. If I'm wrong on this I'd be interested to read your sources. Cheers Harry |
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02 Sep 22 - 01:37 AM (#4151747) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Gallus Moll Not traditional, but appropriate! - The Burning Times (Charlie Murphy?) |
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02 Sep 22 - 12:25 PM (#4151794) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: SingedCat There's a song called Witch Margaret, apparently one of the Cild ballads? A friend just had it set to music. |
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04 Sep 22 - 06:17 PM (#4151969) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Alan Day Sea Witch of Orkney. A song written about this famous Orkney Story. Al |
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10 Mar 24 - 05:55 PM (#4198850) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: mikechatty There's the 17th century round, "Hey/hie we to the otherworld" which has that supernatural subject. |
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12 Mar 24 - 10:26 PM (#4198996) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: GUEST,Julia L can you elaborate on this round- a source perhaps? thanks |
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13 Mar 24 - 03:43 AM (#4199006) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: Reinhard Pyewackett sang "Hey We to the Other World" on their 1984 album The Man in the Moon Drinks Claret. They noted: A lunar drinking song by William Lawes. As sung in the coffee-houses of eighteenth century London... |
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16 Mar 24 - 01:16 PM (#4199186) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: The Og A while ago East Virginia (a Bluegrass Group wrote and recorded "The Legend of Jean Sherwood". Not traditional ...but based on fact and a good song! |
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16 Mar 24 - 01:24 PM (#4199188) Subject: RE: Trad Songs about Witches/Witchcraft From: The Og Oops! Grace Sherwood NOT Jean. ...the product of an addled Brain! |