The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #77727   Message #1389678
Posted By: Susan of DT
26-Jan-05 - 07:21 PM
Thread Name: Traditional Songs related to Abuse/Bully
Subject: RE: Traditional Songs related to Abuse/Bully
There are lots of Child ballads with various forms of abuse: Prince Heathen (#104), Long Lankin (#93), Mary Hamilton (#173), Kemp Owen (#34), Two Sisters (#10), Cruel Brother (#11), Banks of Vergio (#14), Mill of Tifty's Annie (#233), Willie's Lady (#6), Annachie Gordon (#239), Lucy Wan (#31), Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin (#277) to name a few for infanticide, fratricide, dragging a pregnant woman behind a horse, a father who orders his daughter stripped so the husband can rape her, incest, enchanting into loathsome form or to perpetual labor in childbirth, and so on.

I'll look up which one has a married woman trying to seduce her nephew and crying rape when he refuses - he is then broken between horses as punishment. That is Child Owlet (#291).

Ah, I love these ballads...