The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #131935   Message #2980671
Posted By: NOMADMan
05-Sep-10 - 08:46 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: a ballad where he attends own funeral??
Subject: RE: Folklore: a ballad where he attends own funeral??
That would be "The Gay Goshawk," (Child #96) in which an English woman takes a potion to appear dead, after extracting a promise from her father that, should she die, he will send her body over the border so that she might be buried near her Scottish lover. The family, of course, opposed the romance. Her brothers carry the coffin to Scotland in accordance with the promise. By the time they arrive, the effects of the potion have worn off, and the lady shares bread and wine with her lover. The goshawk served as a message-carrier between the lovers.

Regards,
John