Hi,

Guest- you write as if this was a historical event. Please provide more details, TY.

I thought the singing was a form gypsies' magic and seduction. It seems to me that ur-ballad is about her seduction by magic and that she was under a spell which caused her to give away her valuables and leave her husband. Perhaps the original intention of the ballad is that she is under a spell and not responsible for her actions.

Obviously this changed (Child B) and was not understood (Child G, many American versions) but it seems that the spell and the effects of the spell have been ignored and that she ran off with Gypsy Davy on her own accord- and, is responsible for that action.

Richie