Dame Ragnell and Sir Gawaine (Child #31)

Subject: Dame Ragnell and Sir Gawaine
From: Susan of DT
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 08:10 PM

I am fond of Arthurian legend and sing lots of Child ballads. I enjoy reviving some of the obscure ones. Now that I have The Boy and the Mantle together, I'd like to move on to Dame Ragnell. I have one recording of the ballad, by Bill Caddick, it is a pleasant version, but I find it hard to get all the words from the recording.

We have one very long version of Child #31, Dame Ragnell and Sir Gawaine in the DT - I think it is from Percy's Reliques.

GAWAINE1

Here is a shortened version of that I found on the web:

THE STORY OF DAME LADY RAGNELL

King Arthur and Gawaine rode through the wild woodsc
In search of an unearthly foe,
When Dame Ragnell appeared, yes, a hideous old hag,
And she told them the right way to go, oh, to go,
She told them the right way to go.

Now, she pointed them down the best path they could take,
The fight was triumphant and swift.
And as Arthur and Gawaine came back through the woods,
Arthur said, "We must grant her a gift, yes a gift,
"We must grant that old beldame a gift."

King Arthur and Gawaine rode up to the place
Where the old lady waited alone,
And Arthur said, "Lady, Please ask us a boon
"So our duty to you may be shown, may be shown,
"That our gratefulness to you be shown."

Well, the old lady smiled with a star in her eye,
And she said, "I have but one desire--
"I wish to be married, a lady at last,
"To a Knight of the Round Table, Sire, oh, my Sire,
"To a Knight of the Round Table, Sire."

King Arthur, he swallowed and opened his mouth,
But the words he would speak were denied,
For Noble Sir Gawaine got down on one knee, saying,
"Lady, would you be my bride, be my bride?
"Lady Ragnell, would you be my bride?"

She accepted his hand, and he lifted her up,
Bearing her on his very own steed,
Through the woods and the fields to great Camelot's court,
Where they'd marry at dusk, they agreed, they agreed,
Where they'd marry at dusk, they agreed.

All the courtiers were silent, their eyes wide with shock,
As they watched the strange, hushed marriage rite,
And the dances were solemn, the wedding feast long,
'Til they led them upstairs for the night, for the night,
'Til they led them upstairs for the night.

But not once did Sir Gawain, that courteous knight,
Take his eyes off his hideous bride.
He led her through dances and fed her the feast,
And he smiled when she came to his side, to his side,
Yes, he smiled when she came to his side.

As the fire warmed their marriage suite, steady and strong,
"I do not need your kisses," she said.
But Sir Gawain just smiled as he took down her hair.
He embraced her and took her to bed, oh, to bed,
He embraced her and took her to bed.

Not a moment had passed since he kissed her just once,
When a strange magic transformed his wife,
And Dame Ragnell arose and embraced Sir Gawain
As a youthful maid so full of life, full of life,
As a youthful maid so full of life.

"Oh, husband, my dear, I've been under a spell
"To be ugly and haggard and gray,
"But now the spell's broken, and now I can be
"Lovely either by night or by day, or by day,
"Ugly either by night or by day."

"Oh, husband, dear husband, now you must decide,
"For you are an ethical knight,
"Shall I appear lovely to Arthur's great court,
"Or only for you, here at night, here by night?
"Or only for you, here at night?"

Sir Gawain thought on this, then he shook his head,
Saying, "No, wife, I leave you the choice.
"For it's you'll bear the consequence of what befalls,
"So now ponder and give your thoughts voice, give them voice,
"Oh, my lady, please give your thoughts voice."

Lady Ragnell embraced him and laughed right out loud.
"You've broken the spell clean away!
"For you've given me what it is all women want,
"It's the freedom to have my own way, my own way,
"That's the freedom to have my own way.
"I'll be beautiful by night and day, night and day,
"I'll be lovely for you night and day."


Child #31
filename[ GAWAIN2
SOF

Does anyone sing this ballad?
Does anyone have a good, singable set of words for it?
Does anyone have a tune for it?

Subject: ADD: The Marriage of Sir Gawain
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 08:25 PM

Unfortunately, we have no traditional tune for this ballad. Even some of the words are missing from Child's version. Apparently some of the pages were used to start a fire some time in the 17th or 18th century. However, there is a woman named Lisa Theriot who sings an adaptation of Child's text to her own tune. It's called "The Marriage of Sir Gawain." It is on her CD The Keys of Canterbury, definitely worth checking out if you are into the medieval period at all, especially the Canterbury Tales. The lyrics are as follows:

^^ THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAIN

It fell about Saint Stephen's Day
The season of Yuletide
King Arthur took himself to horse
His forests for to ride
And when to Carlisle he returned
His face was full of pain
And speedily he sought the ear
Of his cousin, Sir Gawaine

"Oh cousin, now your counsel give
My heart is wondrous sore
A fearful choice of life and death
Now lies your King before
A riddle I am sworn to solve
Or lose my life instead
Shall I lose honor, faith and friend
Or shall I lose my head?

When I came to Tarn Wadling
A Black Knight cried me stand
He struck me from my horse
And then my sword he did demand
'I've bested you, Oh King,' he said,
'And now I'll have your head
And on your throne I'll sit
Within the hour that you are dead

Or else you may a ransom give
Though not in silver paid
A riddle you must answer me
Or die upon my blade.'
I begged a boon for any time
The answer for to find
For surely one in all my realm
Would know the villain's mind

'Give me oath you will return
By noontide New Year's Day
And answer me this question bold
Or with your life you'll pay
Bring me word what thing it is
That women most desire
This shall thy ransom be, O King
I'll have no other hire.'

As I rode back with heavy heart
I came upon a glade
And there did sit a loathly beast
Was dressed like any maid
And there as should have set her mouth
Then there was set her eye
The other in her forehead fast
And both did me espy

Her nose was flat as any pig's
Her mouth a toothless maw
A worse-formed lady than she was
No mortal ever saw
She raised herself on crooked legs
And unto me did speak
'Fear me not, you King Arthur
I know the thing you seek

The wisest man in all your land
Knows not a woman's mind
The answer to the Black Knight's charge
In truth you will not find
But I do see the riddle's end
Its answer I know well
Give me a knight of Arthur's court
In marriage, and I'll tell.'

And so," said Arthur, "these three paths
My choices are forsooth
So shall I break my oath and live
In want of faith and truth?
Or shall I bid a goodly knight
To take this beast to wife?
Or shall I to the Black Knight go
And offer up my life?"

"Oh Sire, be easy," said Gawaine
"I'll take this beast to wife
Though I may lose some hope of joy
You shall not lose your life
However foul this lady be
I'll wed her with a ring
My happiness will be to know
How well I serve my King."

Gawaine and Arthur took them out
The morn of New Year's Day
They came upon the fearful hag
To her Gawaine did say,
"I pledge to take you for my wife
And wed you with a ring
If you will now the answer give
To save my lord, the King"

The Black Knight sat upon his steed
And saw the King draw nigh
"Have you the answer, King Arthur,
Or have you come to die?"
"I have not come to die" said he,
"But to complete my task
For I believe that I have solved
The riddle that you ask

A woman does not lust for gold
For gems, or rich attire
A woman seeks to have her will
This is her chief desire."

"I am betrayed!" the Black Knight cried
"'Tis treason, by my troth
It was my sister told you this
The Devil take you both."
He turned his horse's head about
And rode off through the green
And nevermore in Arthur's realm
Was that base villain seen.

The King at length returned to court
And all the tale was told
And Guinevere sent for the hag
So fearsome to behold
And on the arm of Sir Gawaine
She came before the throne
And knights and ladies cried aloud
To see the awful crone.

"Dame Ragnall," said Queen Guinevere,
(For so the beast was hight)
"Be welcome to our court;
You shall be married this same night
For you have saved the King, my lord
And honored shall you be
And we will make a wedding feast
To cheer thy lord and thee!"

At last the feast was over
And the court retired to bed
And to the bridal chamber went
Gawaine with weary tread
He greeted Ragnall courteously
Then turned to bolt the door
And when he turned around again
The monster was no more.

Where there had stood a loathly hag
A maiden had her place
With twenty maidens' rightful share
Of beauty and of grace.
"What sorcery is this?" he cried
As he beheld the scene
"How is it now you wear a form
As comely as a Queen?"

"'Tis sorcery indeed," she said
"A curse upon me lays
And causes me like fiend to walk
For half of all my days
But you must now my seeming choose
Since you took me to wed
Shall I be fair by day or night?
In court or in your bed?"

"Oh lady wife, I cannot judge
Wherein the right does lie
A beast by day to live in shame
Before each noble eye?
Or beastly only in our bed
Where lovers' arms should twine?
What right have I to choose your pain?
The choice must needs be thine."

And then the lady laughed and cried
And said, "You have me won!
I shall be fair both night and day
The spell you have undone!
By giving me my will you win
My freedom and my heart
I'll henceforth be your lady gay
And we shall never part."

With what great joy did Arthur's court
Receive the wedded pair
The bravest knight in all the land
Now had a lady fair.
And good King Arthur's heart was glad
As grass would be of rain
And all the bells in Carlisle rang
For Ragnall and Gawaine.

So men, if you would fair maid win
And make your life with her
Then take a lesson from Gawaine
And to your wife defer
A woman crossed is like a beast
That e'er your peace will rend
But if you let her have her will
Your joy shall know no end!

This has always been one of my favorite Arthurian stories.

Subject: RE: Dame Ragnell and Sir Gawaine
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 10:56 PM

There is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book of this tale retold in prose by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Juan Wijngaard. It should be available in many libraries and is available through Amazon and other online booksellers. I bought a copy for my son and passed it on to his children. I also read it to children in my classroom. I, too, love this tale which is a reversal of the typical Princess and the Frog, Beauty and the Beast, etc., stories.

Subject: RE: Dame Ragnell and Sir Gawaine
From: Anne Lister
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 03:12 AM

It's a story that occurs in several guises in British and Irish folklore, and Chaucer uses it, too. I tell the story quite often (it's one of my favourites) and have a song called "Ragnell" which brings in elements of this story together with Gawain and the Green Knight.