The Bonny Lass of Anglesey

The Bonny Lass of Anglesey is Child ballad 220.^[1]

Synopsis

Fifteen English lords come to the king "To dance and win the victory." He gets the bonny lass to dance with them, offering her lands and either the fairest knight (of her choice), or the bravest, in his court. She wins. The fifteenth lord laid aside his sword but still had to admit defeat—in one variant, for exhaustion.

Commentary

The significance of this dancing competition and the "victory" won is unclear. The point is that none of the knights can outdance her.

Francis James Child classified it among the "historical" ballads.

Adaptions

Delia Sherman reworked this ballad in her short story "The Fiddler of Bayou Teche".^[2]

References

^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Ballads, "The Bonny Lass of Anglesey"
^ "2007 Nebula Award Nominees", The Bulletin of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Spring 2008 p 44

v t e Francis James Child
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Related	List of the Child Ballads Percy Folio "The Crabfish"

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