Harpens kraft (Danish) or Harpans kraft, meaning "The Power of the Harp", is the title of a supernatural ballad type, attested in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic variants.
In ''
The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad
''The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad: A Descriptive Catalogue'' (TSB) is the designation for a cataloguing system for Scandinavian ballads.
It is also the title of the underlying reference book: ''The Types of the Scandinavian Medieva ...
'' it is catalogued type A 50, "Man saves his bride from
merman
Mermen, the male counterparts of the mythical female mermaids, are legendary creatures, which are male human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal human shape. Sometimes they are described as hideous and other ...
by playing his harp".
The ballad type tells of a hero whose betrothed has premonitions of a fall from a bridge into the river, which despite the hero's assurances and precautions comes true. But by the power of his harp-playing, he regains his bride from the river creature, which is referred to as a "merman" in the TSB catalog:
while "merman" (') occurs in a variant, it is called a
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...
in the older Danish text, and a "
neck (nix)" in the Swedish text.
The ballad of this type occur under the following titles. Danish: "Harpens kraft" (''
DgF
''Danmarks gamle Folkeviser'' is a collection of (in principle) all known texts and recordings of the old Danish popular ballads. It drew both on early modern manuscripts, such as Karen Brahes Folio, and much more recent folk-song collecting activi ...
'' 40); Swedish: "Harpans kraft" (''
SMB'' 22); Norwegian: ''Villemann og Magnhild'' (''
NMB'' 26); ''Gaute og Magnild'' and ''Guðmund og Signelita'' (
Landstad 51 and 52), etc.; and Icelandic: ''Gautakvæði'' "Gauti's ballad" (''
IFkv'' 3).
Noted for its resemblance to the Greek myth of
Orpheus
Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...
, a harp-player with mystical powers, it may be related to medieval versions of that story such as the Middle English ''
Sir Orfeo
''Sir Orfeo'' is an anonymous Middle English Breton lai dating from the late 13th or early 14th century. It retells the story of Orpheus as a king who rescues his wife from the fairy king. The folk song ''Orfeo'' ( Roud 136, Child 19) is based ...
''.
Similarity has also been noted with the supernatural power of the harp in the Scottish ballad ''
Glasgerion
Glasgerion is Child ballad 67, (Roud 145), existing in several variants.
Synopsis
Glasgerion is a king's son and a harper. He harps before another king, whose daughter arranges a tryst with him. He tells his servant to ensure that he wakes in t ...
'' (
Child ballad 67 variants B, C, "He'd harpit a fish out o saut water", etc.).
Common plot
A bridegroom asks his betrothed why she is so sorrowful. At last she answers that she is going to fall into a river on her way to her wedding (as her sisters have done before her, in some Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish variants). The man promises to build a broad, strong bridge over the river, and he and his men will protect her. Despite all precautions taken, the maiden's horse stumbles (or rears up) while over the bridge, and she tumbles into the river. The man has his golden harp brought to him and plays so beautifully that the "merman" (Danish: ''
trold''; Swedish: ''
neck'') is forced to return his betrothed.
There exist Danish, Norwegian and Swedish variants where the water spirit restores the bride's two other sisters (or however many) who had been previously taken by the creature.
The Icelandic version has a tragic ending, and the hero only recovers his bride's corpse.
A list of available translations of the ballads from various Scandinavian languages are given under
English Translations
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
below.
Danish version
The Danish analogue is ''Harpens kraft'' (''
Danmarks gamle Folkeviser'' no. 40). There are six versions (DgF 40A–F), taken mostly from manuscripts such as
Karen Brahes Folio
Karen Brahes Folio (Odense, Landsarkivet for Fyn, Karen Brahe E I,1, also known as Karen Brahes Foliohåndskrift) is a manuscript collection of Danish ballads dating from c. 1583. The manuscript contains the following names, presumed to be of its o ...
of the 1570s (Variant A). There is a broadside copy dating to 1778 (designated variant E). Another recension (variant F) has Swedish provenance, being copied out of a manuscript written in 1693 by a Swede in
Næsum parish,
Skåne County, Sweden, but Grundtvig counted it as a Danish example since the language was Danish, and it was suitable for comparing with text E.
In Danish variants, the troll ("''throld''(''en'')", ''DgF'' 40A; "''trold''(''en'')", D) is called ''havtroll'' (C), ''havmand'' (E), or ''vandman'' (F).
Translations under the title "The Power of the Harp" exist, including one by R. C. Alexander Prior (1860)
and by
George Borrow
George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...
(1913, 1923).
Swedish version
Geijer Geijer is a Swedish surname. People with this surname include:
* Agnes Geijer (1898–1989), Swedish historian and archaeologist
*Arne Geijer (1910–1979), trade unionist
*Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783–1847), writer, composer, and historian
*Eric Nev ...
and
Afzelius published three variants of ''Harpans kraft'' (GA 91, or in the later edition with Bergström, GAB 75).
[; ] Altogether, the Swedish form is attested in ''
Sveriges Medeltida Ballader'' (SMB 22) in 49 variants (two of which are from Finland) from the 1690s onward (21 variants of which have melodies). It may be noted that the oldest variant included in ''SMB'' is the same as that catalogued as Danish ballad variant DgF 40F mentioned above, and which the early Swedish collectors concurred was a "half-Danish" specimen.
Geijer and Afzelius's first variant (GA 91.1=SMB 22 H) localized in
Östergötland has been translated as "Power of the Harp" by
Edward Vaughan Kenealy
Edward Vaughan Hyde Kenealy QC (2 July 1819 – 16 April 1880) was an Irish barrister and writer. He is best remembered as counsel for the Tichborne claimant and the eccentric and disturbed conduct of the trial that led to his ruin.
Early ...
(1864).
The third variant (GA 91.3 =SMB 22J) from
Västergötland
Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden.
Väs ...
and
Vermland was translated by
Thomas Keightley
Thomas Keightley (17 October 1789 – 4 November 1872) was an Irish writer known for his works on mythology and folklore, particularly ''Fairy Mythology'' (1828), later reprinted as ''The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little ...
in his "The Fairy Mythology" (1828).
In the first variant (Kenealy tr.), the hero and bride are anonymous and merely called "young swain" (''ungersven'') and maiden, whereas in the third variant (Keightley tr.) they are named "Peder" and "Liten Kerstin" respectively.
The name of the feared river may be given as
Vernamo river (GA 1), Ringfalla (GA 3), or Renfalla, Vendels, etc.
A version explains the bride's guardsmen abandoned her side to go hunting when they spotted a "hart with gilded horns" in Ringfalla woods (GA 3, Keightley's translation).
The motif of harp-playing which forces a supernatural being to act in a certain way is also found in ''
Sveriges Medeltida Ballader'' 21 G of ''
Ungersven och havsfrun
''Ungersven och havsfrun'' (as it is known in Swedish) or ''Herr Bøsmer i elvehjem'' (as it is known in Danish) (''The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad'' A 49, ''Drink causes forgetfulness and makes man stay with mermaid'') is a supernatu ...
'' (which also ends happily). Conversely, the plot of variant 20 L (''Necken bejlare'') is very similar to this ballad type, except that the bride's rescue by the harp has been deleted (and thus the ballad ends unhappily).
Norwegian version
In Norway the ballad is generally known as ''Villemann og Magnhild'' and catalogued as ''Norske mellomalderballadar'' (NMB) no. 26. There are some 100 variants, although this count tallies up many fragmentary redactions only a few stanzas long.
Some variants are known by other titles: ''Harpespelet tvingar nykken'' in
Leiv Heggstad's collection, and two specimens called ''Gaute og Magnild'' and ''Guðmund og Signelita'' in the anthology compiled by
Landstad (1853).
The version most often met in Norwegian songbooks today is
Knut Liestøl
Knut Liestøl (13 November 1881 – 26 June 1952) was a Norwegian folklorist, Nynorsk proponent and politician.
He was born in Åseral as a son of farmers Olav Knutson Liestøl (1855–1944) and Sigrid Røynelid (1856–1950). He was a nephew ...
and
Moltke Moe
Moltke Moe (19 June 1859 - 15 December 1913) was a Norwegian folklorist.
Biography
Ingebret Moltke Moe was born in Krødsherad, Buskerud County, Norway. He was the son of Church of Norway Bishop Jørgen Moe. After school graduation in 1876 he b ...
's 32-stanza reconstructed text (1920). A full translation is given in Heidi Støa's paper (2008).
It resembles the 22-stanza text printed by
Grundtvig (as a Norwegian variant to
DgF
''Danmarks gamle Folkeviser'' is a collection of (in principle) all known texts and recordings of the old Danish popular ballads. It drew both on early modern manuscripts, such as Karen Brahes Folio, and much more recent folk-song collecting activi ...
40c).
[Provided to Grundtvig by ]Sophus Bugge
Elseus Sophus Bugge (5 January 1833 – 8 July 1907) was a Norwegian philologist and linguist. His scholarly work was directed to the study of runic inscriptions and Norse philology. Bugge is best known for his theories and his work on the runic ...
, transcribed by Hans Ross of Fyresdal, Telemark, in 1874.[Variant 16](_blank)
Hans Ross's 1874 ms. (BIN: 0536)
Hans Ross's 1874 ms. (BIN: 0535);
Norwegian summary
The Liestøl/Moe ballad begins as follows (the recurring "burden"
[Variants have different burdens altogether, and some employ a sort of double burden or a "inner refrain" (Cf. § Burden below).] is italicized):
Villemann perceives that his beloved Magnill is weeping as the dice is cast while playing the board game (stanza 2). He makes a series of guesses why she is crying: "Cry you for fields, or cry you for meadows, etc.", and she replies she cries for none of these things (3 ~ 6). She cries because she knows she is destined for imminent death: her fair skin lying in the "darkling mould" (earth), her yellow hair rotting in "Vendel's river", having fallen from the "Blide bridge" like her sisters (7 ~ 9).
The remainder follows the typical pan-Scandinavian pattern, except for a final conclusion. Thus the hero's promise to fortify bridge with pillars of lead and steel, and men riding alongside her, her protest of futility (10 ~ 15), her horse (shod with horseshoes and nails of red gold) rearing up on hind legs, her fall into the river (16 ~ 18), Villemann's playing golden harp from golden case, his playing mounts with ever more wondrous effects on nature (19 ~ 26). Finally the ''nykkjen'' (
nøkken) releases one, then two (of her arms?), and pleads to bring stillness to his waters. But the hero refuses, and "the shatters against the hard stone" (''nykkjen han sprakk i hardan stein'').
The full text of the version of Liestøl and
Moltke Moe
Moltke Moe (19 June 1859 - 15 December 1913) was a Norwegian folklorist.
Biography
Ingebret Moltke Moe was born in Krødsherad, Buskerud County, Norway. He was the son of Church of Norway Bishop Jørgen Moe. After school graduation in 1876 he b ...
's reconstructed text is as follows:
Norwegian burdens
The Liestøl/Moe text "''Villeman og Magnill''" features only the one burden "''Så liflig leika Villemann for si skjønn jomfru''" ("So delightfully Villemann played for his virgin so fair"
), which is echoed by e.g. the Hans Ross versions.
Other variants have a single burden though worded differently.
However, Espland likes to class "Villemann og Magnhild" as a type that features "interior refrain" and a "final burden" (in italics below):
The "interior refrain" and "burden" are repeated in the second and last lines of each quatrain stanza, a common formula found in other ballads.
They precisely match the refrains performed by Høye Strand (1891-1972), recorded by .
Strand had learned from the ballad-singing tradition of singers who once performed for
Jørgen Moe
Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (22 April 1813–27 March 1882) was a Norwegian folklorist, bishop, poet, and author. He is best known for the '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', a collection of Norwegian folk tales which he edited in collaboration with Pe ...
and
Sophus Bugge
Elseus Sophus Bugge (5 January 1833 – 8 July 1907) was a Norwegian philologist and linguist. His scholarly work was directed to the study of runic inscriptions and Norse philology. Bugge is best known for his theories and his work on the runic ...
.
Here the ''de rone'' or ''rune'' is construed as "the spell",
or "the wiles".
Earlier transcribers heard these words as "''dragonerne''" (meaning "
dragoon" or "firearm-bearing type of soldier"), and the contention has been made that this may have been the transmitted form, nonsensical as it appears to be.
Still, the exact refrains including the use of "rune" are attested elsewhere in much earlier documents, e.g. Bugge's ms. of 1867 and others.
[Variant 17](_blank)
Kjetil A. Flatin's ms. of 1914 IN: 0555/ref>
Norwegian variations
The scene of ''tavl'' (board game) being played by the two is not present in all versions. Instead, the playing of the ''gullharp'' by the hero occurs in the version performed by Strand and recorded by Myklebust.[Variant 61](_blank)
Rolf Myklebust's 1965 ms. (BIN: 0595)
Rolf Myklebust's 1938 ms. (BIN: 0594)[Other variants just mention "playing", or nothing corresponding at all.]
In some variants, the ''gull'' element is seen in the hero's altered name: Gullmund, Guldmund, Gudmund, etc. The hero could be called Gaute also (which is close to the name of the hero in the Icelandic version). And Villemann may be seen under slightly different spellings: Villemand, Vellemand, Vilemann, even Wallemann.
The name "Vendel's river" ("Vendels å") occurs in Liestøl and Moe's version as well as the Grundtvig text, but may be replaced by other river names such as "Vendings" in variants. The "Blide bridge" that ironically means "Blithe Bridge" features in Danish versions as well.
Icelandic
The analogue in Iceland is known as ''Gautakvæði'' "Gauti's ballad", for which Grundtvig and Sigurðsson printed a critical text based on variants A–D (''Íslenzk fornkvæði'' no. 3).
In the Icelandic version, the main characters are Gauti, a fine knight, and his wife Magnhild, wearing much gold jewelry and clad in black dress.[According to the Cleasby-Vigfusson dictionary, "BRÚNN, adj." is literally "brown", but "''brún klæði'', black dress, of the dress of a divine".] While they lie in bed together, he asks her, "What grieves thee, my sweetheart?" and she answers it is because she will inevitably will be drowned in Skotberg River. He assures her she will not be drowned because he will build an iron bridge over the river. She replies "Though thou make it as high as a cloud, none can flee one's fate (tr. Kemp in his summary)" (str. 1–4). After three days of drunken revelry, they ride out to the Skotberg's river (str. 6),[Variant D here inserts three stanzas, where Gauti orders his swain to saddle his pale (''blakkr'') and brown horse so they can ride to the priest's house.] and Gauti asks his swain (youth) about what has happened to Magnild, and receives report that just as she reached the midpoint, the iron bridge broke into pieces. 50 men fell in, and no one was paying attention about Magnhild (str. 10). He tells his swain to fetch his harp, and hurls the harp against the floor, breaking twelve strings, and then five more (str. 13).[The harp-hurling and string-breaking stanzas are found in other ballads, e.g. Vallara kvæði (''Íslenzk fornkvæði'' no. 15)] He strums the first tune, and a star is shot into the murky sea. His playing coaxes a bolt out of its lock, a cow from its shed, horse from its stall, a fair hind from the mountain, a ship from the rollers for launching it (''hlunnr''), a fair maiden from the greenfield, and finally, wrenches his wife Magnhild onto the white sand upon land (str. 18). She is dead, and with much pain he kisses her, buries her flesh in consecrated ground, and takes strands of her gleaming hair to make into harp strings (str. 19–21). Variant B has an alternate ending, where he kisses her corpse and his heart bursts. In variant D, he kisses her and his heart shatters into three pieces, and three bodies went inside the stone-coffin together: Gauti and his wife and his mother who died of grief.
The name of the river in the ballad, "Skotberg River" (''Skotbergs á''), cannot be identified in Iceland's landscape but bears similarity to Skodborg River bordering North and South Jutland in Denmark, though none of the Danish ballad cognates give that river's name.
English Translations
English translations of this ballad have been published. Retellings include "Christin's Trouble" (prose) in Julia Goddard
Julia Bachope Goddard (11 July 1825 – 30 September 1896), was a British children's writer of more than 25 books, animal welfare campaigner, journalist and artist.
Early life
She was born in Birmingham on 11 July 1825, the eldest daughter in a fa ...
's anthology (1871)
From the Danish
* "The Power of the Harp" by R. C. Alexander Prior (1860)
* "The Power of the Harp" by George Borrow
George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...
(1913, 1923).[; ]
* "The Power of the Harp" by Alexander Gray (1954).
From the Swedish
*tr. "The Power of the Harp" (1828), of Geijer and Afzelius, #91.3
* Kenealy, Edward Vaughan tr. "The Power of the Harp" (1864), of Geijer and Afzelius, #91.1
*Anonymous (attrib. Robinson, Thérèse Albertine L. aka Talvj (1836).
**Reprinted in: Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
ed. ''Poets and Poetry of Europe'' (1847).
* "The Power of the Harp" in ''Lord Peter and Little Kerstin'' (2013) by Ian Cumpstey.
From the Norwegian
* "Villeman and Magnhild" (NMB) by Theodore Jorgenson (1950, 1954).
From the Icelandic
* "Gauti's ballad" (ÍF 3) summarized in prose by Hallmundsson (1962).
* "ÍF 3 Gauta kvæði", summary and commentary by Vésteinn Ólason (1982).
Recordings
* in 1958, on the record ''Den medeltida balladen'', SR RELP 5003-5006 .
* The group , on the record ''Anno 1979'' from 1979 (new melody) .
* Berit Opheim Versto, ''Norske Ballader: 30 ballader – Om drap og elskov, skjemt og lengsel blant riddere, jomfruer, kjemper og dyr'', Grappa 2009, HCD 7239, .
* Høye Strand (of Seljord i Telemark), issued in album ''Haugebonden'' (Buen Kultu, 1992); originally recorded on tape by .
*
Folkeviseautomat - Arkiv
* Trio Mediæval
Trio Mediæval is a vocal trio established in 1997 in Oslo, mainly to sing medieval polyphonic works. Its members are Anna Maria Friman (from Sweden) and Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Torunn Østrem Ossum (from Norway).
The trio's debut album, ''Word ...
, "Villemann og Magnhild" in ''Folk Songs'' (ECM Records 2007) .
* and Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career.
Background
Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near ...
, "Villemann og Magnhild" in ''Tideland'' (Alula 1996) .
* , Sinikka Langeland
}
Sinikka Langeland (born 13 January 1961 in Grue, Norway) is a Norwegian traditional folk singer and musician (kantele), known for combining traditional music with elements of jazz.
Career
Langeland plays the Finnish National Instrument kante ...
, Agnes Buen Garnås
Agnes Buen Garnås (born 23 October 1946) is a Norwegian folk singer from the county of Telemark. She comes from a famous musical family from the town of Jondal, and is known particularly for her singing of ancient unaccompanied Norwegian ballads, ...
, "Villemann og Magnhild" (several versions) in ''Det Syng!'' (''Ballader på vandring'') (Grappa 1997) .
*Golden Bough
''The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion'' (retitled ''The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion'' in its second edition) is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by the Scottish anthropologist Sir ...
, as "The Power of the Harp" on ''Winding Road'' (1986).
*German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Medieval Metal
Medieval metal is a subgenre of folk metal that blends heavy metal music with medieval folk music. Medieval metal is mostly restricted to Germany where it is known as or . The genre emerged from the middle of the 1990s with contributions from ...
group In Extremo
In Extremo (Latin for ''At the Edge''; abbreviated InEx or IE) is a German Medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with Medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal inst ...
performed the Norwegian version of the ballad for their album '' Weckt die Toten!''. Their version of the ballad was covered by French folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
group SKÁLD for their EP ''Winter Songs''.
Footnotes
Explanatory notes
Citations
References
;Danish versions
*
**
*
**
Internet Archive
*
*
;Swedish versions
*
*
** Vol. 2 Anmärkingar
#75, pp. 306–7
** Vol. 3 Musik, https://books.google.com/books?id=BWYJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA137 #75, p. 137]
*
** /archive.org/details/poemstranslation00kene Internet archive*
**pp. 237–240 in 1828 edition
1870 edition
at Sacred Texts site.
*
;Norwegian versions
*
*
*
**
;Icelandic version
*
* (English summary)
* (English summary)
;Studies
*
*
*
* - quotes the same Synopsis as in ''The Types".
*
**
* - discusses relation to persons named in ''Deor
"Deor" (or "The Lament of Deor") is an Old English poem found on folio 100r–100v of the late-10th-century collection the Exeter Book. The poem consists of a reflection on misfortune by a poet whom the poem is usually thought to name Deor. The po ...
'' to the Norwegian variant "Gaute og Magnhild'" and Icelandic "Gauta kvæði"
* - Norwegian version, translation of burden, in brief, Danish parallel.
*
* "Appendix B: Villy Sørensen on DgF 40: Harpens Kraft he Power of the Harp
{{Refend
External links
Folkeviseautomat - Arkiv
- From navbar choose "Naturmytiske viser" then "Villemann og Magnhild". Choose "Lyd" to listen to button to listen to Høye Strand's performance, and follow the text.
Villemann, Maghild og Nøkken
@ Barnesanger site - with some English annotation, recording.
1.6 Villemann og Magnhild
(pdf) 7-strophe variant, 1938 manuscript of O. M. Sandvik, transcribed from the ballad performed by Høye Strand of Seljord, Telemark, with bar of music.
Dokumentasjons-prosjektet (U. Oslo), ninety-six variants.
"Villemann"
Visekatalogen
Danish folk music
Finnish folk music
Icelandic folk music
Nordic folk music
Norwegian folk music
Songs
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...
Folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
Scandinavian folklore
Danish folklore
Swedish folklore
Norwegian folklore
Finnish folklore
Water spirits
Orpheus
Fictional mermen and mermaids