"The Whummil Bore" is
Child ballad
The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...
27. A whummil is a tool for drilling holes.
Synopsis
The narrator served the king seven years and "saw his daughter only once"—meaning saw her naked, through a whummil bore. She was being dressed by her maids.
Commentary
Only one variant of this ballad exists. "
Hind Horn
"Hind Horn" (Child 17, Roudbr>28 is a traditional English and Scottish folk ballad.
Synopsis
Hind Horn and the king's daughter Jean fall in love. He gives her a silver wand, and she gives him a diamond ring and tells him when the stones grow pa ...
" appears to contain a stanza from it.
[Francis James Child, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', v 1, p 247, Dover Publications, New York 1965]
Recording
This is recorded on the
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...
2006 album
Bloody Men.
See also
*
List of the Child Ballads
References
Child Ballads
Year of song unknown
Songwriter unknown
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