Scottish Ballads

These poems are among a group of anonymous songs that were probably written between 1200 and 1700 in Northern England and Scotland. Their origins are a bit controversial; scholars can't agree on how they were composed, or how old individual ballads are. Most were not written down until the eighteenth and even nineteenth centuries. They are, however, one of my favorite genres of literature.  One of the best collections of these songs is the 5 volume Child set, now finally back in print after many years.

The List
Ballads with a * include musical notation.

The Broomfield Hill
The Cruel Mother
*The Cruel Sister
Eppie Morrie
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight
Lord Randal
Sir Patrick Spence
*TamLin
*The Three Ravens
Thomas Rhymr
The Twa Magicians
*The Unquiet Grave
The Wee Wee Man
*The Wife of Usher's Well
Another Ballad Site!

Ballad Parodies

The Ballad of Treagearn courtesy of Eric
All Purpose Folk Song (the Flash Girls & Neil Gaiman)