Good Hunter
original work: Music by Lady Ambra Michelli
Lyrics by Lady Ambra Michelli and Mistress Adelaide de Beaumont

Come sit you down on this dark night
Wind well thy horn good hunter.
And hearken to a tale of fright
Though you be a mighty hunter.

A maid dwells in the woods nearby
Wind well thy horn good hunter.
She draws the careless with her cry
For she is a mighty hunter.

No mortal man can break her will:
No sword avails, no strength, no skill.

One day a man of chivalry
Heeded not this history.

So I will tell you of his fate,
He who drank from wisdom’s cup too late.

He ranged the woods both far and near,
Till sounds of weeping drew his ear:

"Why weep you in the forest here?"
"A boar has killed my husband dear!"

"Oh where shall I this wild boar see?"
"Oh blow a blast, he’ll come to thee."

The knight put horn unto his mouth,
He blew it north, east, west, and south.

As strong as seven armored men
The boar came forth from out his den.

The boar cut wounds of scarlet red
But the knight at last struck off his head.

Then the maid turned to the knight:
"Thou art the man of greater might".

"Fair lady sad this day must be,
But let me take you off with me.

Your beauty rare has captured me.
Come with me, I’ll marry thee."

"Oh foolish man no wife I’ll be;
Tis ye who’ll come and follow me.

You have slain my magic boar
Who was, as you, a man before.

And now you’ll take his place good knight,
Till you are slain by greater might."

The knight cried out in grief full sore
Where he had stood, now lay a boar.

Beware all ye the crying bride
Who lives within the green wood-side.

Hunt not within the Maid’s domain
Wind well they horn good hunter

Or as a beast you may remain
As one more mighty hunter.

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Good Hunter - Documentation

A short history of the Traditional Ballad

The Child ballad is a late–period phenomenon, by SCA standards. Such ballads may or may not have been sung as far back as the fifteenth century, according to history theorists and yet their context suggest they were created far earlier than that. They were certainly being sung by the fifteenth century but not many of them were being recorded. With my Song, Good Hunter, I am trying to prove that it’s written style and content are in period form.

My basis for “Good Hunter” was the Child ballad #18, from sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads, “Sir Lionel”. One half of A (the second and fourth quarters) is wanting in the Percy MS. B can be traced in Banff shire for more than a hundred years, through the old woman that sang it, and her forbears. What we can gather of the story is this. A knight finds a lady sitting in (or under) a tree, who tells him that a wild boar has slain (or wounded) her lord and killed (or wounded) thirty of his men. The knight kills the boar, and seems to have received bad wounds in the process. The boar belonged to a giant or to a wild woman. The knight is required to forfeit his hawks and leash and the little finger of his right hand (or his horse, his hound, and his lady). He refuses to submit to such disgrace, though in no condition to resist; the giant allows him time to heal his wounds, and he is to leave his lady as security for his return. At the end of the time the knight comes back sound and well, and kills the giant as he had killed the boar. C says nothing of the knight having been wounded. The wild woman, to revenge her “pretty spotted pig", flies fiercely at him, and he cleaves her in two. The last quarter of the Percy copy would, no doubt, reveal what became of the lady who was sitting in the tree, as to which traditional copies give no light.

As to my variances, there are many examples of the hero being cursed by an evil witch or sorcerer and so my song adapts a similar ending. Such Examples of transformation by the wicked or sorcerer are:

• “Young Edward and the Dove”

(Where unknowing of a witch’s curse he shoots his true love through the heart in the form of a dove.)

• “Cruel Sister”

(Where the maid is turned into a harp to seek justice from her murdering sister. A Child Ballad.)

• “The Marriage of sir Gawain”

(Where the wife-to-be is an ugly hag, cursed by a witch, who transforms into a beautiful maiden when kissed or granted her will. A Child ballad.)

The tune is written in Am, and does not exceed the range of “Scarborough Fare” and actually begins on the same note as that of “The Twa Corbies”. Since the tune does not constrain the meter of the son and falls within the range of accepted medieval tunes, it is easy to believe such a tune would not fall beyond the depths of a bard/scholar’s abilities to create.

As to my introduction and conclusion in the song, I tried to recreate the strong “Moral-of-the-story” element found within most ballads.

A ballad has a simple metrical structure and sentence structure. By far the most common balladic stanza form consists of four lines, with either four stresses per line, as in “The Twa Corbies” (Child #26 in sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads):

As I was wal’king all’ alane’
I heard’ twa cor’bies mak’ing mane’,
The tane’ unto’ the ti’ther say’
“Whare’ sall we gang’ and dine’ the day’?”

or four stresses alternating with three stresses as in ”Sir Patrick Aspens” (Child #58):

The king’ sat’ in Dunferm’line town’
Drink’ing the bluid’ –reid wine’;
“Oh where’ sall I’ get a sai’lor bold’
To sail’ this ship o mine’?”

Indeed, the latter is sometimes referred to as the “ballad stanza” or Ballad measure”.

In “Good Hunter”, the meter is similar to those above and in accordance with the original versions of the child ballad “Sir Lionel” (Pre-1600’s, child ballad #18, pg 34 in sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads). It is written in a ballad stanza or ballad measure form.

So I’ will tell’ you of’ his fate’
Wind well’ thy horn’ good hun’ter’,
(He) Who drank’ from wis’doms cup’ too late’,
For he’ was a mi’ghty hun’ter’

The Chorus’ every other line are in keeping with traditional ballads such as “Sir Lionell” (Child ballad #18, pg 34 in sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads) that the song originated from), “Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight” (Child ballad 4, pg 4 in sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads), “Hind Horn” (Child ballad 17, pg 31 in sited text: English and Scottish Popular Ballads), and is found regularly in traditional ballads.

A) “Sir Lionell,” Percy MS,. P 32, Hales and Furnival, I.

Sir Egrabell had sonnes three,
Blow thy horne, good hunter

Sir Lyonell was one of these
As I am a gentle hunter

Sir Lyonell wold on hunting ryde
Vntill the forrest him beside

And as he rode thorrow the wood,
Where trees and harts and all were good

And as he rode over the plaine
There he saw a knight lay slaine

And as he rode still on the plaine
He saw a lady sitt in a graine

Say thou lady, and tell thou me
What blood shedd here has bee

Of this blood shedd we may all rew
Both wife and childe and man alsoe

For it is not past 3 days right
Since sir broninge was mad a knight

Nor it is not more than 3 dayes agoe
Since the wild bore did him sloe

Say thou, lady, and tell thou mee,
How long thou wilt sitt in that tree

She said I will sitt in this tree
Till my friends doe feitch me

Tell me lady and doe not misse
Where that your friends dwellins is

Downe shee said in younder towne
There dwells my friends of great renowne

Says, “Lady, Ile ryde into yonder towne
And see wether your friends beene bowne

I my self will be the formost man
That shall come lady to feitch you home

But as he rode then by the way
He thought it shame to goe away

And Vmbethought him of a wile
how he might that wilde bore beguile

Sir Egrabell he said my father was
He neuer left lady in such a case

Noe more will I’…
* * * * * * * *

And a[fter] that thou shalt doe mee
Thy hawkes and thy lese alsoe

Soe shalt thou doe at my command
The little fingar on thy right hand

Ere I wold leaue all this with thee
Bpoon this ground I rather dyee

The gyant gaue Sir Lyonell such a blow,
The fyer out of his eyen did throw

He said then, “If I were safe and sound,
As with-in this hower I was in this ground,

It shold be in the next towne told
How deare thy buffet it was sold

And it shold haue beene in the text towne said
How well thy buffet it were paid”

Take 40 daies into spite
To heale thy wounds that been soe wide

When 40 dayes beene at an end,
Heere meete thou me both safe and sound

And till thou come to me againe
With me thoust leaue thy lady alone

When 40 dayes was at an end
Sir lyonell of his wounds was healed sound

He tooke with him a little page
He gaue to him good yeomans wage

And as he rode by one hawthorne
Even there did hang his hunting horne

He sett his bugle to his mouth
And blew his bugle still full south

He blew his bugle lowed and shrill;
The lady heard and came him till

Sayes the gyant lyes vnder yond low
And well he heares your bugle blow

And bidds me of good cheere be
This night heele supp with you and me

Hee sett that lady vppon a steede
And a little boy before her yeede

And said “Lady in you see that I must dye
As euer you loued me from me flye

“But lady if you see that I must lieu,’
* * * * * * * * * * *

B) ‘Isaac-a-Bell and Hugh the Graeme.’ Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 110. From the singing of an old woman in Buckie, Enzie, Banff-shire.

A knight had two sons o sma fame
Hey nien nanny
Isaac a Bell and Hugh the Graeme
And the norlan flowers spring bonny

And the youngest he did say
What occupation will you hae?
When the, etc.

Will you gae fee to pick a mill
Or will you keep hogs on yon hill
When the, etc.

I winna fee to pick a mill
Nor will I keep hogs on yon hill
When the, etc.

Bit it is said as I do hear
That war will last for seven year
When the, etc.

With a giant and a boar
That range into the wood of Tore
When the, etc.

You’ll horse and armour to me provide
That through Tore wood I may safely ride
When the, etc.

The knight did horse and armour provide
That through Tore wood Graeme mieht safely ride
When the, etc.

Then he rode through the wood o Tore
And up it started the grisly boar
When the, etc.

The firsten bout that he did ride
The boar he wounded in the left side
When the, etc.

The nexten bout at the boar he gaed
He from the boar took aff his head
When the, etc.

As he rode back through the wood o Tore
Up started the giant him before
When the, etc.

O cam you through the wood o Tore
Or did you see my good wild boar
When the, etc.

I cam now through the wood o Tore
But woe be to your grisly boar
When the, etc.

The firsten bout that I did ride
I wounded your boar in the side
When the, etc.

The nexten bout at him I gaed
From your wild boar I took aff his head
When the, etc.

Gin you have cut aff the head o my boar
It’s your heard shall be taen therefore
When the, etc.

I’ll gie you thirty days and three,
To heal your wounds, then come ta me
It’s after thirty days and three

When my wounds heal I’ll com ta thee
So Graeme is back to the wood o Tore
And he’s killed the giant, as he kild the boar

C) “The Jovial Hunter of Bronsgrove.” Allies, The British, Roman, and Saxon Antiquities and Folk-Lore of Worcestershire, 2d ed,. p. 116. From the recitation of Benjamin Brown of Upper Wick. Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, edited by Robert Bell, p. 124.

Sir Robert Bolton had three sons
Wind well thy horn good hunter
And one of them was called Sir Ryalas
For he was a jovial hunter

He rang’d all round down by the wood side
Till up in the top of a tree a gay lady he spyd

O what dost thou mean fair lady? Said he
O the wild boar has killed my lord and his me thirty
As thou beest, etc

O what shall I do this wild boar to see
O thee blow a blast, and he’ll come unto thee

Then he put his horn unto his mout
Then he blowd a blast full north east west and south

And the wild boar heard him full into his den
Then he made the best of his speed unto him

Then the wild boar being so stout and strong
Thrashed down the trees as he came along

O what dost thou want of me the wild boar said he
O I think in my heart I can doe enough for thee

Then they fought four hors in a long summers day
Till the wild boar fain would have gotten away

Then Sir tylas drawd his broad sword with might
And he fairly cut his head off quite

Then out of the wood the wild woman flew
Oh thou hast killed my pretty spotted pig
There are three things I do demand of thee
It’s thy horn, and thy hound, and thy gay lady.

If these three things thou dost demand of me
It’s just as my sword and thy neck can agree

Then into his locks the wild woman flew
Thill she thought in her heart she had torn him through

Then Sir Ryalas drawd his broad sword again
And he fairly split her head in twain

In Bromsgrove church they both do lie;
There the wild boar’s head is pictured by
Sir Ryalas, etc.

_____________________________________________

My version is most closely resemblant of this last version of “Sir Lionell,” though it holds elements of all of them. This last version gives the example of the hero dying and though it is rare that evil should live, for purpose of a moral, the story twists it’s ending to match it’s meaning: "Listen when we tell you the big-bad is really big and bad. If not, follow other fools to their death."

Sources:

• The Complete Anacronist

(which can also be found on the internet at httpl//www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ca.index.html)

• English and Scottish Popular Ballads (Child)
• The British, Roman, and Saxon Antiquities and Folk-Lore of Worcestershire, 2d ed
• Traditional Ballad Airs
• Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, edited by Robert Bell.

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Last modified October 4, 2005. Content suggestions to Lord Olivier de Bayonne