Fair Ellenger- McAtee (WV) 1917 Cox G
[From Folk-Songs of the South- Cox, 1925; His extensive notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
10. LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET (Child, No. 73)
Eleven variants have been recovered under the following titles: "The Brown Girl," "Fair Ellender and the Brown Girl" "Fair Ellender," "Fair Ellenger," "Lord Thomas," "Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor," and "Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender" (cf. Cox, XIV, 120). All of these variants belong to the same version, and nine of them tell a complete story. D and H begin with a description of Lord Thomas. In the other variants the story begins by the hero's asking his mother to solve the riddle as to whether he shall marry Fair Eleanor or bring the brown girl home. Since the brown girl has house and lot (land) and Fair Eleanor has none, she advises him to marry the brown girl. Thereupon he dresses himself up in state, takes his merry men with him, rides to Fair Eleanor's hall, and invites her to his wedding on the morrow. She says that is very bad news to her for she expected to be his bride. Later she asks her mother to solve the riddle as to whether she shall go to Lord Thomas's wedding or stay at home. Her mother advises her to stay at home since she will have few friends at the wedding and many enemies, but she is determined to go. Thereupon she arrays herself in her finery, takes her merry maids with her, and rides to Lord Thomas's hall. In answer to her knocking, Lord Thomas himself lets her in, leads her into the hall, and chooses for her the highest seat. Fair Eleanor twits him with having married such a brown wife, whereupon the brown girl stabs her with a penknife between the short ribs and the long. Lord Thomas asks why she looks so pale and she suggests that he must be blind not to observe her heart's blood trickling down to her knee. With a little hand-sword Lord Thomas cuts off the head of the brown girl, kicks it against the wall, and then slays himself with the same sword. Before he dies, he requests that Fair Eleanor be buried in his arms and the brown girl at his feet.
The West Virginia variants are closely related to group D of Child, as is shown by many striking incidents in common, such as the meeting and quick parting of the lovers; Lord Henry loves the little finger of Fair Eleanor better than he does the whole body of the brown girl; Lord Thomas dressed in green and taken for a king; Lord Thomas dressed in black (the rhyme requires the word white) and taken for a knight ; Fair Eleanor taken for a queen; Fair Eleanor seated in the noblest chair, or chair of gold, or given the highest seat; the well in the yard of Fair Ellen's father.
For American texts see Child, in, 509 (Virginia; from Babcock, Folk-Lore Journal, VII, 33) Journal, XVIII 128 Barry: Vermont, Massachusetts by way of New Jersey) XIX 235, Belden; Missouri, Arkansas); xx, 254 (Pettit; Kentucky); XXVII, 71 (Barry; tune only); XXVIII 152 (Perrow; North Carolina); XXIX, 159 (Tolman; Pennsylvania by way of Kansas; texts reported from Virginia and Indiana); McGill, p. 26 (Kentucky); Focus, 111, 204, and IV, 162 (Virginia); Shoemaker, p. 138 (Pennsylvania); Campbell and Sharp, No. 16 (North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts); Pound, No. 12 (Maryland by way of Nebraska); Mackenzie, p. 97 (Nova Scotia); Means, Outlook, September 9, 1899, LXIII, 120; Berea Quarterly, April, 1905, IX, No. 3, p. 10; October, 1910, XIV, No. 3, p. 27; October, 1915, XVIII, No. 4, p. 14; Child MSS., XXIII, article 73; Wyman MS., No. 9 (Kentucky); Minish MS. (North Carolina); The Forget-Me-Not Songster (New York, Nails & Cornish), p. 236. See also Belden, No. 4; Shearin and Combs, p. 8; Pound, p. n; F. C. Brown, p. 9; Bulletin, Nos. 2, 3, 5-10; Campbell, The Survey, New York, January 2, 1915, XXXIII, 374; Reed Smith, Journal, XXVII, 62; XXIII, 200.
G. "Fair Ellenger." Communicated by Mrs. Hilary G. Richardson, Clarksburg, Harrison County, 191 7; obtained from Mrs. Nancy McDonald McAtee (cf. Journal, xxxn, 499, 504).
1 "O mother, dear mother, come tell to me,
Come tell to me in one:
Whether I shall marry Fair Ellenger,
Or the brown girl go bring home."
2 "The brown girl she has house and land,
Fair Ellenger she has none;
And before I charge you with my bless-on
The brown girl go bring home."
3 He put his foot in his right stir-rup,
So merrily rode away;
He rode till he come to Fair Ellenger's hall,
And tingered low down at the ring.
4 There was none so ready as Fair Ellenger
To git up and let him in.
"What news have you brought to me,
Lord Thomas?" she said.
5 "I've come to ask you to my wedding;
May the Lord have mercy on me."
6 "Now mother, now mother," she says to me,
"Come tell to me in one:
Whether I shall go to Lord Thomas' wedding,
Or shall I tarry at home?"
7 "Perhaps a great many of your friends will be there,
And perhaps a great many of your foes;
Before I charge you with my bless-on,
To Lord Thomas' wedding don't go."
8 She turned herself around about
And gazed up agin the wall :
"Now mother," she says,
"To Lord Thomas' wedding I'll go."
9 Lord Thomas dressed himself in white,
Fair Ellenger dressed in green,
And every town that they rid through,
They took her to be some queen.
10 They rid till they came to the brown girl's hall,
He took Fair Ellenger by the hand,
And led her through where the beds were made,
And the tables were spread and the ladies were dancing thereby.
11 He took her by the lily-white hand
And led her through the hall,
And set her down in a golden cheer
Before the quality all.
12 "Is this your bride, Lord Thomas?" she said,
"I'm sure she's wonderful brown;
You mought 'a' had me, as fair a ladee
As ere the sun shone on."
13 The brown girl had a little penknife,
The blade was keen and sharp;
She pierced it through Fair Ellenger's breast
And pierced it to her heart.
14 Lord Thomas rode up in the hall
Before the quality all,
And cut the brown girl's head off
And kicked it agin the wall.
15 Lord Thomas he had a sword,
The blade was keen and sharp;
He placed the handle agin the wall,
The point toward his heart.
16 "Go dig my grave both wide and long,
Go dig it wide and deep;
Place Fair Ellenger in my arms,
The brown girl at my feet."