Gone Medieval Ballads of Love and Death
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Sep 30, 2025 Join Amy Jeffs, an author known for her creative reimaginings of traditional ballads, as she delves into the captivating world of medieval music and folklore. In this engaging discussion, she explores themes of love and morality through haunting ballads, revealing their oral roots and narrative forms. Amy highlights the collaborative process of transforming these songs into stories with illustrations and music. Additionally, she shares insights on the contemporary relevance of ballads and their mesmerizing tales of temptation, fairy encounters, and survival.
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Broadsides Drove Ballad Circulation
- Street‑corner broadsides and women singers helped spread ballads in urbanising post‑medieval Britain.
- Ballads about recent events and scaffold confessions were sold and performed by women to earn money.
Thomas The Rhymer's Hybrid Tradition
- Thomas the Rhymer connects medieval romance, prophecy, and fairy lore into a ballad form dating to the 14th century.
- The ballad blends political prophecy with otherworldly encounters and ambiguous moral dynamics.
Fairyland As Political Mirror
- Fairyland in ballads functions as a topsy‑turvy political space that reflects earthly sovereignty concerns.
- Ballads use fairy tithe, truth‑tongues, and journeys to question authority and social order.
