The Maid and the Palmer

]

ynopsis

A palmer begs a cup from a maid who is washing at the well, so that he could drink from. She says she has none. He says that she would have, if her lover came. She swore she had never had a lover. He says that she has borne nine babies and tells her where she buried the bodies. She begs some penance from him. He tells her that she will be transformed into a stepping-stone for seven years, a bell-clapper for seven, and spend seven years in hell.

In some variants, the children were incestously conceived.

Commentary

This ballad combines themes from the Biblical stories of the Samaritan woman at the well, and Mary Magdalene. [Francis James Child, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads", v 1, p 228, Dover Publications, New York 1965] In several foreign variants, the palmer is in fact Jesus. [Francis James Child, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads", v 1, p 229, Dover Publications, New York 1965]

The ballad "The Cruel Mother", Child ballad 20, exists in a number of variants; one contains a number of verses that appear to stem from this one. [Francis James Child, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads", v 1, p 218, Dover Publications, New York 1965]

Recordings

*The Irish folk bank Planxty released a version on their album "The Well Below the Valley" (1973).
*A version of "Well Below The Valley" can also be found on Christy Moore's live album "At The Point Live" (1994)

References

External links

* [http://www.bartleby.com/243/99.html "The Maid and the Palmer"]
* [http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=7138 "The Well Below the Valley"] , a variant