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Herr Mannelig

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Wikipedia article




'Herr Mannelig' (also known as 'Bergatrollets frieri' "The Courting of the Mountain Troll") is a Swedish folk ballad (SMB 26; TSB A 59) that tells the story of a female mountain troll ('bergatroll') who proposes marriage to a young human man.

The troll is trying to convince "Sir Mannelig" ('Herr Mannelig') to marry her. She offers him many gifts but he refuses her because she is not a Christian. It's also implied that the troll is actually a pagan woman, and that the song symbolizes a young Christian man resisting material gain that would come with apostasy.

History



The ballad was first published 1877 as a folk song of the Sdermanland region (recorded in Lunda parish, Nykping Municipality). A variant from Nshulta parish, Eskilstuna Municipality, published in the same collection in 1882, had the title 'Skogsjungfruns frieri' ("The Courting of the Wood-nymph", a 'skogsjungfru' or 'skogsnufva' being a female wood-nymph or fairy).

H. Aminson, 'Bidrag till Sdermanlands ldre Kulturhistoria, p uppdrag af Sdermanlands Fornminnesfrening' vol. 3 (1882), 34–36 [http://www.samlingarna.sormlandsspel.se/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/del_III.pdf]


Other variants have been recorded in which the courted man is called "Herr Magnus" ('Herr Magnus och Hafstrollet', 'Hertig Magnus och Hafsfrun', a 'hafstroll' or 'hafsfru' being a water-nymph, neck or mermaid). Certain variants appear to identify the ballad's protagonist as Magnus, Duke of stergtland, incorporating an alleged incident in which the duke, old and mentally impaired, threw himself into the water after seeing such a water spirit waving to him. 'Hertig Magnus och sjjungfrun' ("Duke Magnus and the Mermaid") is an 1862 operetta by Ivar Hallstrm (libretto by Frans Hedberg).

The lyrics of the ballad published in 1877 are in seven verses, with a refrain in the troll's voice ('Herr Mannelig trolofven I mig', "Sir Mannelig will you be betrothed to me?").

The first verse gives an exposition, saying of the troll "she had a false tongue" ('Hon hade en falskeliger tunga'), suggesting that the troll is trying to deceive the young man; this is in contrast to the Nshulta variant, which has 'hon sjong med s rrande tunga' ("she sang with touching [emotionally affecting] tongue", which may or may not imply deception).

Verses 2–5 are in the troll's voice, promising gifts of twelve steeds, twelve mills, a gilded sword and a silken shirt, respectively;

verse 6 is in the man's voice, rejecting the proposal, calling the troll "of the tribe of the neck and the devil" ('af Neckens och djvulens stmma', while in the Nshulta he declines because he swore not to marry a heathen).

The final verse has the troll running away wailing ("Had I got the handsome young man / I would have avoided my torment" 'Hade jag ftt den fager ungersven / S hade jag mistat min plga').

The Nshulta variant is closely related, but has an additional five verses listing promised gifts, the list of promises being (verses 2–10):

a castle, twelve horses, a stable, twelve mills, a gilded sword, a silken shirt, a cap of red damask, a blue mantle, and finally treasure of gold and diamonds.

The theme is of the "Fairies' Hope for Christian Salvation" type (no. 5050) in the classification of Christansen (1958);Reidar Thoralf Christiansen, 'The Migratory Legends: A Proposed List of Types with a Systematic Catalogue of the Norwegian Variants' (1958); [http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type5050.html type 5050]: "Fairies' Hope for Christian Salvation". the same theme was notably adapted by Hans Christian Andersen in 'The Little Mermaid' ('Den Lille Havfrue', 1837), influenced by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqu's 'Undine' of 1811, and ultimately based on the theory by Paracelsus that there are certain nature spirits who lack a soul and are therefore "willing to surrender their carefee lives to marry a mortal, experience human suffering, and thereby win spiritual immortality".Jean-Charles Seigneuret, 'Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs', Volume 1 (1988), p. 170.

In German folklore, the theme is expressed more typically by the water-nymph trying to draw the young man into perdition rather than trying to be saved by him (c.f. 'Der Fischer' by Goethe 1779; 'Loreley' by Clemens Brentano 1801). The sexes are reversed in the German ballad 'Es freit ein wilder Wassermann', recorded 1813 in Joachimsthal, Brandenburg, where a male water spirit woos a young woman.

The song in the 1877 version has become popular in the Neofolk, Folk rock or Neo-Medieval musical genres since the late 1990s, following its inclusion

in the album 'Guds spelemn' by Garmarna in 1996. Later performances include

In Extremo, 'Verehrt und angespien' (1999), Haggard, 'Eppur Si Muove' (2004), Heimataerde, 'Dark Dance' (2009),

Midnattsol, 'The Aftermath' (2018) among others.



Lyrics



See also



* Nordic folk music

* Melusine

* 'Palstinalied'

* "Herr Magnus og Bjrgtrolden"

References



Category:Swedish folk songs

Category:1877 songs

Category:Songwriter unknown

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