The Celts

The Celts were a diverse group of tribes in Iron Age Europe. Celtic culture formed in the Early Iron Age (1200 BC-400 AD) in Central Europe. By the later Iron Age, Celts had expanded over a wide range of lands: as far west as Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula, as far east as Galatia (in modern day Turkey), and as far north as Scotland.

The oral tradition is important in the Celtic culture, with songs and stories being a living embodiment of the tribal history. Professional bards were commonplace, and bardic organisation still exists today, for example in the Gorsedd Circle and Eisteddfodau in Wales.

This blog covers some of the myths and legends of the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Tuesday 5 January 2010

The Ballad of Alison Gross

This ballad is about a hideous witch in Scotland who tried to seduce a young man and was rejected. She cursed him, turning him into a worm. The worm was discovered by a Queen and her fair hands stroking the worm cast off the spell.

The ballad is known as one of the Child Ballads, number 35. The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads - there was much crossover and mixing of the content of the ballads. The ballads date from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

The electric folk groups Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention drew heavily on the Child Ballads, and Steeleye Span did in fact record the ballad of Alison Gross (also known as Alison Cross), on their Parcel of Rogues album.

Rather than type out the text of the ballad here, I've included a link to the Steeleye Span recording/video on YouTube. Enjoy it. RIP Tim Hart, a founder of Steeleye Span, who died very recently.

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