Allison Gross
Encyclopedia
"Allison Gross" is a traditional ballad
, catalogued as Child Ballad #35. It tells the story of "the ugliest witch in the north country" who tries to persuade a man to become her lover and then punishes him by a transformation.
him into a wyrm (dragon
) bound to a tree. His sister Maisry came to him to comb his hair. One day the Seelie Court
came by, and a queen stroked him three
times, turning him back into his proper form.
", the witch uses it after the transformation to summon her victim, but nothing appears to stem from it here.
The thwarted supernatural lover -- nereid, fairy
, elf
, or troll
-- taking this form of revenge is a common motif; the tales are generally a variant on Beauty and the Beast
, where the victim must live in that form until finding another love, as beautiful as the thwarted lover.
The transformation back being performed by the Queen of the Fairies, however, is a unique motif.
This ballad was one of 25 traditional works included in Ballads Weird and Wonderful (1912) and illustrated by Vernon Hill (sculptor)
.
on their album Parcel of Rogues
. The music they composed for it was substantially more rock
-influenced than most of their more folk music
-indluenced recordings, and they included a chorus that was not in Child's
collection. The Steeleye Span version concludes with its narrator, having rebuffed the advances of Allison Gross numerous times, transformed into "an ugly worm". However, other recordings include the several additional verses chronicle his life after this, including his transformation to his proper form by the queen on Halloween
. Also known as "Alison Cross", it was recorded by Lizzie Higgins
, Elspeth Cowie, and Malinky
. The Norwegian folk-rock band, Folque, produced the song in Norwegian in 1974 where it is track 9 on their album Folque.http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/prosjekt/mogb/folque.htm
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, catalogued as Child Ballad #35. It tells the story of "the ugliest witch in the north country" who tries to persuade a man to become her lover and then punishes him by a transformation.
Synopsis
Allison Gross, a hideous witch, tries to bribe the narrator to be her "leman". She combed his hair, first. When a scarlet mantle, a silk shirt with pearls, and a golden cup all fail, she blows on a horn three times, making an oath to make him regret it; then she strikes him with a silver wand, turningShapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
him into a wyrm (dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
) bound to a tree. His sister Maisry came to him to comb his hair. One day the Seelie Court
Seelie Court
A Seelie Court is a term originating in Lowland Scottish folklore to indicate "good" fairies. The word "seely" being a Scots, Northern and Middle English term meaning "happy", "lucky" or "blessed"...
came by, and a queen stroked him three
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
times, turning him back into his proper form.
Motifs
The horn motif is not clear. In "The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the SeaThe Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea
"The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea" is Child ballad number 36.-Synopsis:A young man, transformed into a laily worm, tells his story: his father married an evil woman as his stepmother, and she transformed him into a worm and his sister into a mackerel. His sister combed his hair every...
", the witch uses it after the transformation to summon her victim, but nothing appears to stem from it here.
The thwarted supernatural lover -- nereid, fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, or troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
-- taking this form of revenge is a common motif; the tales are generally a variant on Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
, where the victim must live in that form until finding another love, as beautiful as the thwarted lover.
The transformation back being performed by the Queen of the Fairies, however, is a unique motif.
This ballad was one of 25 traditional works included in Ballads Weird and Wonderful (1912) and illustrated by Vernon Hill (sculptor)
Vernon Hill (sculptor)
Vernon Hill was a sculptor, lithographer and Illustrator.-Biography:Vernon Hill was born in Halifax and undertook formal training in print-making from an early age, being apprenticed as a lithographer in his early teen....
.
Recordings
The most popular musical version was recorded by Steeleye SpanSteeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
on their album Parcel of Rogues
Parcel of Rogues (album)
Parcel of Rogues is an album by the Electric folk band Steeleye Span. It was their most successful album thus far, breaking into the Top 30....
. The music they composed for it was substantially more rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
-influenced than most of their more folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-indluenced recordings, and they included a chorus that was not in Child's
Francis James Child
Francis James Child was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of folk songs known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry...
collection. The Steeleye Span version concludes with its narrator, having rebuffed the advances of Allison Gross numerous times, transformed into "an ugly worm". However, other recordings include the several additional verses chronicle his life after this, including his transformation to his proper form by the queen on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. Also known as "Alison Cross", it was recorded by Lizzie Higgins
Lizzie Higgins
Lizzie Higgins was an Aberdeenshire ballad singer.Born Elizabeth Ann Higgins in Guest Row, Aberdeen, she was the daughter of settled Travellers the piper Donty Higgins and the singer Jeannie Robertson. In 1941, after her school was twice bombed, Lizzie moved with her mother to the rural town of...
, Elspeth Cowie, and Malinky
Malinky
Malinky is a Scottish folk band specialising in Scots song.Formed in autumn 1998, the original members were Karine Polwart from Banknock, Stirlingshire , Steve Byrne from Arbroath , Mark Dunlop from Garryduff, Co...
. The Norwegian folk-rock band, Folque, produced the song in Norwegian in 1974 where it is track 9 on their album Folque.http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/prosjekt/mogb/folque.htm