Herr Mannelig is a medieval style Swedish ballad

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...

 that tells the story of a female mountain 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...

 who proposes marriage to a knight.

Plot

The troll is trying to convince Sir Mannelig (Swedish

Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...

: Herr Mannelig) to marry her. She showers him with gifts but he refuses her, because he realizes that she is not a Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 woman but a troll (a Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

ic creature). She is desperate about her failure, because winning Sir Mannelig would have "freed her of her torment" (presumably of the curse of living as a troll).

Lyrics

Swedish Bittida en morgon innan solen upprann Innan foglarna började sjunga Bergatrollet friade till fager ungersven Hon hade en falskeliger tunga Herr Mannelig herr Mannelig trolofven i mig För det jag bjuder så gerna I kunnen väl svara endast ja eller nej Om i viljen eller ej: Eder vill jag gifva de gångare tolf Som gå uti rosendelunde Aldrig har det varit någon sadel uppå dem Ej heller betsel uti munnen Eder vill jag gifva de qvarnarna tolf Som stå mellan Tillö och Ternö Stenarna de äro af rödaste gull Och hjulen silfverbeslagna Eder vill jag gifva ett förgyllande svärd Som klingar utaf femton guldringar Och strida huru I strida vill Stridsplatsen skolen i väl vinna Eder vill jag gifva en skjorta så ny Den bästa I lysten att slita Inte är hon sömnad av nål eller trå Men virkat av silket det hvita Sådana gåfvor toge jag väl emot Om du vore en kristelig qvinna Men nu så är du det värsta bergatroll Af Neckens och djävulens stämma Bergatrollet ut på dörren sprang Hon rister och jämrar sig svåra Hade jag fått den fager ungersven Så hade jag mistat min plåga Herr Mannelig herr Mannelig trolofven i mig För det jag bjuder så gerna I kunnen väl svara endast ja eller nej Om i viljen eller ej:>

English' Early one morning before the sun did rise And the birds sang their sweet song The mountain troll proposed to the fair squire She had a false deceitful tongue Sir Mannelig, Sir Mannelig won't you marry me For all that I'll gladly give you You may answer only yes or no Will you do so or no To you I will give the twelve great steeds That graze in a shady grove Never has a saddle been mounted on their backs Nor had a bit in their mouths To you I will give the twelve fine mills That stand between Tillo and Terno The mill stones are made of the reddest brass And the wheels are silver-laden To you I will give the gilded sword That jingles from fifteen gold rings And strike with it in battle as you will On the battlefield you will conquer To you I will give a brand new shirt The lustrous best for to wear It is not sewn with needle or thread But crocheted of the whitest silk Gifts such as these I would gladly receive If you were a Christian woman But I know you are the worst mountain troll From the spawn of the Neck and the devil The mountain troll ran out the door She wailed and she shrieked so loudly "Had I gotten that handsome squire From my torment I would be free now" Sir Mannelig, Sir Mannelig won't you marry me For all that I'll gladly give you You may answer only yes or no Will you do so or no

Adaptations

The ballad has recently been performed and recorded by the following notable artists: In Extremo

In Extremo

In Extremo is a German medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal instruments with historical instruments...

, Garmarna

Garmarna

Garmarna is a Swedish folk rock band. Their songs are mainly old Scandinavian ballads.- Biography :Garmarna was founded in 1990. Stefan Brisland-Ferner, Gotte Ringqvist and Rickard Westman were inspired by old Swedish music, which they had heard in a theatre. They began searching for old tunes and...

, Hedningarna

Hedningarna

Hedningarna is a Swedish and, for some years partly Finnish, folk music band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features Yoik or juoiggus, a traditional Sami form of song.-History:...

 (in Swedish

Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...

), Haggard

Haggard (band)

Haggard is a German symphonic metal musical group founded in 1991. The group combines classical music and early music with doom metal.-Background:...

 (in Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

) and Heimataerde

Heimataerde

Heimataerde is a German electro-industrial band with a medieval motif. It is a solo project by DJ Ash.-LPs:*2005: Gotteskrieger*2006: Kadavergehorsam*2007: Leben Geben Leben Nehmen*2010: Unwesen-Singles:...

 (in German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

).

External links

• Herr Mannelig Original text and English translation