The Twa Magicians
Encyclopedia
"The Twa Magicians" or "The Two Magicians" is a British folk song. It first appears in print in 1828 in two sources, Peter Buchan
's Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland and John Wilson
's Noctes Ambrosianae
#40. It was later published as number 44 of Francis James Child
's English and Scottish Popular Ballads. During the 20th century, versions of it have been recorded by a number of folk
and popular music
ians.
of) a lady, who vows to keep herself a maiden
. A transformation chase ensues, differing in several variants, but containing such things as she becomes a hare
, and he catches her as greyhound
, she became a duck
and he became either a water dog
or a drake. In the Child version of the ballad she does not escape, but in other common renderings, such as the Steeleye Span
rendition, she does.
Francis James Child
regarded it as derived from one of two fairy tale
forms.
In the first, a young man and woman flee an enemy by taking on new forms. This type is Aarne-Thompson type 313, the girl helps the hero flee; instances of it include "Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter
", "The Grateful Prince
", "Foundling-Bird
", and "The Two Kings' Children
".
In the second, a young man, studying with a sorcerer, flees his master by taking on new forms, which his master counters by equivalent forms. This is Aarne-Thompson type 325, the magician and his pupil; instances include "The Thief and His Master
", "Farmer Weathersky
", "Master and Pupil
", and "Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi
".
artists, including A. L. Lloyd
, Martin Carthy
, Dave Swarbrick
, and John Roberts
, as well as folk rock
and folk jazz
artists such as Steeleye Span
, Spriguns of Tolgus
, Pentangle
, and Bellowhead
. It is also popular among neofolk
artists, and has been recorded by Current 93
(under the name "Oh Coal Black Smith") and Blood Axis
.
Peter Buchan
Peter Buchan , Scottish editor, was born at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.In 1816 he started in business with the Earl of Buchan as a printer at Peterhead, and was successful enough to be able eventually to retire and devote himself to the collection and editing of Scottish ballads...
's Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland and John Wilson
John Wilson (Scottish writer)
John Wilson of Ellerey FRSE was a Scottish advocate, literary critic and author, the writer most frequently identified with the pseudonym Christopher North of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine....
's Noctes Ambrosianae
Noctes Ambrosianae
The Noctes Ambrosianae, a series of 71 imaginary colloquies, appeared in Blackwood's Magazine from 1822 to 1835. The earlier ones had several different authors, including John Gibson Lockhart, William Maginn, James Hogg and Professor John Wilson, but from 1825, with the 19th in the series, the...
#40. It was later published as number 44 of Francis James Child
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...
's English and Scottish Popular Ballads. During the 20th century, versions of it have been recorded by a number of folk
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....
and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
ians.
Synopsis
A blacksmith threatens to deflower (take the virginityVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
of) a lady, who vows to keep herself a maiden
Maiden
Maiden or Maidens may refer to:* A female virgin; see virginity* Maiden name, the family name carried by a woman before marriage; see married and maiden names* Maiden, the first of the three aspects of the Triple Goddess...
. A transformation chase ensues, differing in several variants, but containing such things as she becomes a hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, and he catches her as greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
, she became a duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
and he became either a water dog
Water dog
Water dogs, once called Water Spaniels, are a type of gun dog and count among their number some of the oldest dog breeds. With the advent of kennel clubs many water spaniels were accepted under the names including the designation retriever rather than water spaniel. As the name implies, water dogs...
or a drake. In the Child version of the ballad she does not escape, but in other common renderings, such as the Steeleye Span
Now We Are Six (album)
Now We Are Six is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum...
rendition, she does.
Motifs
In ballads, the man chasing the woman appears more often in conversation that in fact, when a woman says she will flee, and the man retorts he will chase her, through a variety of forms; these tales are often graceful teasing.Francis James Child
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...
regarded it as derived from one of two fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
forms.
In the first, a young man and woman flee an enemy by taking on new forms. This type is Aarne-Thompson type 313, the girl helps the hero flee; instances of it include "Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter
Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter
Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter is a French fairy tale collected by Achille Millien.The fable is classed as Aarne-Thompson type 313 and revolves about a transformation chase. Others of this type include The Water Nixie, The Foundling-Bird, The Master Maid, and The Two Kings'...
", "The Grateful Prince
The Grateful Prince
The Grateful Prince is an Estonian fairy tale, collected by Dr. Friedrich Kreutzwald in Eestirahwa Ennemuistesed jutud. W. F. Kirby included in The Hero of Esthonia. Andrew Lang included it in The Violet Fairy Book; he listed his source as Ehstnische Märchen, which was the German translation of...
", "Foundling-Bird
Foundling-Bird
Foundling-Bird is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 51.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee, and revolves about a transformation chase...
", and "The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, tale number 113.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313C, the girl helps the hero flee, and type 884, the forgotten fiancée...
".
In the second, a young man, studying with a sorcerer, flees his master by taking on new forms, which his master counters by equivalent forms. This is Aarne-Thompson type 325, the magician and his pupil; instances include "The Thief and His Master
The Thief and His Master
The Thief and His Master is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 68.It is Aarne-Thompson type 325, The Magician and His Pupil, containing a transformation chase. Others of this type include Farmer Weathersky and Master and Pupil. This tale type...
", "Farmer Weathersky
Farmer Weathersky
Farmer Weathersky is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr.Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book as "Farmer Weatherbeard"....
", "Master and Pupil
Master and Pupil
"Master and Pupil" is a Danish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson type 325, "The Magician and His Pupil".-Synopsis:...
", and "Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi
Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi
Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola....
".
Recordings
The song has been recorded (generally under the name "The Two Magicians") by a number of traditional folkFolk 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....
artists, including A. L. Lloyd
A. L. Lloyd
Albert Lancaster Lloyd , usually known as A. L. Lloyd or Bert Lloyd, was an English folk singer and collector of folk songs, and as such was a key figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s....
, Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
, Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
, and John Roberts
John Roberts (musician)
John Roberts is an English musician residing in Schenectady, New York.He is best known for his musical collaborations with Tony Barrand. As Roberts and Barrand, they perform a cappella and accompanied performances of traditional English folk music. They also perform and record fare such as sea...
, as well as folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and folk jazz
Folk jazz
Folk jazz is a broad term for music that pairs traditional folk music with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles....
artists such as Steeleye Span
Steeleye 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"....
, Spriguns of Tolgus
Spriguns of Tolgus
Spriguns of Tolgus was an electric folk group formed in 1972. They managed to obtain a record deal with a major label and the attention of some most significant figures in the folk rock world. They produced four albums with growing originality and recognition, but were unable to attain mainstream...
, Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
, and Bellowhead
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
. It is also popular among neofolk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
artists, and has been recorded by Current 93
Current 93
Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on...
(under the name "Oh Coal Black Smith") and Blood Axis
Blood Axis
Blood Axis is an American Neofolk/Post-industrial band consisting of journalist and author Michael Moynihan, music producer Robert Ferbrache and musician and author Annabel Lee.-Early Blood Axis :...
.