|
Queen of Elphame〔 or "Elf-hame" (-''hame'' stem only occurs in conjectural reconstructed orthography〔〔), in the folklore belief of Lowland Scotland and Northern England, designates the elfin queen of the otherworld mentioned in Scottish witch trials. She is equivalent to the Queen of Fairy who rules Faërie or Fairyland. The Queen, according to testimony, has a husband named "Christsonday". Such a queen also appears in the legend of ''Thomas the Rhymer,'' but she is queen of a nameless world in the medieval verse romance. The name "Queen of Elfland" is mentioned for her only in a later ballad (version A). Thomas the Rhymer's abduction by the queen was not just familiar folklore, but described as a kindred experience by at least one witch (Andro Man). The "Queen of Fairies" in ''Tam Lin'' may be the queen of the same world, at least, she too is compelled deliver humans as "tithe to hell" every seven years. In Scottish popular tradition the Fairy Queen was known as the Gyre-Carling or Nicnevin,〔"Introduction to the Tale of Tamerlane: On the Fairies of Popular Superstition", Part IV, p.198 in: :〕 In one metrical legend, "The Faeries of Fawdon Hill" is where the Fairy Court is held, presided by Queen Mab.〔''(Metrical Legends of Northumberland: containing the traditions of Dunstanborough Castle, and other poetical romances. With notes and illustrations )'', James Service, W. Davison, 1834〕 ==History of usage== The actual text spelling is "Quene of Elfame" and other variants in the witch trial transcripts, and the supposition of a ''-hame'' stem, leading to the etymological meaning "Elf-home" in the Scots language), is speculative on the part of Robert Pitcairn, the modern editor.〔〔〔Note that Pitcairn he appends a question mark in one footnote (I, 162) but none in the other (I, 53).〕 The ''Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue'' lists only the ''Elfame'' and ''elphyne'' spellings, both defined as "Fairyland".〔DOST (''Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue'') entry, retrieved using the electronic (【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/index.html )〕 Other spellings include: "Quene of Elphane" and "Court of Elfane" (accused witch Alison Pearson〔In the trial of "Alesoun Peirsoun in Byrehill" of 1588, original transcripts read "Quene of Elfame," "Quene of Elphane," and "Court of Elfane", which Pitcairn's glosses in footnote as: "The brownies or fairies, and the Queen of Faery (''q. d.'' elf-hame'' ?) ()〕), "Court of Elfame" (Bessie Dunlop),〔In the trial of Bessie or Elisabeth Dunlop, "Elfame" in text glossed: "the good neighbours or brownies, who dwelt at the Court of Faery (Elf-hame) ()〕 "Queen of Elphen" (Andro Man).〔''Miscellany of the Spalding Club'' (1841), 1, pp.119-125〕 The "Queen of Elphame" designation was only used in isolated instances in the 19th century. Serious scholarship on Thomas the Rhymer, for instance, generally do not employ this spelling. But it was embraced by Robert Graves who used "Queen of Elphame" in his works. Usage has since spread in various popular publications. The theory that the queen whom Thomas Rhymer met at Erceldoune was the Saxon goddess Ercel, i.e. Hörsel or Ursel (cf. St. Ursula) according to a German origin explanation noted in passing by Fiske though it has received scarce notice aside from Barbara G. Walker, who cites Graves's ''The White Goddess'' for this insight.〔, under heading "Thomas Rhymer." She cites Graves, W. G., p. 483 in the paragraph, though Graves does not seem to have made this Ersel/Hörsel/Ursel goddess connection in this work.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Queen of Elphame」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|