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"The Elfin Knight" (Child #2; Roud #12) is a traditional Scottish folk ballad of which there are many versions, all dealing with supernatural occurrences, and the commission to perform impossible tasks.〔Francis James Child, ''English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', ("The Elfin Knight" ) Sacred-texts.com〕 ==Synopsis== In the oldest extant version of this ballad (circa 1600-1650), an elf threatens to abduct a young woman to be his lover unless she can perform an impossible task; she responds with a list of tasks which he must first perform, thus evading rape. The plot is closely related to "Riddles Wisely Expounded" (Child Ballad #1), in which the Devil proposes to carry off a woman unless she can answer a number of riddles. Later versions invert the direction of desire, with the elf proposing tasks which the lady must perform in order to be accepted as his lover. The first verse usually opens with the introduction of the title character: (Note that this verse appears to be taken directly from "Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight", Child Ballad #4; in this ballad, the horn is magic and arouses desire in the hearer.〔Child, notes to Ballad #2, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads''〕) Meanwhile, a maid lies in bed, wishing she could marry the knight. Upon her speaking these words, the knight appears, telling her he will marry her if she will perform numerous tasks, all impossible. She promptly responds with her own list of impossible tasks, and thereby gains her supernatural husband. ---------------------------------------- 'The Fairy Knight' Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 296. ----------------------------------------- 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「The Elfin Knight」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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