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Thomas the Rhymer (fl. c. 1220 – 1298), also known as Thomas of Erceldoune, Thomas of Learmont or True Thomas, was a 13th-century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called "Erceldoune") in the Borders.〔; 〕 In literature he appears as the protagonist in the tale about Thomas the Rhymer, who was carried off by the "Queen of Elfland" and returned having gained the gift of prophecy, as well as the inability to tell a lie. The tale survives in a medieval verse romance in five manuscripts, as well as in the popular ballad "Thomas the Rhymer" (Child Ballad number 37).〔Child Ballad #37. "Thomas the Rymer", 〕 The original romance ca. 1400 was probably condensed into ballad form ca. 1700, though there are dissenting views on this. Sir Walter Scott expanded the ballad into three parts, adding a sequel which incorporated the prophecies ascribed to Thomas, and an epilogue where Thomas is summoned back to Elfland after the appearance of a sign, in the form of the milk-white hart and . Numerous prose retellings of the tale of Thomas the Rhymer have been undertaken, and included in fairy tale or folk-tale anthologies; these often incorporate the return to Fairyland episode that Scott reported to have learned from local legend. ==Historical figure== Sir Thomas was born in Erceldoune (also spelled ''Ercildoune'' – presently Earlston), Berwickshire, sometime in the 13th century, and has a reputation as the author of many prophetic verses. Little is known for certain of his life but two charters from 1260–80 and 1294 mention him, the latter referring to "Thomas de Ercildounson son and heir of Thome Rymour de Ercildoun".〔Francis James Child, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', v. 1, p. 317, Dover Publications, New York 1965〕 Thomas became known as "True Thomas", supposedly because he could not tell a lie. Popular lore recounts how he prophesied many great events in Scottish history,〔 including the death of Alexander III of Scotland. Thomas' gift of prophecy is linked to his poetic ability. It is not clear if the name ''Rhymer'' was his actual surname or merely a sobriquet. He is often cited as the author of the English ''Sir Tristrem'', a version of the Tristram legend, and some lines in Robert Mannyng's ''Chronicle'' may be the source of this association.〔. "Robert de Brunne" here is another name for Robert Mannyng. Scott goes on to quote another source from a manuscript in French, but Thomas of "Engleterre" is likely Thomas of Britain.〕 Popular esteem of Thomas lived on for centuries after his death, and especially in Scotland, overtook the reputation of all rival prophets including Merlin, whom the 16th century pamphleteer of ''The Complaynt of Scotland'' denounced as the author of the prophecy (unity under one king) which the English used as justification for aggression against his countrymen.〔 It became common for fabricated prophecies (or reworks of earlier prophecies) to be attributed to Thomas to enhance their authority,〔 as seen in collections of prophecies which were printed, the earliest surviving being a chapbook entitled "The Whole Prophecie of Scotland, England, etc." (1603).〔〔 (Repr. Edinburgh: The Bannatyne Club 1833; Later edition: Edinburgh: Andro Hart, 1615)〕 It was hypothesized that a major Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov traces his descent from Sir Thomas, and on September 25, 2015, a monument to Lermontov was unveiledEarlston.〔"(A Russian Poet Is Celebrated in Scotland, a Land He Never Saw A Russian Poet is Celebrated in Scotland,o a Land He Never Saw )", ''New York Times,'' September 27, 2015〕 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「Thomas the Rhymer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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