King Henry (song) explained

"King Henry" is Child ballad 32,^[1] Roud 3967.

It is a version of the tale of the loathly lady. This form of the tale appears in Hrólfr Kraki's saga and also in the Scottish tale "The Daughter Of King Under-Waves".^[2] A similar bride is found in "The Marriage of Sir Gawain".^[3]

The Vaughan Williams catalogue has an entry with Mrs Anna Brown of Fifeshire as the source singer, collected 1792 - 94. ^[4]

Recordings

Steeleye Span included a version on the 1972 album Below the Salt.

Martin Carthy also recorded a version, currently available on Shearwater and disk 4 'Child:Carthy'.

Alexander James Adams, at the time recording as Heather Alexander, included "King Henry-Black Nag" on the 2003 album Festival Wind.

Faun translated the song into German as "Herr Heinerich" for their album Buch der Balladen.

The Furrow Collective recorded this on the album "At Our Next Meeting" (2014).^[5]

See also

• List of the Child Ballads

Notes and References

1. [Francis James Child]
2. Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 297, Dover Publications, New York 1965
3. Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 298, Dover Publications, New York 1965
4. Web site: Vaughan Williams . Ralph . Mr . Vaughan Williams Memorial Library . Cecil Sharp House . 2 November 2022.
5. Web site: Portman . Emily . Ms . Open Spotify . Spotify . 2 November 2022.