The Whummil Bore Explained

"The Whummil Bore" is Child ballad 27.^[1] A whummil is a tool for drilling holes.

Synopsis

The narrator served the king seven years and "saw his daughter only once"—meaning saw her naked, through a whummil bore. She was being dressed by her maids.

Commentary

Only one variant of this ballad exists.^[2] "Hind Horn" appears to contain a stanza from it.^[3]

Recording

This is recorded on the Steeleye Span 2006 album Bloody Men.

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 247, Dover Publications, New York 1965
3. Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 247, Dover Publications, New York 1965