Ian Cumpstey's Blog - Posts Tagged "scandinavian-ballad"
Holger Dane --- Danish King Under the Mountain
Holger Dane Asleep
Holger Dane (called Holger Danske or Ogier le Danois) sits sleeping in a vault under Kronborg Castle at Helsingør with his beard grown fast to the ground. But the story goes that the day Denmark is in peril, he will emerge to save his country. Thus Holger Dane has a role like that of King Arthur in Britain --- as a so-called king under the mountain.
Illustration of Holger Dane by Heath Robinson for H.C. Andersen
Holger Dane and Burman
Holger Dane became widely known in Scandinavia around the end of the medieval era, and part of his fame was surely due to his role as a ballad hero. This ballad describes his fight against a fearful opponent, the giant Burman.
An illustration of Holger Dane's fight with Burman appears on a fresco on the vaulted ceiling of Floda Church in Sweden as one of a quartet of paintings of famous ballad stories. And a snatch of the ballad text is also included in this painting, which dates from around 1480. So we know that this ballad was sung and widely known this early, even though the full text was not written down in Danish until the 1500s and in Swedish in the early 1600s.
The ballad opens with a statement of intent by the villain of the piece:
But as the chorus of the song tells us (Holger Dane won victory over Burman), things do not go well for Burman in the end. Luckily, the King has the champion fighter Holger Dane close at hand, and can call on him for help: Holger has been held in one of his prisons for the past fifteen years. And when the King's daughter Gloria goes to the prison to set Holger free, our hero is all too willing to chip in and help the cause by fighting Burman.
Holger Dane Begins
Holger Dane is an unusual Scandinavian hero in that the stories about him seem to have been told first in the southern European legends of Charlemagne, and then made their way north through translations from French in Karlamagnus Saga (Charlemagne's Saga), and Olger Danskes Krönike (Holger Dane's Chronicle --- in 1534). Holger appears in the French Song of Roland, and he is the main character of the French chanson de geste Chevalerie d'Ogier de Danemarche.
There is a record that gives an idea of who the historical Holger Dane was: In an old chronicle from St Martin's abbey in Cologne, it is written that in 778, after being destroyed by the Saxons, the abbey was rebuilt by "Olgerus dux Daniae" i.e., Holger, leader of the Danes, with the help of Charlemagne.
The ballad of Holger Dane and Burman will be part of a collection of Scandinavian ballad translations to be published in 2016.
Scandinavian folk ballads --- Skadi Press Books
http://www.northerndisplayers.co.uk/
(C) 2015 Ian Cumpstey
Holger Dane (called Holger Danske or Ogier le Danois) sits sleeping in a vault under Kronborg Castle at Helsingør with his beard grown fast to the ground. But the story goes that the day Denmark is in peril, he will emerge to save his country. Thus Holger Dane has a role like that of King Arthur in Britain --- as a so-called king under the mountain.
Illustration of Holger Dane by Heath Robinson for H.C. Andersen
Holger Dane and Burman
Holger Dane became widely known in Scandinavia around the end of the medieval era, and part of his fame was surely due to his role as a ballad hero. This ballad describes his fight against a fearful opponent, the giant Burman.
An illustration of Holger Dane's fight with Burman appears on a fresco on the vaulted ceiling of Floda Church in Sweden as one of a quartet of paintings of famous ballad stories. And a snatch of the ballad text is also included in this painting, which dates from around 1480. So we know that this ballad was sung and widely known this early, even though the full text was not written down in Danish until the 1500s and in Swedish in the early 1600s.
The ballad opens with a statement of intent by the villain of the piece:
Burman stood outside the town,
He let his weapons shine:
"Now listen up, O Issland’s King,
"Your daughter will be mine!"
But as the chorus of the song tells us (Holger Dane won victory over Burman), things do not go well for Burman in the end. Luckily, the King has the champion fighter Holger Dane close at hand, and can call on him for help: Holger has been held in one of his prisons for the past fifteen years. And when the King's daughter Gloria goes to the prison to set Holger free, our hero is all too willing to chip in and help the cause by fighting Burman.
Holger Dane Begins
Holger Dane is an unusual Scandinavian hero in that the stories about him seem to have been told first in the southern European legends of Charlemagne, and then made their way north through translations from French in Karlamagnus Saga (Charlemagne's Saga), and Olger Danskes Krönike (Holger Dane's Chronicle --- in 1534). Holger appears in the French Song of Roland, and he is the main character of the French chanson de geste Chevalerie d'Ogier de Danemarche.
There is a record that gives an idea of who the historical Holger Dane was: In an old chronicle from St Martin's abbey in Cologne, it is written that in 778, after being destroyed by the Saxons, the abbey was rebuilt by "Olgerus dux Daniae" i.e., Holger, leader of the Danes, with the help of Charlemagne.
The ballad of Holger Dane and Burman will be part of a collection of Scandinavian ballad translations to be published in 2016.
Scandinavian folk ballads --- Skadi Press Books
http://www.northerndisplayers.co.uk/
(C) 2015 Ian Cumpstey
