Sir Eglamore

[Sanctam]

Well, as you can tell this is my very first post on the Gunnerkrigg Court forums, so give me some slack if I break over 9000 rules and post in the wrong thread or whatnot.

So basically, this is a simple thread noting that folk singer Kate Rusby has a song entitled "Sir Eglamore." It's the first song on the album Hourglass. The lyrics are:

Sir Eglamore was a valiant knight,
fa la lanky down dilly,
He took up his sword and he went to fight,
fa la lanky down dilly.
As he rode o'er hill and dale,
All armored in a coat of mail,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

Out came a dragon from her den,
fa la lanky down dilly,
That killed God knows how many men,
fa la lanky down dilly.
When she saw Sir Eglamore,
You should have hear that dragon roar
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

Well, then the trees began to shake,
fa la lanky down dilly,
Horse did tremble and man did quake,
fa la lanky down dilly.
The birds betook them all to peep,
it would have made a grown man weep,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

But all in vain it was to fear,
fa la lanky down dilly,
For now they fall to fight like bears,
fa la lanky down dilly.
To it they go and soundly fight,
the live-long day from more 'till night,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

This dragon had a plaguey hide,
fa la lanky down dilly,
That could the sharpest steel abide,
fa la lanky down dilly.
No sword could enter through her skin,
Which vexed the knight and made her grin,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

But as in choler she did burn,
fa la lanky down dilly,
He fetched the dragon a great good turn,
fa la lanky down dilly,
As a yawning she did fall,
he thrust his sword up, hilt and all,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly.

Like a coward she did fly,
fa la lanky down dilly.
To her den which was hard by,
fa la lanky down dilly,
There she lay all night and roared,
the knight was sorry for his sword,
Fa la la-n-fa, da-n-da da-n-fa, lanky down dilly


Now, do you think that she made this song based on the "dragon hunter" Eglamore from Gunnerkrigg? Or is there another Sir Eglamore that this could be referencing? Thoughts?

[Yin]

Tom is a fan of Kate Rusby. Her songs, as well as many of the characters and some locations of GC, reference old folk ballads.

[Neats]

Didn't Tom mention somewhere that he named Eglamore after the song? Or am I imagining that?

[coyotagoat]

No, you're right. He based Eglamore off of Kate Rusby's song, and the Annan River off of another of her songs, "Annan Waters". These are probly the most recognized/obvious ones, but there are probably more

another note: Probly kinda obvious, but they both draw from many old (often english) mythological characters and archetypes, e.g. Renardine/Ysengrin, both characters from the stories of the trickster-fox Renard.

[Alex]

Isn't the Kate Rusby song just an adaptation of an older poem?

[sostorm]

I think the Kate Rusby song at least partly refers to the old English story about Sir Eglamour of Artois. Traditionally unhappy love.

If anyone feels like reading 1320 verses in old English the story can be found here:
www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/hudson.htm
I recommend the notes which gives you a general idea about the story.

It can also be noted that a namesake appears in Shakespeares 'two gentlemen of Verona'. There is however, to my knowledge, no dragon appearing in that play.

[idonotlikepeas]

Incidentally, Kate Rusby also has an album called Awkward Annie.

[Sanctam]

Haha, I didn't even think about that one.