Damsel's Tragedy, The

DESCRIPTION: When her son falls in love with a girl she finds unsuitable, his mother first blusters, then murders the girl. The girl's ghost walks to tell her lover. The son accuses his mother, then kills himself. The mother completes the circle by committing suicide
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Flanders/Brown-VermontFolkSongsAndBallads)
KEYWORDS: love courting homicide betrayal suicide ghost mother children
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Flanders/Brown-VermontFolkSongsAndBallads, pp. 97-98, "The Damsel's Tragedy" (1 text)
Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster, pp. 152-156, "The Damsel's Tragedy" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FlBr097 (Partial)
Roud #4663
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Beautiful Susan" [Laws M29] (theme)
NOTES [27 words]: Although most of the themes in this song are commonplace, this strikes me as just a little too Antigone-ish to be real. Certainly it didn't become widespread. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.0
File: FlBr097

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