Maiden of Drumdurno, The

DESCRIPTION: "Busy baking for her bridal, Durno's maiden lilts wi' glee." A stranger taunts her for baking too slowly. She wagers she can finish baking before he can build a road. He, the devil in disguise, wins the wager. She flees and turns to stone to escape him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Ord-BothySongsAndBallads)
KEYWORDS: cook food wager marriage trick Devil
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, pp. 434-435, "The Maiden of Drumdurno" (1 text)
NOTES [69 words]: According to Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, this is a poetic version of a legend regarding the "maiden stone of Bennachie." The tall stone, said to bear the marks of a fleeing girl, is reported to have been created when the condemned girl cried for help. Rather than obtaining rescue from the tempter, she was turned to stone.
The legend may have arisen naturally. The song, I think, is a purely modern composition. - RBW
File: Ord434

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