Content provided in partnership with

A. L. Lloyd and Reynardine: authenticity and authorship in the afterlife of a British broadside ballad

Folklore, Dec, 2004 by Stephen D. Winick

<< Page 1 Continued from page 15. Previous | Next

Furthermore, Lloyd's search for internal authenticity had secondary effects. Not only was the emotional power of the song he created appealing, the specific trait of ambiguity, which Lloyd emphasised, has enabled "Reynardine" to fit the repertoires and ideologies of many singers and listeners. People are able to interpret the song in their own way, which is crucial to their appreciation of it. A perusal of folk revival sleeve notes reveals that all four possible interpretations suggested by Lloyd in the 1950s (ordinary man, Irish outlaw, supernatural lover, and serial killer) were current in the 1960s and 1970s revival. In his sleeve note to "Reynardine," Martin Carthy states:

   To the country person everything around him has its place in the
   pattern of nature but the fox seems the odd man out. [...] He was
   believed to have magical powers, and there are many stories of foxes
   appearing to people and threatening them in some evil way (Little
   Red Riding Hood is one related). The same theme in a very debased
   form was made famous by Lon Chaney Jr.'s many appearances as the
   Werewolf on film (Carthy 1969).

Carthy thus interprets the character as supernatural, and suggests that the belief in such figures was a reflection of rural people's feelings about foxes (despite the inconvenient fact that both of his examples actually involve wolves). He sings the song, thus, as an authentic expression of rural supernatural folk belief. [19] By contrast, June Tabor selects the interpretation that Reynardine is a mysterious but ordinary man, "Errol Flynn rather than Lon Chaney," because "for [her] the romance and mystery outweigh the horror of the werewolf implication" (Tabor 1976). Roberts and Barrand compare Reynardine with Mr Fox, "dismembering the young girls he has seduced away to his forest mansion" (Roberts and Barrand 1977). The Furey Brothers, interested in Irish politics, opt for a creative adaptation of the "Irish outlaw" theory:

   [Reynardine is a] traditional song about a young man on the run from
   the redcoats. They can never catch him, so they spread the story
   about that he is a werewolf. While hiding from them he meets and
   seduces a young girl (Furey and Furey 1972).

Clearly, preserving the song's mystery made it not only an artistic success, but a mirror in which revivalists found reflections of their own concerns, ideologies and fears.

Finally, Lloyd's version of "Reynardine" operates as another sort of mirror as well, this one showing a pleasant reflection of Lloyd's authorial self. After all, like the song he so lovingly authored, Lloyd preserved his own mysteries, remaining to his friends "something of an enigma" (Shepard 1986, 132). With his bold emendations of the song, and his sly hints and innuendoes in the sleeve notes, Lloyd managed to negotiate the minefield of authenticity and authorship with a twinkle in his eye, ultimately appearing just as tricky and mysterious as his own ballad hero. It is tempting to wonder: if Lloyd could hear the way his song is still sung, and if he could read this paper theorising on his motives, would his teeth shine as brightly as Reynardine's?

A. L. Lloyd and Reynardine: authenticity and authorship in the afterlife of a British broadside ballad

Folklore, Dec, 2004 by Stephen D. Winick

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Reference

Most Popular Articles in Reference

Most Popular Publications in Reference