David Clarke

Rumours of angels: A legend of the first world war

The present paper examines the origin and socio-historical context of the Angels of Mons, a belief-legend that was a source of inspiration for British civilians and troops serving on the Western Front during the war of 1914-8. I trace the source of the legend to a fictional story that was in itself inspired by traditions of supernatural intervention in battle that were of great antiquity. During 1915 two versions, one based upon fiction and the other created from the cauldron of rumour and popular belief, became combined and transformed during oral transmission into a belief-legend that continues to survive in English folklore. My conclusion is that the Angel of Mons can only be interpreted within the context of what Fussell describes as a world of reinvigorated myth that appeared in the midst of a war characterised by industrialism and materialism (Fussell 1975, 115).

First World War Folk Tales

Substantial glosses on the lyrics make the language manageable even for the most unpractised reader of Middle English. Duncan marks stressed syllables wherever they are not automatically clear, which greatly eases the reading experience. A Commentary at the back of the volume gives the manuscripts in which the texts survive and provides further linguistic and historical discussion in addition to information on metre. Duncans Introduction also emphasizes the desirability of understanding metre and pronunciation in order to appreciate the lyrics. Although he admits the unpredictability of the Middle English language, he includes a general guide to metre, along with a pronunciation guide for vowels. In his Introduction, Duncan also discusses the development of English lyrics and carols by theme and time period, highlighting important issues such as the influence of French and Italian poetic traditions. While many of the lyrics are literary in character and were never meant to be sung, Duncan frequently reminds us that the majority were intended as songs. A brief appendix covers the relationship between metrics and music, and there is some discussion of music for individual poems in the Commentary. However, a fuller exploration of the connection between the texts and musical performance in the Introduction itself might have provided an even richer context for reading the lyrics. The anthology will be of interest to those already studying medieval English poetry. It will also appeal to those searching for precursors to later Christmas carols and folk songs. The abundant modern English glossing makes it well suited to the student or non-specialist. The attention to pronunciation and metre throughout means that it will be especially useful to those interested in approximating original performance style, even when the accompanying music no longer survives. The poems herein touch upon the most important aspects of life for both the highand lowborn in the Middle Ages. Their treatments of love, lust, celebration, death, spirituality, and societal corruption remain enjoyable for their own sake and for their importance as antecedents of later English folk traditions.

Murders in the Winnats Pass

described by Propp” (p. 98), and the second as using a number of these functions but also incorporating different elements. While she lists a small number of other Tales that fit within these two categories, she seems to conclude that most of the Tales fall into a third group, which are “remarkable for their freedom and looseness of structure” (p. 99). Susanne Terry’s essay “Beatrix Potter’s Gypsies, Caravans, and Travelling Circuses” explores two elements that Potter combined to create The Fairy Caravan: gypsies and gypsy life, and travelling circuses. The essay quotes extensively from Potter’s journals and uncovers a sympathetic view of gypsies and her fascination with circuses, caravans, and performing animals. The essay does not examine how Potter’s views are reflected in The Fairy Caravan, but it does give a good overview of the social approaches to, and artistic representations of gypsies, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Overall, this volume gives a good overview of Potter’s knowledge and use of folklore, and opens the field for more detailed exploration of her work from a folklore perspective.