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Song

Written by
Publication date
1765
Language
English
Comments
This ballad is Child 58 of James Francis Child's collected ballads, and one of the most popular. While most musicologists seem to believe that the ballad is based on a historical event, this is disputed. In any event, there is no historical record of a Sir Patrick Spens, although some contend he was actually Sir Patrick Vans.

The most popular view is that the ballad recounts a voyage to Norway that Alexander III of Scotland dispatched to return his grand-daughter, than 7 years old, to Scotland. The girl's mother, Margaret, had died in childbirth, making the grand-daughter, the Maid of Norway, the heir to the throne. The Maid of Norway did die on the trip, but not in a shipwreck. Another view is that the ballad actually chronicles a voyage Margaret took in 1281 to marry Eric II of Norway. During the return voyage, a ship transporting many of the nobles who had accompanied Margaret to Norway drowned when that ship sank. Unfortunately, this historical incident does not otherwise really fit the ballad. A third theory maintains the ballad is based upon the combination of the two events.
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