The Standing Stones of Stenness
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1961.88.A1
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this tragic ballad, two lovers are betrothed at the Lover's Stone. As they part company, a jealous rival stabs the young man and flees. The young woman sees her dying sweetheart vanish before her eyes. She returns home, where she pines and dies.
Ethel Findlater learned this song from her husband, who learned it from his grandmother.
Item Notes
14 verses of 4 lines, except the last verse with 6 lines. This song first appears in John Mooney's 'Songs of the Norse' (1883) under the title 'The Lovers - A West Mainland Legend'. It involves 'The Odin Stone', a monolith in Stenness, Orkney, which was used by couples in a betrothal ritual during which they would join hands through a hole in the Stone; the Stone was destroyed by an immigrant farmer in 1814.
See:
'Songs of the Norse' (J. Mooney, 1883)
'Folksongs of Britain & Ireland' (P. Kennedy, 1975) pp. 718-719
Recording Location
County - Orkney
Parish - Birsay
Island - Orkney Mainland
Item Location
County - Orkney
Parish - Stenness
Island - Orkney Mainland
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Classification
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good