Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas is a ballad about the medieval prophet Thomas of Ercildoune. He meets the Queen of Elfland who takes him away from earth for seven years, putting him through various rituals which no doubt instill his prophetic powers.
Ewan MacColl sang Thomas Rhymer in 1956 on his and A.L. Lloyd’s Riverside anthology The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume I. The notes commented:
Thomas of Erceldoune, the 13th Century poet, was author of a long poem describing a visit to Elfland and the supernatural events which took place there. The poem served as a basis for the 15th century romance which, in turn, probably provided the raw material for this ballad.
Steeleye Span released their recording of Thomas the Rhymer in 1974 in two different versions: a short one (3.14) with just five verses as a single with the B-Side The Mooncoin Jig and a long version (6.44) on the original Chrysalis UK release of their LP Now We Are Six. However, most reissues of this record contain the shorter single version of Thomas the Rhymer with the exception of the BGO CD reissue.
Ron Taylor and Jeff Gillett sang Thomas the Rhymer in 2006 on their WildGoose CD Both Shine as One. This track was also included in 2007 on the WildGoose anthology Songs of Witchcraft and Magic. They noted:
Thomas Rymour apparently lived in Ercildoune in the 13th Century, although the historicity of the journey described in this song is surely open to question. Published in Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. This version was collated from various sources and Anglicised.
Rosaleen Gregory sang Thomas the Rhymer in 2012 on her first album of Child ballads, Sheath and Knife. She noted:
Thomas the Rhymer, alias Thomas of Ercildoune, was a 13th century Scottish seer, but whether he got his celebrated gift of prophecy from this meeting with the Queen of Elfland is hard to say. The Eildon Hills, including the Eildon Tree and Huntlie Bank, are located not far from the ancestral home of another weaver of word magic, the poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott of Abbotsford, who lived there in the early 19th century and himself hunted for traditional songs and ballads.
Christina Stewart sang True Thomas on her 2012 album Haunting. She noted:
A ballad from the Scottish borders (hence Huntly bank and the Eildon tree, connected with strange goings-on in folklore) which sets the background story for Thomas the Rhymer. After his visit to fairyland, Thomas returns unable to lie and tells the future, even when it is not in his or anyone else’s interest. What seems to some a blessing can turn out to be a curse. In his corresponding spoken track, “Encounters with Fairies”, Iain Campbell explains how deep-rooted belief in the wild fairies of the Highlands can be.
From: https://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/thomastherhymer.html
