A murder mystery – The Tale of the Twa Corbies.
A brief introduction……
Imagine for a moment that you are taking a walk in a beautiful forest. You are walking through the forest during high summer when everything in the forest is at its best. The light and the smells are intoxicating and you are drawn deeper into the forest. You are now far away from any sign of ‘modern’ life, no electricity, no shops, no phone signals. Suddenly above you you spy two crows glinting at you from a high branch. They are both clearly looking at you and you feel as if they are judging you, sizing you up. Slightly perturbed you carry on your way. Then you hear voices. Slowly and chillingly you realise that the voices are coming from the crows……
Come with us this week in Murder Ballad Monday when we will share the dark and mysterious tale of two talking crows looking for something to eat. We will travel back to the age of nobility where knights where seen as having dominion over the peasants and at the same time being bound by a code of chivalry. Come with us as we travel to medieval Scotland to discover a murder mystery needing to be told and hopefully solved.
As with previous ballads the origins of the song lie somewhere in the dim and distant past. The best guess seems to be somewhere in the 16th century although as we have seen when looking at previous tales versions can be older and can often change as the song is sung at different times and in different places.
The Twa Corbies shares a very similar beginning to the Three Ravens which was recorded in a book of ballads in 1611 by Thomas Ravenscroft in England. The setting is very similar, three ravens discuss what they are going to eat and one shares that he knows of a recently killed knight. However this is where both ballads start to differ and the narratives and conclusions in both ballads are hugely different.
The tale of the Twa Corbies (in Scots twa is two and corbie is a crow) is a wonderfully dark, grisly tale of murder, betrayal and the normal imagery of loyalty, truth and valour are turned completely on their head.
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| King David I of Scotland knighting a squire |
In the next part we will look in greater detail at the setting and the lyrics of the ballad. We will see that the author or authors have crafted something very different from the normal expected outcomes of a tale involving a knight. In the meantime please enjoy The Corries version of this wonderfully dark and mysterious murder ballad.