Knowledge (XXG)

Arthur o' Bower

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244:, supernatural hunters in the night sky, belief in which apparently originated as an explanation for the weird noises made by high winds. King Arthur figures as a Wild Huntsman in the local folklore of various places in England, Scotland and France, and he has been recorded in this role since the 13th century. 170:
in 1893 recalled that in the 1830s "Whenever we children were so happy as to be tearing about in a high wind, we shouted or sang as we ran...In fact, it was an understood necessary accompaniment to the wind, and was sometimes performed swinging with the waving branches of a tree-top."
191:
to ask if she could provide anything. In a now lost letter Dorothy sent Lamb a number of items, which Lamb duly acknowledged as "Arthur o' Bower and his brethren". The following year "Arthur" appeared under the imprint of the publisher
108:
believed that "Arthur o' Bower" was a rhyme of some antiquity, arguing that there was a similarity – though this has been contested – to the opening lines of the ballad
519: 455: 932: 209: 901: 864: 749: 712: 637: 559: 495: 371: 164:(1770–1850) wrote in 1823 that as a child he used to hear this rhyme "in the time of a high wind". An anonymous contributor to 957: 937: 823: 786: 627: 947: 776: 294: 549: 421:
The Traditional Ballad Index: An Annotated Bibliography of the Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World. Version 6.4
942: 217: 110: 89: 200:, one of the first anthologies of nursery rhymes, edited (presumably) by Fenwick and with illustrations by 952: 201: 237: 58: 264:'s grandson John Hugh Lockhart, then a child under five years old, who had witnessed a flood of the 927: 105: 809: 188: 161: 30: 42: 79: 897: 860: 819: 813: 782: 745: 739: 708: 702: 633: 583: 555: 491: 61:, which catalogues folk songs and their variations by number, classifies this rhyme as 22839. 815:
Index to Poetry in Music: A Guide to the Poetry Set as Solo Songs by 125 Major Song Composers
660: 735: 698: 306: 193: 38: 416: 320:, written in 1923 and published in 1924, includes a setting of "Arthur o' Bower", marked 72:
The following is the text of "Arthur o' Bower" taken from its first appearance in print:
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or rhymed riddle originally published in 1805 but known, on the evidence of a letter by
623: 289: 122: 921: 619: 545: 313: 310:, wrote that "Arthur o'Bower as a name for the wind is taken from a nursery riddle". 245: 184: 166: 26: 261: 180: 851: 891: 485: 772: 301: 265: 233: 187:
to find materials for a projected children's book, wrote to Wordsworth's sister
46: 887: 276: 249: 232:
The central figure of the rhyme, Arthur o' Bower, has long been identified as
34: 345: 883: 481: 241: 54: 50: 778:
The Crying Curlew. Peter Warlock: Family & Influences. Centenary 1994
198:
Songs for the Nursery Collected from the Works of the Most Renowned Poets
134:
They also compared this fragment of a Scottish ballad collected c. 1815:
69:
The wording of this nursery rhyme varies slightly from source to source.
741:
Sensibility and English Song: Critical Studies of the Early 20th Century
853:
Arthuriana: Early Arthurian Tradition and the Origins of the Legend
520:"William Marshall Craig's Illustrations for Songs for the Nursery" 252:
to which the souls of kings and heroes were conveyed after death.
704:
The Complete Works of W. H. Auden. Poems. Volume II, 1940–1973
240:. Alternatively, he may be King Arthur as the leader of the 260:
An early adaptation of the rhyme came in the 1820s from Sir
398: 396: 394: 304:, in a commentary on his poem "Winds", the first of the 204:. "Arthur" was subsequently included in the anonymous 744:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 527. 707:. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 949. 490:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 248. 324:(most tumultuously), the text of which was taken from 585:
Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-Lore
33:, to have been current in the late 18th century in 667:. W. & R. Chambers. 1 March 1834. p. 39 632:. Manchester: Carcanet Press. pp. 109–111. 417:"Robin Hood and the Tanner [Child 126]" 298:the title character recites "Arthur o' Bower". 270: 268:. His version was later remembered as running 136: 116: 74: 588:. London: Chapman & Hall. pp. 283–284 551:King Arthur's Avalon: The Story of Glastonbury 248:believed Arthur's Bower to be a pre-Christian 8: 206:Mother Goose's Quarto, or Melodies Complete 127:There is never a 'Squire in Nottinghamshire 119:In Nottingham, there lives a jolly Tanner, 402: 273:The waters of Tweed have broken the law, 893:The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes 456:"Wanted, the origin of a nursery-rhyme" 337: 318:Candlelight: A Cycle of Nursery Jingles 158:, meaning "a blast or squall of wind". 154:was a corruption of the Scottish word 685: 606: 441: 423:. California State University, Fresno 352:. English Folk Dance and Song Society 183:, having been enlisted by his friend 7: 896:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 85:Arthur o'Bower has broken his band, 818:. London: Routledge. p. 290. 275:And they've come roaring down the 45:, sometimes believed to represent 14: 661:"Popular rhymes. Natural objects" 379:. London: Tabart. n.d. p. 18 350:Vaughan Williams Memorial Library 94:Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower. 781:. Llandysul: Gomer. p. 39. 292:'s 1903 children's picture book 141:Has broken his band and run awa, 933:Arthurian literature in English 859:. Louth, Lincs.: Lindes Press. 554:. London: Fontana. p. 81. 518:Immel, Andrea (30 March 2020). 487:Wordsworth's Reading 1800–1815 316:'s set of twelve songs called 214:The Popular Rhymes of Scotland 1: 283:Cannot turn them back again. 236:, perhaps in his aspect as a 222:The Nursery Rhymes of England 143:And the king and a' his court 87:He comes roaring up the land. 629:Collected Writings on Poetry 150:They surmised that the name 145:Canna turn that bull about. 129:Dare bid bold Arthur stand. 37:. The title character is a 665:Chambers' Edinburgh Journal 139:The great Bull of Bendy law 974: 346:"Arthur O' Bower (riddle)" 18:British nursery rhyme/Poem 582:Kelly, Walter K. (1863). 524:Cotsen Children's Library 281:Grandpapa and all his men 256:Influence and adaptations 111:Robin Hood and the Tanner 326:Nurse Lovechild's Legacy 295:Tale of Squirrel Nutkin 224:(1846), and elsewhere. 218:James Orchard Halliwell 958:English nursery rhymes 938:British nursery rhymes 850:Green, Thomas (2009). 526:. Princeton University 454:M. (9 December 1893). 286: 202:William Marshall Craig 148: 132: 97: 373:Songs for the Nursery 25:" is a short British 948:Poems about the wind 403:Opie & Opie 1997 322:tumultuosissimamente 59:Roud Folk Song Index 49:in his character as 810:Bradley, Carol June 688:, pp. 249–250. 609:, pp. 247–250. 114:, printed c. 1650: 106:Iona and Peter Opie 162:William Wordsworth 92:with all his power 31:William Wordsworth 943:Cumbrian folklore 736:Banfield, Stephen 699:Mendelson, Edward 415:Waltz, Robert B. 100:Origins and usage 53:or leader of the 965: 914: 912: 910: 877: 875: 873: 858: 837: 836: 834: 832: 806: 800: 799: 797: 795: 769: 763: 762: 760: 758: 732: 726: 725: 723: 721: 695: 689: 683: 677: 676: 674: 672: 657: 651: 650: 648: 646: 616: 610: 604: 598: 597: 595: 593: 579: 573: 572: 570: 568: 542: 536: 535: 533: 531: 515: 509: 508: 506: 504: 478: 472: 471: 469: 467: 451: 445: 439: 433: 432: 430: 428: 412: 406: 400: 389: 388: 386: 384: 378: 368: 362: 361: 359: 357: 342: 104:The folklorists 78:To be sung in a 973: 972: 968: 967: 966: 964: 963: 962: 918: 917: 908: 906: 904: 890:, eds. (1997). 882: 871: 869: 867: 856: 849: 846: 841: 840: 830: 828: 826: 808: 807: 803: 793: 791: 789: 771: 770: 766: 756: 754: 752: 734: 733: 729: 719: 717: 715: 697: 696: 692: 684: 680: 670: 668: 659: 658: 654: 644: 642: 640: 618: 617: 613: 605: 601: 591: 589: 581: 580: 576: 566: 564: 562: 544: 543: 539: 529: 527: 517: 516: 512: 502: 500: 498: 480: 479: 475: 465: 463: 453: 452: 448: 440: 436: 426: 424: 414: 413: 409: 401: 392: 382: 380: 376: 370: 369: 365: 355: 353: 344: 343: 339: 334: 285: 282: 280: 274: 258: 230: 210:Robert Chambers 194:Benjamin Tabart 177: 147: 144: 142: 140: 131: 128: 126: 120: 102: 96: 93: 88: 86: 84: 83: 67: 39:personification 23:Arthur o' Bower 19: 12: 11: 5: 971: 969: 961: 960: 955: 950: 945: 940: 935: 930: 920: 919: 916: 915: 902: 879: 878: 865: 845: 842: 839: 838: 824: 801: 787: 764: 750: 727: 713: 701:, ed. (2022). 690: 678: 652: 638: 620:Graves, Robert 611: 599: 574: 560: 546:Ashe, Geoffrey 537: 510: 496: 473: 446: 444:, p. 249. 434: 407: 390: 363: 336: 335: 333: 330: 290:Beatrix Potter 271: 257: 254: 229: 228:Interpretation 226: 176: 173: 137: 123:Arthur a Bland 117: 101: 98: 75: 66: 63: 17: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 970: 959: 956: 954: 953:English poems 951: 949: 946: 944: 941: 939: 936: 934: 931: 929: 926: 925: 923: 905: 903:9780198600886 899: 895: 894: 889: 885: 881: 880: 868: 866:9781445221106 862: 855: 854: 848: 847: 843: 827: 821: 817: 816: 811: 805: 802: 790: 784: 780: 779: 774: 768: 765: 753: 751:9780521379441 747: 743: 742: 737: 731: 728: 716: 714:9780691219301 710: 706: 705: 700: 694: 691: 687: 682: 679: 666: 662: 656: 653: 641: 639:9781857541724 635: 631: 630: 625: 621: 615: 612: 608: 603: 600: 587: 586: 578: 575: 563: 561:9780006332251 557: 553: 552: 547: 541: 538: 525: 521: 514: 511: 499: 497:9780521496742 493: 489: 488: 483: 477: 474: 461: 460:The Spectator 457: 450: 447: 443: 438: 435: 422: 418: 411: 408: 405:, p. 65. 404: 399: 397: 395: 391: 375: 374: 367: 364: 351: 347: 341: 338: 331: 329: 327: 323: 319: 315: 314:Peter Warlock 311: 309: 308: 303: 299: 297: 296: 291: 284: 278: 269: 267: 263: 255: 253: 251: 247: 246:Robert Graves 243: 239: 235: 227: 225: 223: 219: 215: 211: 207: 203: 199: 195: 190: 186: 185:Eliza Fenwick 182: 174: 172: 169: 168: 167:The Spectator 163: 159: 157: 153: 146: 135: 130: 124: 115: 113: 112: 107: 99: 95: 91: 90:King of Scots 82: 81: 73: 70: 64: 62: 60: 56: 52: 48: 44: 40: 36: 32: 28: 27:nursery rhyme 24: 16: 907:. 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Auden 266:River Tweed 234:King Arthur 208:(c. 1825), 175:Publication 47:King Arthur 928:1805 poems 922:Categories 884:Opie, Iona 844:References 825:0203954300 788:1859021212 686:Green 2009 607:Green 2009 482:Wu, Duncan 442:Green 2009 250:Otherworld 43:storm wind 35:Cumberland 738:(1988) . 548:(1973) . 332:Footnotes 242:Wild Hunt 238:storm god 80:High Wind 55:Wild Hunt 51:storm god 812:(2003). 775:(1994). 622:(1995). 484:(1995). 462:. London 328:(1916). 307:Bucolics 216:(1842), 626:(ed.). 189:Dorothy 57:. 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Index

nursery rhyme
William Wordsworth
Cumberland
personification
storm wind
King Arthur
storm god
Wild Hunt
Roud Folk Song Index
High Wind
King of Scots
Iona and Peter Opie
Robin Hood and the Tanner
Arthur a Bland
William Wordsworth
The Spectator
Charles Lamb
Eliza Fenwick
Dorothy
Benjamin Tabart
William Marshall Craig
Robert Chambers
James Orchard Halliwell
King Arthur
storm god
Wild Hunt
Robert Graves
Otherworld
Walter Scott
River Tweed

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