Edward and Sven I Rosengard: A Study in the Dissemination of a Ballad

‘Edward’ and ‘Sven I Rosengard’ is a comparative study of the English and Scandinavian ballad texts. The texts of numerous ballad versions are reproduced in the last half of the book.

The aim of this comparison and analysis is not to determine as many ‘original’ traits as possible, but to establish the ballad’s history and, above all, the manner of its dissemination. It is indeed a desperate undertaking to reconstruct a ballad text, and one hesitates to venture upon such a difficult task. But a systematic comparison and analysis of the variations tells us many things which can be discovered in no other way and leads us to a clearer understanding of the historical development… .

The most superficial examination of the versions of the ballad reveals the existence of two groups, the Scandinavian and the English. The differences which mark these groups are not merely linguistic, but concern also the ballad’s structure and spirit.

Archer Taylor