Значение слова "ERCELDOUNE, THOMAS" найдено в 1 источнике

ERCELDOUNE, THOMAS

найдено в "Encyclopedia of medieval literature"

(Thomas the Rhymer)
(ca. 1220–1297)
   Thomas of Erceldoune, sometimes called Thomas Rhymer (that is, MINSTREL), was a Scottish poet of the late 13th century who attained a reputation as a seer or prophet in the centuries after his death. Although certain texts have been attributed to him over the years, no surviving poetry is currently considered to be his, and he is best known to literary scholars as the subject of a well-known ROMANCE (The Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune) and of a popular BALLAD, Thomas Rhymer, printed in Francis Child’s collection (no. 37). Virtually nothing is known of the life of the historical Thomas, other than the mention of his name in a registry of the trinity House of Soltra, recording that he had inherited property in Erceldoune, a village in Berwickshire on the English border. According to the Romance and Prophecies (ca. 1401), Thomas was visited by the queen of the elves while he sat under a tree in the Eildon Hills. He falls in love with the lady and she carries him off to Elfland, where he is granted visions of heaven, hell, and purgatory. Thomas lives there in bliss with the lady for seven years, after which she returns him to the Eildon tree. Before the queen leaves him, Thomas asks her for the gift of some wonder or “ferly” as a token of her love. In response she recites for him a “prediction” of 14th-century history, including details of the wars between Scotland and England, the last identifiable event being the invasion of Scotland by England’s King Henry IV. The elf-queen adds to these several much more obscure prophecies regarding later events. Because of his insight into the future, Thomas becomes known as “True Thomas.”He is last seen following a hart and hind into a forest, from whence he never returns. The romance, particularly the motif of the protagonist snatched off to fairyland from beneath a tree, is reminiscent of the MIDDLE ENGLISH romance of SIR ORFEO.A similar story, without the specific prophecies, is told in the ballad Thomas the Rhymer. Here, when the beautifully attired lady approaches Thomas under the tree, he bows down to her and calls her queen of heaven. The lady reveals that she is the queen of elfland, and invites him to love her, after which she says he must be her servant for seven years. She rides off with him, and en route to her home she shows him three paths: the neglected and overgrown path of righteousness, the broad road to wickedness, and the winding road to Elfland, separate from either. They wade through a river of blood and enter a garden, where the queen gives Thomas an apple to eat, and tells him that it will give him a tongue that never lies. He stays seven years in Elfland, though because of the magic apple it is implied that he is indeed “True Thomas” when he returns to the world. Thomas became known for his prophecies, and was considered a kind of Scottish “Merlin” well into the 19th century. He is reputed to have predicted the death of Scottish king Alexander III in 1286, the decisive Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, as well as the ascension of the Scot James VI to the English throne in 1603. His prophecies were continually being revised and updated, well into the 16th century.
   At one point Thomas was thought to have been the author of The Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune, but it is clear that the romance was composed at least 100 years after the historical Thomas’s death. The Middle English romance called Sir Tristrem was attributed to Thomas by Sir Walter Scott when Scott edited the poem from the Auchenlick manuscript in 1804, but that attribution is unlikely. At one time Thomas was also thought to be the author of the English SIR LAUNFAL, but that poem is now attributed to Thomas Chestre. Thus no surviving poetry can be attributed with confidence to Thomas, but his reputation continues to make him the bestknown Scottish poet of his time.
   Bibliography
   ■ Child, Francis James, ed. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. 5 vols. 1882–1898.New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1965.
   ■ The Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune. Edited by James A. H. Murray. 1875. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint, 1987.


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