Tord of Hafsborough, and Other Ballads

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About this book

A lost golden hammer sends Lokke Leyemand flying across the sea in a feather robe, carrying a request to a hostile count. This opening sets the tone for George Borrow's collection of ballads, where strange bargains, royal households and sudden reversals unfold in brisk rhyming stanzas. The title poem mixes a dangerous demand for a bride with the comedy of an astonishing appetite at the wedding feast.

Other verses shift toward loyalty, courage and the search for a missing princess. Thorvald earns respect through his generosity to prisoners, while Peter Colbiornsen leads citizens defending their town. Repeated refrains give these accounts a strong spoken rhythm. A brief poem on the effort required to gain wisdom offers a quieter pause. Readers drawn to northern legends and older narrative verse can explore how dialogue and repetition carry both humor and conflict.

About the author

George Borrow

George Borrow was an English writer, translator, linguist, and traveler whose books draw on encounters across Britain and continental Europe. John Murray issued Lavengro in 1851; it blends autobiography and fiction as its wandering narrator moves through barrack towns, London literary work, and meetings with Romani communities.