View source for The Bonny Lass of Anglesey

{{short description|Traditional song}}
'''The Bonny Lass of Anglesey''' ([[Roud Folk Song Index|Roud]] 3931, [[Child Ballads|Child]] 220) is a traditional English-language folk song.<ref>[[Francis James Child]], ''English and Scottish Ballads'', [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch220.htm "The Bonny Lass of Anglesey"]</ref>

==Synopsis==

Fifteen English lords come to the king "To dance and win the victory." He gets the bonny lass to dance with them, offering her lands and either the fairest knight (of her choice), or the bravest, in his court. She wins. The fifteenth lord laid aside his sword but still had to admit defeat—in one variant, for exhaustion.

==Commentary==
The significance of this dancing competition and the "victory" won is unclear.  The point is that none of the knights can outdance her.

[[Francis James Child]] classified it among the "historical" ballads.

==Adaptions==
[[Delia Sherman]] reworked this ballad in her short story "The Fiddler of Bayou Teche".<ref>"2007 Nebula Award Nominees", ''The Bulletin of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America'' Spring 2008 p 44</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Francis James Child}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonny Lass Of Anglesey}}
[[Category:Child Ballads]]
[[Category:Year of song unknown]]
[[Category:Songs with unknown songwriters]]


{{Folk-song-stub}}