Childe Rowland facts for kids
Childe Rowland is a famous fairy tale about a brave young hero. The most popular version was written by Joseph Jacobs in 1890, in his book English Fairy Tales. He based it on an older story from 1814 by Robert Jamieson, who heard it from a tailor as a Scottish ballad. Joseph Jacobs added the name "the Dark Tower" for the King of Elfland's palace. This name might remind you of Shakespeare's play King Lear or Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".
The Story of Childe Rowland
The story begins with four royal children: Childe Rowland, his two older brothers, and his sister, Burd Ellen. They were playing ball near a church. Rowland accidentally kicked the ball over the church. Burd Ellen went to get it, but she walked around the church "widdershins". This means she walked in the opposite direction of the sun's movement. When she did this, she suddenly disappeared!
Rowland went to Merlin the wizard to find out what happened to his sister. Merlin told him that Burd Ellen had been taken to the Dark Tower by the King of Elfland. Only the bravest knight in Christendom could rescue her.
His eldest brother decided to go first. Merlin told him what to do, but he never came back. The middle brother followed, and he also disappeared. Finally, Childe Rowland decided it was his turn. He took his father's special sword, which always helped him win.
Merlin gave Rowland strict instructions:
- He must cut off the head of anyone in Elfland who speaks to him, until he finds his sister.
- He must not eat or drink anything while in Elfland.
Rowland bravely followed these rules. He met a horseherd, a cowherd, and a henwife, but none of them would tell him where his sister was. He had to fight them, following Merlin's orders. The henwife finally told him he needed to circle a hill three times "widdershins". Each time, he had to say, "Open, door! open, door! And let me come in."
Rowland followed her instructions. A door opened in the hill, and he entered a huge hall. There he found Burd Ellen, who was under a spell from the King of Elfland. She warned him that he should not have come, as bad luck happened to everyone who entered Elfland. She also told him that their brothers were prisoners in the Dark Tower and were almost gone.
Rowland felt very hungry and forgot Merlin's warning. He asked his sister for food. She gave him some, but just as he was about to eat, he remembered Merlin's words. He quickly threw the food away. At that moment, the King of Elfland burst into the hall!
Rowland fought the King with his father's sword and defeated him. The King begged for mercy. Rowland agreed, but only if his brothers and sister were set free. They all returned home together. Burd Ellen never walked around the church "widdershins" again!
There is another version of the story by F.A. Steel (published in 1918). In this version, when Rowland finds Burd Helen (another name for Burd Ellen), she is under a powerful spell. He remembers Merlin's instructions and realizes he must break the spell. This brings back the real Burd Helen. This version helps explain why his older brothers did not return; they couldn't figure out how to break the spell and became trapped themselves.
Story Influences
The story of Childe Rowland has inspired many other works.
- The name "Childe Rowland" was mentioned in Shakespeare's famous play King Lear.
- Robert Browning wrote a well-known poem in 1855 called Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.
- Browning's poem then inspired other stories, like Gordon R. Dickson's science fiction series Childe Cycle (starting in 1959).
- It also inspired Stephen King's very popular Dark Tower series.
Joseph Jacobs' fairy tale might have also inspired some modern works. It can be hard to tell if they were inspired by his tale or by Browning's poem.
- Lord Dunsany's 1924 novel The King of Elfland's Daughter has many parts that are similar to the Childe Rowland story.
- Louis MacNeice wrote a radio play called The Dark Tower. It was based on the Childe Rowland story and first played on the BBC Home Service in 1946.
- Alan Garner used a lot from the tale for his novel Elidor (1965).
- Andre Norton retold the fairy tale in her novel Warlock of the Witch World (1967).
- English folk singer Martin Carthy used parts of the tale for his song Jack Rowland, which was on his 1982 album Out of the Cut.
- Terry Pratchett's book The Wee Free Men (2003) features a character named Roland de Chumsfanleigh, who is kidnapped by the Queen of the Elves.
Images for kids
-
Childe Rowland draws his sword to fight the Elf King, in this 1902 illustration by John Dickson Batten
