Thomas the Rhymer (also Thomas Rhymer or Thomas Rymer) is the better-known name of Thomas Learmonth of Erceldoune, a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed soothsayer. Many people have encountered him in fictional form as the protagonist in the ballad Thomas the Rhymer (Child Ballad number 37). (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one strikes me with impunity) Capital Edinburgh¹ Language(s) Gaelic, Scots Government Monarchy King/Queen  - 843-860 Kenneth I  - 1587–1625 James VI  - 1702-1714 Anne Legislature Parliament of Scotland History  - United 843  - Union of the Crowns March 24, 1603  - Act of Union... A lord is a male who has power and authority. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ...

Thomas was born in Erceldoune (also spelt Ercildoune - presently Earlston), Berwickshire, sometime in the 13th century, and has a reputation as the author of many prophetic verses. Little is known for certain of his life but two charters from 1260-80 and 1294 mention him, the latter referring to the "Thomas de Ercildounson son and heir of Thome Rymour de Ercildoun". Earlston (formerly Ercildoune, of which it is a corruption) is a parish and market town in Berwickshire, Scotland. ... Berwickshire (Siorrachd Bhearaig in Gaelic) is a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council and a Lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. ...

Popular esteem of Thomas lived on for centuries after his death, to the extent that several people have fabricated Thomas' "prophecies" in order to further the cause of Scottish independence^{[citation needed]}. His reputation for supernatural powers for a time rivalled that of Merlin. Thomas became known as "True Thomas" because he could not tell a lie. Popular lore recounts how prophesied many great events in Scottish history including the death of Alexander III of Scotland. Merlin Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys (Merlin the Wise); also known as Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin the Wild), Merlin Caledonensis (Scottish Merlin), Merlinus, and Merlyn) is the personage best known as the mighty wizard featured in Arthurian legends, starting with Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae. ... Coronation of King Alexander on Moot Hill, Scone. ...

Musicologists have traced the ballad Thomas the Rhymer back at least as far as the 13th century. It deals with the supernatural subject matter of fairy-folk. The theme of this song also closely relates to another song, that of Tam Lin, which follows the same general topical lines. Its more general theme relates to temptation and mortal pleasures. There is also a 14th century romance "Thomas of Erceldoune", with accompanying prophecies, which clearly relates to the ballad, though the exact nature of the relationship is not clear. by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... Tam Lin is the hero of a Scottish Borders legend about fairies and mortal men (one of several Thomases in myth, such as True Thomas also known as Thomas the Rhymer). ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

Several different variants of the story of Thomas Rhymer exist, most having the same basic theme. They tell how Thomas either kissed or slept with the Queen of Elphame and either rode with her or was otherwise transported to Fairyland. One version relates that she changed into a hag immediately after sleeping with him, as some sort of a punishment to him, but returned to her originally beautiful state when they neared her castle, where her husband lived. Thomas stayed at a party in the castle until she told him to return with her, coming back into the mortal realm only to realise that seven years (a significant number in magic) had passed. He asked for a token to remember the Queen by; she offered him the choice of becoming a harper or a prophet, and he chose the latter. Álfheim (Old Norse Álfheimr Elf-home) is the abode of the Álfar Elves in Norse mythology and appears also in northern English ballads under the forms Elfhame and Elphame. ... The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse Magic and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical, paranormal or supernatural means. ...

After a number of years had passed Thomas is said to have returned to Fairyland, whence he has not yet returned.

Thomas' gift of prophecy seems to link to his poetic ability, although it is not clear if the name Rhymer was his actual surname or merely a soubriquet. He is often linked with Sir Tristrem, a version of the Tristram legend, and some lines in Robert Mannyng's Chronicle may be the source of this association. Sir Tristrem though, is an adaptation of a mid-12th century, Anglo-Norman romance ascribed to Thomas of Britain and it may be the two Thomases are being confounded. This article or section should be merged with Tristam Tristan was a Cornish hero from folklore, and one of the Knights of the Round Table whose story is told in the Matter of Britain. ... Robert Mannyng of Brunne, a Gilbertine Monk, provides a surprising amount of information about himself in his two known works, Handlyng Synne and a Chronicle. ... Mannyngs Chronicle is a chronicle written by Robert Mannyng in 1338. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Thomas of Britain is an Anglo-Norman poet of the 12th century. ...

Other versions

The folk rock band Steeleye Span and the singer Ewan MacColl have each made recordings of the ballad in recent times. Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... Steeleye Span are a British folk-rock band, formed in 1970 and who remain active in 2006. ... Ewan MacColl (25 January 1915 - 22 October 1989) was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. ...

The Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov believed he was a distant relative of Thomas. Mikhail Lermontov in 1837 Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (Михаил Юрьевич Лермонтов), (October 15, 1814–July 27, 1841), a Russian Romantic writer and poet, sometimes called the poet of the Caucasus, was the most important presence in the Russian poetry from Alexander Pushkins death until his own four years later, at the age...

Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer is a full-length novel based on the ballad and associated folklore. Ellen Kushner is an American writer of fantasy novels. ...

Scottish author Nigel Tranter's 1981 novel True Thomas is based on the known facts and legends of Thomas the Rhymer. Nigel Tranter (November 23, 1909 – January 9, 2000) was a Scottish historian and author. ... Nigel Tranter is a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters. ...

Thomas is a major character in Alexander Reid's play The Lass wi the Muckle Mou. Alexander Reid (1914–1982) was a Scottish playwright. ...

Patricia Wrede's Snow-White And Rose-Red makes use of elements of the ballad, with the Queen of Elfland and two of Thomas's sons appearing as major characters. Other fantasy novels, including Diana Wynne Jones's Fire and Hemlock, use elements from, and allusions to, the ballad. Pat Wrede Patricia Collins Wrede (pronounced REED-ee) is an American fantasy writer, born 1953 in Chicago, Illinois; she is the eldest of five children. ... Pat Wrede Patricia Collins Wrede (pronounced REED-ee) is an American fantasy writer, born 1953 in Chicago, Illinois; she is the eldest of five children. ... Diana Wynne Jones (born London August 16, 1934) is a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

Erceldoune, a novella by Holy Blood, Holy Grail co-author Richard Leigh is based on Thomas the Rhymer, and features a folk-singer named Thomas "Rafe" Erlston. Found in Erceldoune & Other Stories. ISBN 978-1-4116-9943-4 Holy Blood, Holy Grail is a controversial New York Times bestselling book by authors Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, which was published in 1982 by Dell (ISBN 055212138) in London. ... Richard Leigh (Born 1951 in Washington, D.C. is a country music songwriter). ...

The character True Tom (also Thomas Learmont, Thomas of Erceldoune, Thomas the Rhymer) makes an appearance in Raymond E. Feist's popular 1988 fantasy novel, Faerie Tale. Raymond Elias Feist (born 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American author, mostly specialising in fantasy fiction. ...

The novelist Thomas Learmont (1939- ) uses the pen name Tom Rymour.

Thomas appears as "True Thomas" in the comic book Aria: Summer's Spell. He is the lost love of the series's protagonist, Kildare, and finally reunites with her in 1960s London. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Aria is a miniseries by Image Comics, written by Michael Turner. ...

• Kentucky artist and composer Daniel Dutton's painting of True Thomas

• Composer and teacher R. J. Stewartprovides a full esoteric exegesis of the ballad in his book, The UnderWorld Initiation.

Lyrics to the ballad Thomas Rhymer Child #37

True Thomas lay on Huntlie Bank,
A ferlie he spied wi' his ee,
And there he saw a lady bright,
Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her shirt was o' the grass-green silk,
Her mantle o' the velvet fine,
At ilka tett o' her horse's mane
Hung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas, he pulld aff his cap,
And louted low down to his knee:
'All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven!
For thy peer on Earth I never did see.'

'Oh no, O no, Thomas,' she said,
'That name does not belong to me;
I am but the Queen of fair Elfland,
That am hither come to visit thee.'

'Harp and carp, Thomas,' she said,
'Harp and carp along wi me,
And if ye dare to kiss my lips,
Sure of your bodie I will be.'

'Betide me weal, betide me woe,
That weird shall never daunton me';
Syne he has kissed her rosy lips,
All underneath the Eildon Tree.

'Now, ye maun go wi me,' she said,
'True Thomas, ye maun go wi me,
And ye maun serve me seven years,
Thro weal or woe, as chance to be.'

She's mounted on her milk-white steed,
She's taen True Thomas up behind,
And aye whene'er her bridle rung,
The steed flew swifter than the wind.

O they rade on, and farther on--
The steed gaed swifter than the wind--
Until they reached a desart wide,
And living land was left behind.

'Light down, light down, now, True Thomas,
And lean your head upon my knee;
Abide and rest a little space,
And I will shew you ferlies three.

'O see ye not yon narrow road,
So thick beset with thorns and briars?
That is the path of righteousness,
Tho after it but few enquires.

'And see not ye that braid, braid road
That lies across the lily leven?
That is the path of wickedness,
Tho some call it the road to Heaven.

'And see not ye that bonny road,
That winds about the fernie brae?
That is the road to fair Elfland,
Where thou and I this night maun gae.

'But, Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue,
Whatever ye may hear or see,
For, if you speak word in Elfyn land,
Ye'll neer get back to your ain countrie.'

O they rade on, and farther on,
And they waded thro rivers aboon the knee,
And they saw neither sun nor moon,
But they heard the roaring of the sea.

It was mirk mirk night, and there was nae stern light,
And they waded thro red blude to the knee;
Fow a' the blude that's shed on Earth
Rins thro the springs o' that countrie.

Syne they came on to a garden green,
And she pu'd an apple frae a tree:
'Take this for thy wages, True Thomas,
It will give thee tongue that can never lie.'

'My tongue is mine ain,' True Thomas said;
'A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!
I neither dought to buy nor sell,
At fair or tryst where I may be.

'I dought neither speak to prince or peer,
Nor ask of grace from fair ladye.'
'Now hold thy peace,' the lady said,
'For as I say, so must it be.'

He has gotten a coat of the elven cloth,
And a pair of shoes of velvet green,
And till seven years were gane and past
True Thomas on Earth was never seen.

—from F. J. Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, version C

References

• Dictionary of National Biography