Thomas, the Rhymer, 1220?-1297?
Enlarge text Shrink text-
Personality
-
Save successfulThe item can be found in your Personal ZoneשגיאהLog in to your account to save
Information for Authority record
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography WWW site, viewed May 11, 2023(Thomas of Erceldoune [called Thomas the Rhymer] (fl. late 13th cent.); supposed author of poetry and prophecies, is the subject of a romance dating from the fourteenth century and of a celebrated border ballad, both describing his dealings with the fairy queen; the contemporary evidence relating to him, however, is limited to two charters; in the first, undated, charter (Cartulary of Melrose, BL, Harl. MS 3960, fol. 109a) Thome Rimor de Ercildun is the last of the named witnesses when Peter de Haga, lord of Bemersyde, promises to pay half a stone of wax annually to the chapel of St Cuthbert of Old Melrose; the hand is of the second half of the thirteenth century; the second charter, from the cartulary of the Trinity House of Soutra (NL Scot., Adv. MS 34.4.1), states that Thomas de Ercildoun, filius et heres Thome Rymour de Ercildoun cedes all his heritable property in Earlston to Soutra, and is dated November 2, 1294; Alexander Nisbet in 1702 is the first to refer to him as a knight "Sir Thomas Learmont (who is well known by the Name of Thomas the Rymer, because he wrote his Prophesies in Rhime"; the surname Learmont (Leirmont, Lermont) is first given to him in Hector Boece's Scotorum historiae (1527); the second charter suggests that Thomas's son and heir did not inherit the byname Rymour; opinion is divided as to whether Rymour is an ordinary surname or refers to poetic prowess; no certain evidence survives for his ability as a poet, although he has been associated with the Middle English romance Sir Tristrem; in the later middle ages he gained a reputation as a prophet as well as a poet; the origins of his prophetic gifts are described in the romance entitled Thomas of Erceldoune (possibly 14th century); in the ballad Thomas the Rhymer, or Thomas Rymer (Child, 37), the hero is called True Thomas; a further source dating Thomas to the late thirteenth century is Walter Bower's Scotichronicon: in 1285, "that rustic seer Thomas, he of Ersildon" predicted to Patrick, seventh earl of Dunbar, the violent death of Alexander III)
- The romance and prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune, 1875.
- The romance and prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune, 1973:page ix (commonly known as the Rhymer; occupies a more important place in the legendary history of Scotland than in the authentic annals) page xii (not known to any of the older authorities by any surname save his territorial one of Erceldoune, or that of Rymour, derived it is generally supposed from his poetic or prophetic avocations)
- Tranter, N. True Thomas, 1981:page 5, etc. (Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune; known as Thomas the Rhymer)
- His The romance and prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune ... 1875.
- Tranter, N. True Thomas, 1981:p. 5, etc. (Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune; known as Thomas the Rhymer)
- BM Cat.(Thomas, of Ercildoune, called the Rhymer)
- Enc. Brit.(Thomas the Rhymer (of Erceldoune) (fl. c. 1250-1290))
Wikipedia description:
Sir Thomas de Ercildoun, better remembered as Thomas the Rhymer (fl. c. 1220 – 1298), also known as Thomas Learmont or True Thomas, was a Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called "Erceldoune") in the Borders. Thomas' gift of prophecy is linked to his poetic ability. He is often cited as the author of the English Sir Tristrem, a version of the Tristram legend, and some lines in Robert Mannyng's Chronicle may be the source of this association. It is not clear if the name Rhymer was his actual surname or merely a sobriquet. In literature, he appears as the protagonist in the tale about Thomas the Rhymer carried off by the "Queen of Elfland" and returned having gained the gift of prophecy, as well as the inability to tell a lie. The tale survives in a medieval verse romance in five manuscripts, as well as in the popular ballad "Thomas Rhymer" (Child Ballad number 37). The romance occurs as "Thomas off Ersseldoune" in the Lincoln Thornton Manuscript. The original romance (from c. 1400) was probably condensed into ballad form (c. 1700) though there are dissenting views on this. Walter Scott expanded the ballad into three parts, adding a sequel which incorporated the prophecies ascribed to Thomas, and an epilogue where Thomas is summoned back to Elfland after the appearance of a sign, in the form of the milk-white hart and hind. Numerous prose retellings of the tale of Thomas the Rhymer have been undertaken, and included in fairy tale or folk-tale anthologies; these often incorporate the return to Fairyland episode that Scott reported to have learned from local legend.
Read more on Wikipedia >