Thomas the Rhymer

Thomas the Rhymer (also Thomas Rhymer or Thomas Rymer) is the better-known name of Thomas Learmonth of Erceldoune, a 13th Century Scottish soothsayer. Many people have encountered him in fictional form as the protagonist in the ballad Thomas the Rhymer (Child Ballad number 37).

Related Topics:
13th Century - Scottish - Ballad - Child Ballad

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Thomas was born in Erceldoune (also spelt Ercildoune - presently Earlston), Scottish Borders, 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".

Related Topics:
Earlston - Scottish Borders

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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. 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.

Related Topics:
Merlin - Alexander III of Scotland

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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.

Related Topics:
Fairy - Tam Lin - 14th century

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Several different variants of the story of Thomas Rhymer exist, most having the same basic theme. They tell how Thomas either kissed or had sex 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.

Related Topics:
Elphame - Magic

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

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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.

Related Topics:
Tristram - Robert Mannyng - Chronicle - 12th century - Anglo-Norman - Thomas of Britain

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The folk-rock band Steeleye Span and the singer Ewan MacColl have each made recordings of the ballad in recent times. The Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov believed he was a distant relative of Thomas.

Related Topics:
Folk-rock - Steeleye Span - Ewan MacColl - Mikhail Lermontov

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