Introduction – The Story of “Twa Sisters”
A harrowing murder ballad in which an older sister shoves her younger sister in the water (and sometimes a musician makes an instrument from the drowned girl’s corpse) can be found all over Great Britain, North America, and Scandinavia. But where did it originally come from? And how has the story changed as it’s traveled across seas? Find out in this episode of Folk Files, all about “Twa Sisters.”
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Credits
Host: Olivia Harding
Learn more about the Spokane Fall Folk Festival
For more on this ballad, check out the In the Roud podcast
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Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton
Musical Excerpts
Whiskey and the Jets
“The Wind and Rain”
Jo Miller and Alison McMorland
“The Cruel Sister”
https://global.oup.com/booksites/content/9780198939092/CruelSister/
Emily Portman
“Two Sisters”
https://youtu.be/8U1LFg_cf0o?si=7qkkIzbVQy57mQSg
Ange Hardy & Lukas Drinkwater
“The Berkshire Tragedy”
https://youtu.be/FDJQBjPrQfI?si=f3BzT-9GzDnOYcwO
Triakel
“Kalt Väder”
https://triakel.bandcamp.com/track/kalt-v-der
Folque
“Harpa”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snWcSvXCtk4
Sorten Muld
“2 Søstre”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j_NZmAUrlg
Folk och Rackare
“De Två Systrarna”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KWSsEBGZ30
Martin Carthy
“Bows of London”
https://youtu.be/7OVylKPnEeQ?si=-_T9Ua7GU_NJkxuh
Kate Corwen
“Cruel Sister”
https://katecorwen.bandcamp.com/track/cruel-sister
Pentangle
“Cruel Sister”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wf8W45l8k8
Simon and Garfunkel
“Scarborough Fair/Canticle”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jj4s9I-53g
Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
“The Berkshire Tragedy”
https://youtu.be/x3rUAHXdFKM?si=Xe_AXgzGHL2H5Xd1
Loreena McLennitt
“The Bonny Swans”
https://youtu.be/JsNJuhBfbPg?si=VuCIba7WXHZAg1dB
John Strachan
“Binnorie”
https://youtu.be/i62rV7GaRN8?si=NSYse28-BCeLoqIa
Clannad
“Two Sisters”
https://youtu.be/GhnPOUyEomc?si=LJEKadIAaqAC7nfK