Long Lankin is the bogeyman of the Child Ballads. A mysterious figure who lives in the moss (or the gorse, or the hay), he is known as a bloodthirsty murderer. But what’s the full story? Explore the origins of the horror-filled ballad in this Halloween episode of Folk Files.
Host: Olivia Harding
Support Folk Files: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast
Musical excerpts:
ARTIST: The Wainwright Sisters
WORK: Long Lankin
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8vzCkJJlSQ
ARTIST: Steeleye Span
WORK: Long Lankin
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Rw1SVfa_U
ARTIST: Martin Carthy
WORK: Long Lankin
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlYuv1ZUsZ0
ARTIST: George Fradley
WORK: Lankin
SOURCE: https://youtu.be/yrEuzBE0uTs?si=aIpFgzidrF7YGpnN
ARTIST: Geordie McIntyre
WORK: Lamkin
SOURCE: https://youtu.be/LQF9M1Omrfs?si=d0yAQwvibFAIDLeQ
ARTIST: Alasdair Roberts & Friends
WORK: Long Lankin
SOURCE: https://youtu.be/es-bKUVLtUE?si=yxV9vFgzZoMpPPVC
ARTIST: Lisa Knapp
WORK: Long Lankin
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zahxuV3H9Sk
ARTIST: John Jacob Niles
WORK: Who Killed Cock Robin?
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-_lfkMQGPs
ARTIST: Frank Proffitt
WORK: Bo Lamkin