Proud Signild, and Other Ballads

Set in a shadowy medieval realm, this narrative ballad follows Proud Signild, a young woman wed to the distant lord Sir Loumor after her father’s murder. The verses trace her uneasy return to a castle perched on a lonely hill, where her seven brothers—her only remaining kin—arrive in a thunder of horses. As lavish feasts and strange rituals unfold, Signild must balance the demands of her new lord with a deep, lingering loyalty to the blood that raised her.

In stark, rhythmic language the poem weaves together love, vengeance, and the bitter taste of betrayal. Listeners are drawn into the tense banquet where wine and milk are served as symbols of hidden intent, and where the quiet of night promises a turning point. The piece invites imagination to linger on the clash between duty and desire, leaving the outcome suspended just beyond the final refrain.