The Two Sisters (folk song)

"The Cruel Sister" redirects here. For other uses, see Cruel Sister.

The Cruel Sister from The Book of British Ballads (1842)

"The Two Sisters" (also known by the Scots title "The Twa Sisters") is a traditional murder ballad, dating at least as far back as the mid 17th century. The song recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her jealous sister. At least 21 English variants exist under several names, including "Minnorie" or "Binnorie", "The Cruel Sister", "The Wind and Rain", "Dreadful Wind and Rain", "The Bonny Swans" and the "Bonnie Bows of London". The ballad was collected by renowned folklorist Francis J. Child as Child Ballad 10 and is also listed in the Roud Folk Song Index (Roud 8).[1][2] Whilst the song is thought to originate somewhere around England or Scotland (possibly Northumbria), extremely similar songs have been found throughout Europe, particularly in Scandinavia.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference peter kennedy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference kenneth goldstein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).