Annotation - Chapter 1, Page 4
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* {{PP|4|18}} "Some times youwl hear of a aulder kincher he carries away childer" | * {{PP|4|18}} "Some times youwl hear of a aulder kincher he carries away childer" | ||
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| − | '' | + | ''Childer'' is the plural of child in most Scottish and North English dialects. As far as I know, it is not common in [[Places|Kent]] or elsewhere in the South. {{By|EB}} |
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| + | The aulder kincher isn't mentioned again in the book and there have been several guesses about its etymology: ''kincher'' is an [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kinching archaic word] for a thief or rogue,{{By|RG}} and could also suggest "kinship" in the sense of Riddley's forebears having betrayed/exploited their children.{{By|GW}} But {{By|ZG}} points out a more specific possible reference: | ||
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| + | <blockquote> | ||
| + | The German folkloric figure of Erlkönig is translated into English as Alder King (despite there being some ambiguity about the origin of the German name, which may have been a mistranslation from "elf-king" in Danish). Goethe wrote [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig a famous poem] about him, in which he carries away the soul of a child; that idea seems to have stuck, even if it doesn't have precedent in folklore. Alder carrs (wet alder-dominated woods) were associated with bogeymen and bandits, being hard to navigate on foot, dangerous and dingy, an ideal place to hide out or ambush, so an alder king as a threatening character makes sense in that context too. All that rain and all that alder in Riddley's world would have made for more alder carr than we currently have in Kent. | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
[[Category:Chapter 1]] | [[Category:Chapter 1]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:03, 6 September 2025
- (4:18) "Some times youwl hear of a aulder kincher he carries away childer"
Childer is the plural of child in most Scottish and North English dialects. As far as I know, it is not common in Kent or elsewhere in the South. EB
The aulder kincher isn't mentioned again in the book and there have been several guesses about its etymology: kincher is an archaic word for a thief or rogue,RG and could also suggest "kinship" in the sense of Riddley's forebears having betrayed/exploited their children.GW But ZG points out a more specific possible reference:
The German folkloric figure of Erlkönig is translated into English as Alder King (despite there being some ambiguity about the origin of the German name, which may have been a mistranslation from "elf-king" in Danish). Goethe wrote a famous poem about him, in which he carries away the soul of a child; that idea seems to have stuck, even if it doesn't have precedent in folklore. Alder carrs (wet alder-dominated woods) were associated with bogeymen and bandits, being hard to navigate on foot, dangerous and dingy, an ideal place to hide out or ambush, so an alder king as a threatening character makes sense in that context too. All that rain and all that alder in Riddley's world would have made for more alder carr than we currently have in Kent.