This is a list of ballads found in Sveriges Medeltida Ballader.
Ballads of the supernatural (Naturmytiska visor)
Number Title TSB Cognates Notes Synopsis 1 Riddar Stigs runor A 4 2 Sömnrunorna A 11 Child 43 A young maiden is widely reputed to have spent the night with many men, yet she remains a virgin. Her reputation travels so far, it comes to the Prince of England. Determined to win her, he calls for his horse and rides to meet her. When he arrives, she invites him into her chamber, but as soon as he sits on her bed, his eyes grow heavy and he lays down to sleep. Three days later the maiden awakes him and sends him on his way, none the wiser. In truth, she had written "raven runes" [ramme runor], the 'Sleep Runes' of the song-title, upon the sheets. 3 Kung Erik och spåkvinnan A 12 King Erik sends for a fortune teller. After testing her abilities, he is informed that he (and in some variants his queen) does not have long to live. 4 Jungfrun i fågelhamn A 16 A man tries to catch a deer in the woods. The deer turns into a hawk. He feeds the hawk a piece of his own flesh, and it turns into a maid, who explains that her stepmother had cast a spell on her. 5 Den förtrollade riddaren A 19 A knight's stepmother transforms him into a werewolf, and tells him he must drink the blood of his brother to break the spell. He kills the stepmother and drinks the blood of her unborn son. 6 Varulven A 20 A maid is killed by a werewolf while walking the woods. 7 Förvandling och förlösning A 22 Mother and daughter are approached by a fox and a wolf who accuse them of being their mothers, and of having turned them into animals. They drink the women's blood, and a "fortune teller" appears, transforming them into humans again. 8 Blacken A 25 A king's enchanted horse, Blacken, swims after the king when he goes abroad. He returns and dies of exhaustion. 9 Ravnen Rune A 26 Rune the Raven visits Kerstin, who is held prisoner by her husband. Rune flies to Kerstin's father, who come to the rescue on his enchanted horse Blacken. In some variants, Blacken loses his powers when his name is spoken, throws his master off and continues alone (and dies of exhaustion). 10 Jungfrun i hindhamn A 27 A man out hunting fails to heed his mother's advice not to shoot a deer. When he flays the deer, he finds locks of hair and jewelry, and realizes that the deer was his sister (lover) under a spell. 11 Lindormen A 29 Child 34 A maid goes to bed with a lindworm, and wakes up next to a king's son. 12 Jungfrun förvandlad till lind A 30 Child 34 A maid has been transformed into a lime tree (usually by her stepmother). Another maid encounters the tree and sends for help. 13 De två systrarna A 38 Child 10 One sister drowns the other. The dead sister is made into a harp, and the harp reveals the crime. 14 Den förtrollade barnaföderskan (Liten Kerstins förtrollning) A 40 Child 6 A woman's pregnancy is prolonged through magic. 15 Redebold och Gullborg A 41 Child 7 (and Child 8) The supernatural element in 15–16 lies in the breaking of the name taboo being the cause of Redebold/Hillebrand's death. This "dead-naming" is omitted in the English ballads. Redebold elopes with his beloved Gullborg. Her father and his men go after them. Redebold prepares to fight them, and asks Gullborg not to mention his name. When he kills her father (or brother), she calls out for him, and he is immediately cut down. 16 Hilla lilla A 42 Child 7 (and 8) Hilla relates her misfortunes, including "dead-naming" her beloved Hillebrand, as in the above, and being sold (and/or locked up) by her family. 17 Riddaren i fågelhamn A 44 A maid will only accept a suitor who can fly. A young man makes wings of gold and flies to her. 18 Unge Svedendal (Hertig Silfverdal) A 45 Svipdagsmál Svedendal is cursed to not find peace until he finds the woman meant for him, whom he has never met. He awakes his dead father, who offers help in the form of various enchanted items. Svedendal meets a shepherd who leads him to the maiden, who awaits him, herself under a spell that only he can break. 19 Agneta och havsmannen A 47 Child 41 Agneta follows a merman to his underwater abode, where she stays and has several children. Hearing church bells, she longs for home, and is permitted to go visit her family. She disregards all conditions her captor has postulated for her release, and he appears, demanding she returns to care for her children, but Agneta says she does not care. 20 Näcken bortför jungfrun A 48 A neck abducts a maid. 21 Ungersven och havsfrun A 49 A man is abducted by a sea-troll, or mermaid, who makes him forget his past. In some variants, he saves himself by playing a magical harp. 22 Harpans kraft A 50 A man asks his beloved why she is unhappy. She replies that she has two (or more) sisters who drowned (or that she was prophesied to drown herself). Precautions are taken, but the girl falls in the river nonetheless. The man plays a magical harp to force the neck to give her (and her sisters) back. 23 A 51 A man successfully frees his sister from a sea-troll or mermaid, where she has been held prisoner for years. The sea-troll mourns her loss. 24 Den bergtagna A 54 Child 41 A maid is led astray and imprisoned by a mountain dwarf (). They have several children. She returns to see her mother, but is taken back inside the mountain and made to forget her family (or killed). 25 Bergman och Herreman A 58 A mountain dwarf asks for a maid's hand, then takes her away by force, but she turns around and rides back home. 26 Herr Magnus och havsfrun (Herr Mannelig) A 59 Sir Magnus is courted by a female troll, but turns her down. 27 Herr Peder och dvärgens dotter A 61 Sir Peder is out riding, and arrives in a mountain, where he meets a dwarf's daughter. He kills her. 28 Riddar Tynne A 62 29 Herr Olof och älvorna A 63 Child 42 Sir Olof encounters fairies who invite him to dance with them. He declines, and falls ill and dies. 30 Jungfrurnas gäst A 64 31 Älvefärd A 65 32 Sorgens makt A 67 Child 77 A mourning girl receives a nightly visit from her dead fiancé. 33 Styvmodern A 68 A woman returns from the dead when she sees her children suffer at the hands of their stepmother. 34 Gengångaren A 69 35 Herr Mårten A 70 A man encounters Sir Mårten, whom he knows to be dead. Apparently, Mårten had wrongfully claimed a piece of land, and demands that his wife return it. If his wife does not believe the man, Mårten explains, she shall find Mårten's boots filled with blood. 36 Herr Holger A 71
Legendary ballads (Legendvisor)
Number Title TSB Cognates Notes Synopsis 37 Jungfru Maria och Jesus B 4 38 Underbar syn B 7 39 Sankte Staffan B 8 Child 22 40 Sankt Göran och draken B 10 41 Sankt Olovs kappsegling B 12 42 Liten Karin B 14 A king becomes infatuated with Karin (St. Catherine). He offers her gifts, but she refuses them. He has her executed in a "nail barrel" (). She is taken to heaven, and the king to hell. 43 Maria Magdalena B 16 Child 21 Mary Magdalene meets Jesus in the wilderness. She claims to be a virgin, but Jesus says this is not true, and that she has had three children, with her father, her brother, and the parish priest. As punishment, she must stay in the wilderness for seven years. She is then allowed to enter heaven. 44 Fru Gunnel och Eluf väktare B 17 When the king is away, Lady Gunnel releases all prisoners. She blames Eluf the guard, swearing that if she is not speaking the truth, she will give birth to seven dogs. Eluf is executed; miracles occur at his place of death. Gunnel gives birth to dogs, which she kills. 45 Herr David och hans styvsöner B 18 46 Herr Peder och hans syster B 20 Sir Peder tries to seduce his sister. When she refuses his advances, he falsely claims that she has murdered her illegitimate children. She is burned at the stake. Peder refuses to let her drink. Doves take her to heaven, and ravens take Peder to hell. 47 Herr Töres' döttrar B 21 Child 14 48 Duvans sång (Duvans sång på liljekvist) B 22 A bird sings to a maid that she is expected in (or asks her to follow it to) heaven. Soon after, as she is about to marry, she falls ill and dies. 49 Isa lilla mö B 25 50 Sjöfarare i hungersnöd B 26 51 Herr Peder och pilgrimen B 28 52 Eldprovet B 29 53 Rik och fattig syster B 30 54 Den rike mannens själ B 32
Historical ballads (Historiska visor)
Number Title TSB Cognates Notes Synopsis 55 Junker Stränger C 3 Queen Dagmar is brought to Denmark, 1205 56 Slaget vid Lena C 5 The Battle of Lena, 1208 57 Drottning Dagmars död C 6 The death of Queen Dagmar, 1212 58 Drottning Bengjerd C 7 Queen Bengjerd requests taxes, 1214 59 Vreta klosterrov C 8 Abduction from Vreta Abbey 60 Folke Algotssons brudrov C 15 Folke Algotsson abducts Ingrid Svantepolksdotter, 1288 61 Sven Grotheson C 16 Treats the same event as the preceding entry, and is also known as "Folke Algotssons brudrov", but considered a distinct ballad 62 Faxehus' förstörelse C 28 The burning of Faxehus (Faxeholm), 1434 63 Sten Sture d. ä. och dalkarlarna C 35 The War of Deposition against King Hans, 1501–1502 64 Dalvisan C 40 The Battle of Brunnbäck Ferry, 1521 65 Gustav Vasa och dalkarlarna (Vasavisan) C 41 The Swedish War of Liberation, 1521(–1523)
Ballads of chivalry (Riddarvisor)