ABSTRACT
The popular ballad is a simple narrative poem relating epic events as seen through the medium of a lyrical temperament, popular in origin or by transmission, and fitted for oral circulation. The popular ballad stands at the end of the epic development, when the great epic begins to disintegrate. Yet folklorists have allusions in the Latin chronicles which leave no doubt about the existence of the ballad, and in one instance we possess the Latin transcription of what is no doubt a genuine popular ballad. One may next inquire into the nature of the material utilized by the popular ballad. In regard to the tragic ending, postulated as an essential feature of the popular ballad, it is well to be careful. The popular ballad has not played the humble role of Cinderella for as long a time as the fairy tale.
