ABSTRACT
A significant part of the fascination of studying – and listening to and singing – ballads arises directly out of their infinite variety. In a whole series of articles David Buchan went on to analyse and classify recurrent tale role patterns in various categories or subgenres of ballads including romantic, tragic, religious, wit-combat, revenant, otherworld, witch, marvellous creature, and comic ballads, as well as various hybrid types. In practice Buchan demonstrated the power of tale role analysis in elucidating, for example, the continuity of supernatural and secular versions and types of wit-combat ballads, and the affinities of wit-combat and revenant ballads. The idea that ballad tradition is, in a fundamental way, expansive, embracing a multiplicity of variations and contexts, also implies a diversity of reception of ballad performances, texts, and tunes. Communities of singers have often recognised a concept of 'song ownership'.
