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MAY-KIDING. 775
city make two troops of horse, of tall youths and men, to as
semble, as tho they would go forth to a mighty battle. One
troop hath a captain, that under the name of Winter is arrayed
in much fur and wadded garments, and is armed with a winter-
spear : he rideth arrogantly to and fro, showering
snowballs and
iceflakes, as he would fain prolong the cold, and much he vaunteth
him in speech. The other troop hath contrariwise a captain, that
is named the Blumengrave, he is clad in green boughs, leaves and
flowers, and other summer raiment, and not right fencible ; he
rides into town the same time with the winter- captain, yet each
in his several place and order, then hold a public tilting and
tourney, wherein Summer hath the mastery, bearing Winter to
the ground. Winter and his company scatter ashes and sparks
about them, the other fend them with birchen boughs and young
lime-twigs ; finally, by the multitude around, the victory is
awarded to Summer.
Here Death is not once alluded to ; in true Teutonic fashion,
the whole business is made to lie between Summer and Winter ;
only, the simple procession of our peasant-folk has turned more
into a chivalry pageant of opulent town-life. At the same time
this induction of May into the city ( hisset kommer Sivard
Snarensvend [p. 372n.], han forer os sommer/ or och bar oss
DV. 1, 14. Sv. forns. ], 44.
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sommer i
by,
( bdra maj i by,
Dybeck runa (
2, 67; in Schonen fore somma i by ) cuts a neater
statelier figure than the miserable array of mendicant children,
and is in truth a highly poetic and impressive spectacle. These
Mayday sports are mentioned more than once in old Swedish
and Danish chronicles, town regulations and records. Lords
and kings not seldom took a part in them, they were a great
and general national entertainment. Crowned with flowers, the
majgrefve fared with a powerful escort over highway and thorp ;
banquet and round-dance followed. In Denmark the jaunting
began on Walburgis day (May 1), and was called at ride Som
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mer i bye,
riding S. into the land : the young men ride in front,
then the May -grave (floriger) with two garlands, one on each
shoulder, the rest with only one; songs are sung in the town,
all the maidens make a ring round the may -grave, who picks out
one of them to be his maj-inde, by dropping a wreath on her
head. Winter and his conflict with May are no longer mentioned
VOL. n. z