Ballad #2: Proud Lady Margaret

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At the end of Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister tells the council that the stories we tell unite us.

Is he correct? In this episode I argue that he is, and I give examples as to how stories we tell unite us as a country and they can unite us in our conception of our deepest values.

In this traditional Scottish ballad, a knight comes to a wistful young woman in a castle. He is there to woo her. But she sees him as beneath her, due to the clothes he wears. After asking him three riddles, she discovers that he is more than her match, so she agrees to be his. But then he reveals that he is actually her brother, who has been "beyond the sea." She wants to join him, but he tells her that she cannot, for he is dead. The knight is a ghost in disguise.

Lastly, he tells her that the reason for his journey from the land of the dead to her own land is to stop her from being so prideful.

We'll talk about pride, stories, ballads and more. Join in!