Francis James Child and the Grimm Brothers created their most celebrated works from listening. Before every selection in English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Child has an introduction explaining where he found each ballad version. A majority of Child’s selections come from manuscripts and texts collected by other scholars. Then there are some selections such as The Lass of Roch Royal, version H, which was “ Communicated by Mr. G.C. Mahon, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, as sung by a laborer, at Tyrrelspass, West Meath, Ireland, about 1820” (Child vol. II: 224). From this introduction, we know the time, place and whom this version comes from. More importantly, we know that this selection was still a part of oral tradition, at that time. The Grimm
