SOURCE: "The Fause Knight on the Road" (The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1882-1898) by Francis James Child

DESCRIPTION: "‘O Whare are ye gaun?’ quo the false knight/And false, false was his rede..." ("The Fause Knight on the Road" by Francis James Child)

NOTES: The False Night is a Scottish version of the Erl King that M. G. made famous in his poetry. Like the Erl King, the Flase Knight tries to tempt innocents to their death. In this version the school boy outwits him.

HISTORY: Francis James Child did not write this ballad, only recorded it in his book, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. As with all ballads, these songs were sung and their stories told for centuries before they were written down. This song inspired Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess to do a comic book version for Book of Ballads (2004)