The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh, also known as The Laidly Worm of Bamborough, is a Northumbrian ballad about a princess who changed into a dragon (the “laidly worm” of the title).
In the Kingdom of Northumbria, a kind king in Bamburgh Castle takes a beautiful but cruel witch as his queen after the death of his wife. The King’s son, Childe Wynd, has gone across the sea but his daughter, Princess Margaret, is turned into a dragon by the witch.
The enchantment used is usually:
I weird ye to be a Laidly Worm,And borrowed shall ye never be,Until Childe Wynd, the King’s own sonCome to the Heugh and thrice kiss thee;Until the world comes to an end,Borrowed shall ye never be.
Later in the story, the prince returns and, instead of fighting the dragon, kisses it, restoring the princess to her natural form. He then turns the witch-queen into a toad and becomes king himself.
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