A lover. That is what he was to her. He was a man who seemed like a breath of fresh air. A man who promised her adventure and a new way of life. With this facade, how was she supposed to know that even shiny, gold things can become deadly?
Reading the ballad and understanding it the first time was difficult but the twisted ending is what drew me to this ballad. At the beginning, all we know is that there is a “demon” but this very well could be the lover or the woman. I actually thought that this was a reference to something but I was wrong. I didn’t imagine that the lover would actually be a demon and that he would take her to hell. The demon also didn’t only send her to hell but he drowned her at sea along with his promise.
After reading the ballad it makes me wonder, if her being sent to hell was actually her punishment for abandoning her family or if she was destined to go the minute she and the demon met? It makes me wonder because it is such a high price to pay for just meeting someone or for making a mistake. I am also curious to know how the woman’s family reacted to her leaving and if they ever found out what happened to her?
After reading this and having some time to reflect, I made a connection between this ballad and a situation that happens in real life real life. The deception that the demon used with the woman in today’s terms, I believe that this would be called catfishing. I find it interesting that this concept has been around for this long but would you agree that the demon “catfished” the woman?
English 2323-020 
Lidia, I found your post interesting with great points. To answer some of your questions, I believe her being sent to hell was a punishment for abandoning her family as opposed to it being her destiny. The demon only influenced her, he didn’t force to her to go with him, she made that choice. As to how her family reacted, I can only imagine their confusion and shock when she never returned home. I believe her disappearance remained a mystery to them, for how could they know of what happened? I liked how you connected the demon’s deception to our modern term “catfishing”. I do agree the demon does use catfishing methods to seduce the woman into leaving with him.
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Lidia, I believe that it was a little more than punishment. I think that he just wanted to see how much value money and other material things hold. As we know, at the beginning of the ballad the woman rejects him saying that she has a family to come home to but as soon as he dangles something shiny in front of her, she folds. As far as my opinion goes for the families’ reaction, I think that the “demon” made it look like a disappearance rather than the woman abandoning them. I absolutely agree with your idea of catfishing. The “demon” made himself seem like he was a fantasy when in reality he was a nightmare. The “demon” was completely dishonest about who he was and if he had been honest the woman would’ve never left with him.
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i would agree that the demon did catfish. i believe that the woman was wanting something more from her life so she was easily fooled. she most likely wished for the perfect man and the demon came representing that perfect man. the only catch was she would be send to hell for having her wish.
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