Scarborough Fair-inspired Girl Names: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Scarborough Fair is an English folk song about a trade fair that took place in the resort town of Scarborough during the medieval times. In Medieval England, this became a popular folk song as Bards would sing it when they traveled from town to town. In 2000, Sarah Brightman added the song to her album La Luna. If you heard the song you may be impressed by its beautiful lyric and rhythm. 




The lyrics for "Scarborough Fair" talk about unrequited love. A young man requests impossible tasks from his lover, saying that if she can perform them, he will take her back. In return, she requests impossible things of him, saying she will perform her tasks when he performs his.

Scarborough is a small town in the seaside city of Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Scarborough Fair was a popular gathering in Medieval times, attracting traders and entertainers from all over the country. The fair lasted 45 days and started every August 15th. In the 1600s, mineral waters were found in Scarborough and it became a resort town. Today, Scarborough is a quiet town with a rich history.

The herbs parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, recurring in the second line of each stanza, make up for a key motive in the song. Although meaningless to most people today, these herbs spoke to the imagination of medieval people as much as red roses do to us today. Without any connotation necessary, they symbolize virtues the singer wishes his true love and himself to have, in order to make it possible for her to come back again. In Medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.

When coming up to baby names, it will be a great idea to name your little boys or girls with these natural, literary, and vintage names. If you have four daughters named Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, it will be a perfect thing, because it will make people remember this beautiful song every time you called them.

Parsley: Comfort.
Sage: Strength.
Rosemary: Love.
Thyme: Courage.

Scarborough Fair Lyrics

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine

Tell him to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seams nor needle work
Then he'll be a true love of mine

Tell him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between salt water and the sea strands
Then he'll be a true love of mine

Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
Then he'll be a true love of mine

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