GIFT OF 
 Ella Sterling Mighels 
 

FAIRY TALES 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 AR NORTH. 
 
 F P. C. ASBJQRNSEN, 
 
 ranslated f rom the Norwe^an by 
 
 H. L. BE^EKSTAD. 
 
 WITH INETY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 A. L. BURT COMPANY, 
 PUBLISH RRS, NEW YORK. 
 
GIFT Oft 
 
~ 3 
 
 TRANSLATOR S NOTE. 
 
 SLOWLY but surely the name of Asbjornsen has 
 been gaining ground in popularity as one of the 
 ,iost fascinating and delightful writers of Fairy 
 Tales, not only among the young folks in this 
 country, but also among adult readers and students 
 of Folk Lore. Asbjornsen was first introduced to 
 the English public through the late Sir George 
 Dasent s translations, published in 1858 and 1874. 
 In 1881 appeared my translation of a selection of 
 his Norske Folke-Eventyr (Norwegian Folk and 
 Fairy Tales), and his Huldre-Eventyr (Tales and 
 Legends about the wood-fairy and otb^ super 
 natural beings), with the original illustra which 
 a number of Norwegian artists, all friends and 
 admirers of the genial author, had for some time 
 been preparing for the first illustrated edition of his 
 Tales. The English edition was published under 
 the title of " Round the Yule Log," and met with a 
 most favorable reception both in this country and 
 in America. 
 
 A second volume, containing a further selection 
 of his most popular Tales, with illustrations by the 
 well-known Norwegian artists, E. Werensl Id, T. 
 
iv TRANSLATOR S NOTE. 
 
 Kittelsen and O. Binding, was in course of publica 
 tion when, in 1885, death overtook the author, and 
 Norway lost one of her most celebrated sons* But 
 the arrangements for the publication of this new 
 volume of the illustrated edition were so far 
 advanced that the final part was able to appear 
 about two years after Asbjornsen s death. It is 
 these illustrations which appear in the pages of the 
 present English edition of the new selection of his 
 Tales. With regard to the translation, I have in 
 this, as in my former volume, " Round the Yule 
 Log," attempted to retain as far as possible the 
 racy, colloquial flavor of the original, 
 
 II. L B. 
 LONDON, September^ 1897. 
 
\ 
 
 " Have I won the hundred dollars now? " asked Gudbraud. -Page 154. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGK 
 
 THE RAM AND THE PIG WHO WENT INTO THE WOODS TO 
 
 LIVE BY THEMSELVES 1 
 
 THE GOLDEN BIRD 8 
 
 THE Fox AS HERDSBOY 21 
 
 ASHIEPATTLE, WHO ATE WITH THE TROLL FOR A WAGER. . 23 
 
 THE QUERN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA 27 
 
 LITTLE BUTTERKIN , .... 34 
 
 THE CONTRARY WOMAN 40 
 
 THE WOODPECKER. 44 
 
 THE MAN S DAUGHTER AND THE WOMAN S DAUGHTER 40 
 
 THE HARE WHO HAD BEEN MARRIED 58 
 
 THE SQUIRE S BRIDE 60 
 
 ALL WOMEN ARE ALIKE 67 
 
 > ONE S OWN CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS THE PRETTIEST 74 
 
 OLD FATHER BRUIN IN THE WOLF PIT 76 
 
 * THE DOLL IN THE GRASS 79 
 
 THE HEN WHO WENT TO DOVREFJELD TO SAVE THE WORLD 83 
 
 SQUIRE PETER 87 
 
 BIRD DAUNTLESS 5 
 
 THE TOWN MOUPE AND THE COUHTTRY MOUSE ill 
 
 iBoHii. BIuuA t CABTJ , 117 
 
 
 

 VI qONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 WELL DONE, ILL PAID 132 
 
 ASHIEPATTLE AND HIS GOODLY CREW. 137 
 
 GUDBRAND ON THE HILLSIDE 149 
 
 THE TWELVE WILD DUCKS 155 
 
 THE BEAR AND THE Fox : 
 
 I. SLIP PINE-ROOT, GRIP FOX-FOOT 165 
 
 II. THE BEAR AND THE Fox MAKE A WAGER 166 
 
 III. THE BEAR AND THE Fox GO INTO PARTNERSHIP. . . 168 
 
 IV. REYNARD WANTS TO TASTE HORSEFLESH 169 
 
 THE COCK WHO FELL INTO THE BREWING VAT 172 
 
 THE COCK AND THE Fox 178 
 
 THE THREE PRINCESSES IN THE BLUE MOUNTAIN 181 
 
 THE WORLD S REWARD 208 
 
 THE COMPANION.. .213 
 
 NANNY WHO WOULDN T GO HOME TO SUPPER 232 
 
 THE LAD WITH THE BEER KEG 241 
 
 LITTLE FRED AND HIS FIDDLE 248 
 
 THE STOREHOUSE KEY IN THE DISTAFF . . 257 
 
 THE LAD WHO WENT WOOING THE DAUGHTER OF OLD 
 MOTHER CORNER 260 
 
 THE PRINCESS WHOM NOBODY COULD SILENCE 269 
 
 FARMER WEATHERBEARD. . . 274 
 
THE RAM 
 AND THE 
 PIG WHO 
 WENT 
 INTO THE 
 WOODS 
 TO LIVE 
 BY 
 THEMSELVES. 
 
 THERE was once upon 
 a time a ram, who was , 
 being fattened up for 
 killing. He had there 
 fore plenty to eat, and 
 he soon became round - 
 and fat \vith all the 
 good things he got. 
 
yAltlY TAuKS FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 One day the dairymaid came, and gave him some 
 more food. 
 
 " You must eat, ram," she said ; " you ll not be 
 long here now, for to-morrow we are going to kill 
 you." 
 
 " There s an old saying, that no one should sneer 
 at old women s advice, and that advice and physic 
 can be had for everything except death," thought 
 the ram to himself ; u but perhaps I might manage 
 to escape it this time." 
 
 And so he went on eating till he was full, and 
 when he was quite satisfied he ran his horns against 
 the door, burst it open, and set off to the neighbor 
 ing farm. There he made straight for the pigsty, 
 to look for a pig with whom he had struck up an 
 acquaintance on the common, since when they had 
 always been good friends and got on well together. 
 
 "Good-day, and thanks for your kindness last 
 time we met," said the ram to the pig. 
 
 " Good-day, and thanks to you," said the pig. 
 
 " Do you know why they make you so comfort 
 able, and why they feed you and look after you so 
 well ?" said the ram. 
 
 " No," said the pig. 
 
 " There are many mouths to feed on this farm, 
 you must know," said the ram ; " they are going to 
 kill you and eat you." 
 
 "Are they?" said the pig. "Well, much good 
 may it do them !" 
 
 " If you are of the same mind as I, we will go 
 into the woods and build a house and live by our- 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 3 
 
 selves ; there is nothing like having a home of your 
 own, you know/ said the ram. 
 
 Yes, the pig was quite willing. " It s nice to be 
 in fine company," said he, and off they started. 
 
 When they had got a bit on the way they met a 
 ^oose. 
 
 " Good-day, my good people, and thanks for your 
 kindness last time we met," said the goose. " Where 
 are you off to ?" 
 
 " Good-day, and thanks to you," said the ram. 
 " We had it altogether too comfortable at our place, 
 so we are off to the woods to live by ourselves. In 
 your own house you are your own master, you 
 know," said he. 
 
 " Well, I m very comfortable where I am," said 
 the goose ; " but why shouldn t I join you ? Good 
 company makes the day shorter," said she. 
 
 " But neither hut nor house can be built by gab 
 bling and quacking," said the pig. " What do you 
 think you can do ?" 
 
 " Good counsel and skill may do as much as a 
 giant s will," said the goose. " I can pluck moss 
 and stuff it into the crevices, so that the house will 
 be warm and comfortable." 
 
 Well, she might come with them, thought the 
 pig, for he liked the place to be warm and cozy. 
 
 When they had gone a bit on the way the goose 
 was not getting along very fast they met a hare, 
 who came scampering out of the wood. 
 
 " Good-day, my good people, and thanks for your 
 kindness the last time we met," said the hare. 
 " How far are you going to-day ?" said he 
 
4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "Good-day, and thanks to you," said the ram; 
 " we had it altogether too comfortable at our place, 
 so we are off to the woods to build a house and live 
 by ourselves. When you have tried both East and 
 West, you ll find that a home of your own is after 
 all the best," said he. 
 
 " Well, I have, of course, a home in every bush," 
 said the hare ; " but I have often said to myself in 
 the winter that if I lived till the summer I would 
 build a house, so I have a good mind to go with 
 you and build one after all," said he. 
 
 " Well, if the worst comes to the worst, we might 
 take you with us to frighten the dogs away," said 
 the pig, " for you couldn t help us to build the house, 
 I should say." 
 
 " There is always something for willing hands to 
 do in this world," said the hare. "I have teeth to 
 gnaw pegs with, and I have paws to knock them 
 into the walls, so I ll do very well far a carpenter ? 
 for good tools make good work, as the man said, 
 when he skinned his mare with an auger," said the 
 hare. 
 
 Well, he might come with them and help to build 
 the house ; there could be no harm in that. 
 
 When they had got a bit further on the way 
 they met a cock. 
 
 " Good-day, my good people, and thanks for your 
 kindness last time we met," said the cock ; " where 
 are you all going to-day ?" he said. 
 
 "Good-day and thanks to you," said the ram; 
 " we had it altogether too comfortable at our place. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 5 
 
 so we are off to the woods to build a house and live 
 by ourselves. For unless at home you bake, you ll 
 lose both fuel and cake, " said he. 
 
 " Well, I am comfortable enough, where I am," 
 said the cock, " but it s better to have your own 
 roost than to sit on a stranger s perch and crow ; 
 and that cock is best off who has a home of his 
 own," said he. " If I could join such fine company 
 as yours, I too would like to go to the woods and 
 build a house." 
 
 " Well, flapping and crowing is all very well for 
 noise, but it won t cut joists," said the pig. " You 
 can t help us to build a house," he said. 
 
 " It is not well to live in a house where there is 
 neither dog nor cock," said the cock ; " I am early 
 to rise and early to crow." 
 
 "Yes, early to rise makes one wealthy and 
 wise, so let him come with us !" said the pig. He 
 was always the heaviest sleeper. " Sleep is a big 
 thief, and steals half one s life," he said. 
 
 So they all set off to the woods and built the 
 house. The pig felled the trees and the ram dragged 
 them home ; the hare was the carpenter, and gnawed 
 pegs and hammered them into walls and roof ; the 
 goose plucked moss and stuffed it into the crev 
 ices between the logs; the cock crew and took 
 care that they did not oversleep themselves in the 
 mornings, and when the house was ready and the 
 roof covered with birch-bark and thatched with 
 turf, they could at least live by themselves, and 
 they were all both happy and contented. 
 
6 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " It s pleasant to travel both East and West, but 
 home is, after all, the best," said the ram. 
 
 But a bit further into the wood two wolves had 
 their lair, and when they saw that a new house 
 had been built hard by they wanted to know what 
 sort of folks they had got for neighbors. For they 
 thought, " a good neighbor is better than a brother 
 in a foreign land, and it is better to live among 
 good neighbors than to be known far and wide." 
 
 So one of them made it his business to call there 
 and ask for a light for his pipe. The moment he 
 came inside the door the ram rushed at him, and 
 gave him such a butt with his horns that the wolf 
 fell on his head into the hearth ; the pig snapped 
 and bit, the goose nipped and pecked, the cock flew 
 up on a rafter and began to crow and cackle, and 
 the hare became so frightened that he scampered 
 and jumped about, both high and low, and knocked 
 and scrambled about from one corner of the room 
 to the other. 
 
 At last the wolf managed to get out of the house. 
 
 " Well, to know one s neighbors is to add to one s 
 wisdom," said the wolf, who was waiting outside ; 
 " I suppose you had a grand reception, since you 
 stayed so long. But what about the light? I 
 don t see either pipe or smoke," said he. 
 
 "Yes, that was a nice light I got, and a nice lot 
 of people they were," said he" who had been inside. 
 " Such treatment I never met with before, but as 
 you make your bed so you must lie, and an unex 
 pected guest must put up with what he gets, " said 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 7 
 
 the wolf. " No sooner had I got inside the door 
 than the shoemaker threw his last at me, and I fell 
 on my head in the middle of the forge ; there sat 
 two smiths, blowing bellows and pinching and 
 snipping bits of flesh off me with red-hot tongs and 
 pincers ; the hunter rushed about the room looking 
 for his gun, but as luck would have it, he couldn t 
 find it. And up on the rafters sat some one beating 
 his arms about and shouting : Let s hook him ! let s 
 hook him! Sling him up! sling him up! and if 
 he had only got hold of me I should never have got 
 out alive." 
 

 THE 
 
 GOLDEN 
 
 BIKD. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a 
 king who had a garden; in that 
 garden there was an apple tree, 
 and on that apple tree there grew 
 a golden apple every year; but 
 when the time came to pluck the 
 apple it was gone, and no one knew who took 
 it or what became of it ; but gone it was. 
 
 The king had three sons, and one day he told 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 9 
 
 them that he who could bring him the apple, or get 
 hold of the thief, should have the kingdom after 
 him, no matter whether he was the eldest, the 
 second or the younger son. 
 
 The eldest set out first and sat down under the 
 tree to keep watch for the thief. Soon after dark 
 a golden bird came flying, and the light from it 
 was so strong and dazzling that it could be seen a 
 long way off. When the prince saw the bird and 
 the dazzling light he became so frightened that he 
 dared not stay any longer, but rushed indoors as 
 fast as he could. 
 
 Next morning the apple was gone; the prince 
 had then, however, recovered his courage and began 
 to get ready for his journey and wanted to set off 
 to find the bird. The king fitted him out in grand 
 style and spared neither money nor fine raiment. 
 When the prince had gone a bit on the way he be 
 came hungry, opened his scrip and sat down to his 
 breakfast by the roadside. A fox then came out of 
 the wood and sat down and looked at him. 
 
 " Do give me a little to eat," said the fox. 
 
 " I ll give you some powder and shot," said the 
 prince ; " my food I shall want myself ; nobody can 
 tell how far and how long I may have to travel," 
 said he. 
 
 " Just so," said the fox, and so he went back into 
 the wood again. 
 
 When the prince had finished his meal and rested 
 awhile he set out on his way again. After a long 
 time he came to a big city, and in that city there 
 
10 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 was an inn, where there was always joy and never 
 any sorrow ; he thought that would be a nice place 
 to stop at, and so he remained. And there was 
 such dancing and drinking and joy and merry 
 making that he forget the bird and his father and 
 his journey and the whole kingdom. 
 
 Away he was and away he stopped. 
 
 The next year the second prince was to watch for 
 the thief in the garden ; he also sat down under the 
 tree when the apple began to ripen. But one night, 
 all of a sudden, the golden bird came flying, shining 
 like the sun ; the prince became so afraid that he 
 took to his heels and ran indoors as fast as he could. 
 
 In the morning the apple was gone, but the prince 
 had then recovered his courage and wanted to set 
 out and find the bird. He began to get ready and 
 the king fitted him out in grand style and spared 
 neither money nor fine raiment. But the same 
 thing happened to him as to his brother ; when he 
 had got a bit on the way he became hungry, opened 
 his scrip and sat down to his breakfast by the road 
 side. A fox then came out from the pine wood 
 and sat down and looked at him. 
 
 " Do give me a little to eat," said the fox. 
 
 " I ll give you some powder and shot," said the 
 prince ; " my food I shall want myself ; nobody can 
 tell how far and how long I may have to travel," 
 said he. 
 
 " Just so," said the fox, and so he went back into 
 the wood again. 
 
 When the prince had finished his meal and rested 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 11 
 
 awhile, he set out on his way again. After a long 
 time he came to the same city and the same inn, 
 where there was always joy and never any sorrow ; 
 and there he also thought it would be nice to stop, 
 and the first he met was his brother, and so he re 
 mained. The brother had been leading a gay and 
 reckless life and had scarcely any clothes left on his 
 back ; but now he began afresh, and there was such 
 dancing and drinking and joy and merriment that 
 the second prince also forgot the bird and his father 
 and his journey and the whole kingdom. Away he 
 was and away he stopped. 
 
 When the time came for the apple to ripen again 
 the youngest prince was to go into the garden and 
 watch for the thief. He took a companion with 
 him who was to help him up into the tree, and he 
 also took with him a keg of beer and a pack of 
 cards to pass away the time with so that he should 
 not fall asleep. All of a sudden they saw a bright 
 light, as if from the sun ; every feather of the bird 
 could be seen long before it came to the tree. The 
 prince climbed up into the tree and at the same 
 time the golden bird swooped down and took the 
 apple ; the prince tried to seize the bird, but he 
 only caught a feather out of its tail. 
 
 So he went to the king s bedroom, and as he 
 came in with the feather, it became as light as day. 
 
 He also wanted to try if he could find his brothers 
 and catch the bird, for he had been so near to it 
 that he had got a feather from its tail and would 
 know it again anywhere, he said. 
 
12 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 Well, the king went and pondered long whether 
 he should let him go, for he thought the youngest 
 would not fare any better than the two eldest, who 
 ought to have more knowledge of the world, and 
 he was afraid he should lose him also. But the 
 prince begged so earnestly that at last he got per 
 mission to go. 
 
 He then began to get ready and the king fitted 
 him out in grand style, both with clothes and 
 money, and so he set off. 
 
 When he had traveled for some time he became 
 hungry and took his scrip and sat down to have 
 his breakfast, but just as he was in the midst of it 
 a fox came out of the wood and sat down close by 
 his side and looked at him. 
 
 " Do give me a little to eat," said the fox. 
 
 " I shall want the food myself," said the prince, 
 " for I cannot tell how far I shall have to travel, 
 but I have enough to give you a little." 
 
 When the fox had got the piece of meat he asked 
 the prince where he was going. 
 
 Yes, that he would tell him. 
 
 " If you will listen to me, I will help you, and 
 you will have good luck," said the fox. 
 
 The prince promised he would, and so they set 
 off together. They traveled awhile till they came 
 to the same city and the same inn, where there was 
 always joy, but no sorrow. 
 
 " I must keep outside here ; the dogs are rather 
 a nuisance," said the fox, and so he told the prince 
 where his brothers were to be found and what they 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 13 
 
 were doing ; " and if you go in there you will not 
 get any further either," said he. 
 
 The prince promised he would not go in there, 
 and gave him his hand on it, and so each went his 
 way. But when the prince came to the inn and 
 heard the noise and merriment going on he felt he 
 must go in ; there was no help for it, and when he 
 met his brothers there was such rejoicing that he 
 forgot both the fox and the journey and the bird 
 and his father. But when he had been there awhile 
 the fox came he had ventured into the city after 
 all and opened the door a little and made a sign 
 to the prince, saying that now they must be off. 
 So the prince bethought himself, and they went 
 their way. 
 
 When they had traveled awhile they saw a big 
 mountain far away. The fox said : 
 
 " Three hundred miles at the back of that moun 
 tain there is a gilded linden tree with golden leaves, 
 and in that tree sits the golden bird from which 
 you took the feather." 
 
 Thither they traveled together. When the prince 
 was going to catch the bird the fox gave him some 
 bright feathers which he was to wave in his hands, 
 and so attract the bird, which would then fly down 
 and sit on his hand. 
 
 But the fox said he must not touch the linden 
 tree, for inside it was a big troll, who owned it, 
 and if the prince only touched the smallest twig 
 the tro 1 ! would come out and kill him on the spot. 
 
 Xo, he tfould not touch it, laid the prince ; but 
 
14 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 when he had got the bird on his hand he thought 
 he must have a twig of the tree ; there was no help 
 for it, it was so bright and beautiful. So he took 
 a tiny little sprig, but the same moment the troll 
 came out. 
 
 u Who is that stealing my tree and my bird ?" 
 roared the troll, and he was so angry that he spurted 
 sparks of fire. 
 
 "Thieves believe that all men steal," said the 
 prince ; " but only those get hanged who do not steal 
 properly," said he. 
 
 The troll said that made no difference, and was 
 going to kill him, but the prince begged him to 
 spare his life. 
 
 " Well," said the troll, " if you can bring me back 
 the horse which my nearest neighbor has taken 
 from me you will get off with your life." 
 
 " Where shall I find it, then ?" said the prince. 
 
 " Oh, he lives three hundred miles at the back 
 of that big blue mountain against the horizon 
 yonder," said the troll. 
 
 The prince promised he would do his best. But 
 when he came back to the fox he found him in 
 rather a bad temper. 
 
 "Now you have got yourself into trouble," said 
 the fox ; " if you had listened to me we could have 
 been on our way home by this," said he. 
 
 So they had to make a fresh start, for the prince 
 had pledged his word, and his life depended on his 
 finding the horse. 
 
 At last they got there, but as the prince was 
 going to take the horse the fox said : 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 15 
 
 " When you come into the stable you will find all 
 sorts of bridles hanging on the wall, both of gold 
 and silver; you must not touch them, for then the 
 troll will come and kill you right away ; you must 
 take the ugliest and shabbiest you see." 
 
 Yes, the prince promised he would ; but when he 
 came into the stable he thought it was quite un 
 reasonable not to take a fine bridle, for there were 
 plenty of them, and so he took the brightest he 
 could find. It was as bright as gold, but just then 
 the troll came and was so angry that sparks flew 
 from him. 
 
 " Who is that stealing my horse and my bridle ?" 
 he shrieked. 
 
 " Thieves believe that all men steal," said the 
 prince ; " but only those get hanged who do not 
 steal properly," said he. 
 
 " Well, that makes no difference. I ll kill you on 
 the spot," shouted the trolL 
 
 But the prince begged him to spare his life. 
 
 " Well," said the troll, " if you can bring me back 
 the fair damsel which my nearest neighbor has 
 taken from me I will spare you." 
 
 " Whereabouts does he live, then ?" asked the 
 prince. 
 
 " Oh, he lives three hundred miles at the back of 
 that big blue mountain against the horizon yonder," 
 said the troll. 
 
 The prince promised he would fetch the damsel, 
 and was allowed to go, and so he escaped with his 
 life. 
 
16 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 But when he came out } r ou may imagine how 
 angry the fox was. 
 
 " Now you ve got yourself into trouble again," 
 said he ; " if you had listened to me we could have 
 been on our way home long ago. I almost think 
 I will not go with you any further." 
 
 But the prince begged and prayed and promised 
 he would never do anything else but what the fox 
 told him, if he would only remain with him. At 
 last the fox gave in, and they became firm friends 
 again ; so they set off once more and came at last 
 to where the fair damsel was. 
 
 " Well," said the fox, " I have your promise, but 
 I dare not let you in to the troll, after all ; this time 
 I must go myself." So he went in, and after awhile 
 he came out with the damsel, and so they went 
 back the same way they had come. 
 
 When they got to the troll, who had the horse, 
 they took both the horse and the brightest bridle ; 
 and when they got to the troll who had the linden 
 tree and the bird, they took both the tree and the 
 bird and started off with them. 
 
 When they had got a bit on the way they came 
 to a field of rye, and the fox then said : 
 
 " I hear a thundering noise ; you had better go"on 
 ahead ; I will remain here awhile," he said. He 
 then plaited himself a gown of rye straw, in which 
 he looked like a preacher. All at once the three 
 trolls came rushing along, hoping to overtake the 
 prince. 
 
 " Have you seen any one passing here with a fair 
 
FAIRY TALES FOM THE FAR NORTH. U 
 
 damsel, a horse with a golden bridle, a golden bird, 
 and a gilded linden tree ?" they shouted to the fox, 
 as he stood there preaching. 
 
 " Well, I ve heard from ray grandmother s grand 
 mother that something of the kind passed this way, 
 but that was in the good old times, when my 
 grandmother s grandmother baked halfpenny cakes 
 and gave back the halfpenny." 
 
 Then all the trolls burst out laughing: "Ha, ha, 
 ha !" they laughed and held on to one another. 
 
 " If we have slept so long we may as well turn 
 our noses homeward, and go to sleep again," they 
 said, and so they went back the way they came. 
 
 The fox then set off after the prince, but when 
 they came to the city where the inn and his 
 brothers were, he said : 
 
 " I dare not go through the town on account of 
 the dogs ; I must go my own way just above here, 
 but you must take good care your brothers do not 
 get hold of you." 
 
 But when the prince came into the city he 
 thought it would be too bad if he did not look in 
 upon his brothers and have a word with them, and 
 so he tarried there for awhile. 
 
 When the brothers saw him they came out and 
 took both the damsel, and the horse, and the bird, 
 and the linden tree, and everything from him, and 
 they put him in a barrel, and threw him into the 
 sea ; and so they set off home to the king s palace, 
 with the damsel, and the horse, and the bird, and 
 the linden tree, and everything. But the damsel 
 
18 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 would not speak, and she became pale and wretched 
 to look upon ; the horse got so thin and miserable 
 that it could hardly hang together ; the bird became 
 silent and shone no more, and the linden tree 
 withered. 
 
 In the meantime the fox was sneaking about out 
 side the city where the inn and the merriment 
 were, and was waiting for the prince and the 
 damsel, and wondered why they did not return. 
 
 He went hither and thither, waiting and watcli- 
 for them, and at last he came down to the shore, 
 and when he saw the barrel, which was lying out at 
 sea drifting, he shouted : " Why are you drifting 
 about there, you empty barrel ?" 
 
 " Oh, it is I," said the prince in the barrel. 
 
 The fox then swam out to sea as fast as he coulc 
 got hold of the barrel, and towed it to land ; then 
 he began to gnaw the hoops, and when he had got 
 some off the barrel, he said to the prince : " Stamp 
 and kick. 
 
 The prince stamped and kicked till all the staves 
 flew about, and out he jumped from the barrel. 
 
 So they went together to the king s palace, a 
 when they got there the damsel regained her beai 
 and began to talk, the horse became so fat and sle 
 that every hair glistened ; the light ^one from tl 
 bird and it began to sing ; the linde. began tc 
 
 blossom and its leaves to sparkle, and the damsel 
 said, " He is the one who has saved us." 
 
 They planted the linden tree in the garden, and 
 the youngest prince was to marry the princess, for 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 19 
 
 such the damsel really was ; but the two eldest 
 brothers were put each in a spiked barrel and 
 down a high mountain. 
 
 Then they began to prepare for the wedding, but 
 the fox first asked the prince to put him on the 
 block and cut his head off, and although the prince 
 both prayed and cried, there was no help for it ; he 
 
20 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 would have to do it. But as he cut the head off, 
 the fox turned into a handsome prince, and he was 
 the brother of the princess, whom they had rescued 
 from the troll. 
 
 So the wedding came off and everything was so 
 grand and splendid, that the news of the festivities 
 reached all the way here. 
 
THE FOX AS HEEDSBOY. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a woman, who went 
 out to look for a herdsboy, and so she met a bear. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the bear. 
 
 " Oh, I m looking for a herdsboy," answered the 
 woman. 
 
 " Won t you take me ?" asked the bear. 
 
 " Well, if you only knew how to call the flock," 
 said the wife. " Ho-y !" shouted the bear. 
 
 " Xo, I won t have you !" said the woman when 
 she heard this, and went on her way. 
 
 When she had gone on awhile she met a wolf. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the wolf. 
 
I 
 
 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " I am looking for a herdsboy," said the woman. 
 
 "Won t you take me?" said the wolf. 
 
 " Well, if you only knew how to call the flock, 
 said the woman. " U-g-h !" howled the wolf. 
 
 " No, I won t have you," said the woman. 
 
 When she had gone a bit further she met a fox. 
 
 " Where are you going?" said the fox. 
 
 " Oh, I m looking for a herdsboy," said the woman. 
 
 "Won t you take me?" asked the fox. 
 
 " Well, if you only knew how to call the flock," 
 said the woman. 
 
 " Dil-dal-holom !" called the fox in a thin, squeaky 
 voice. 
 
 "Yes, I ll t- ke you for a herdsboy," said the 
 woman ; and so she put the fox to look after her 
 flocks. On the first day he ate up all the goats 
 belonging to the woman ; the second day he finished 
 all her sheep, and the third day he ate all the cows. 
 
 When he came home in the evening the woman 
 asked what he had done with all the flocks. 
 
 " The skulls are i*. the brook and the bones in 
 the wood," said the :>:,-. 
 
 The woman was )usy cnurning, but she thought 
 she might as well go and look for her flocks. While 
 she was away the fox slipped into the churn and 
 ate all the cream. When the woman came back 
 and saw this she became so angry that she took 
 a small clot of cream, which was left, and threw it 
 after the fox, splashing the end of his tail with it, 
 and that s the reason why the fox has a white tip 
 to his tail ! 
 
ASHIEPATTLE * WHO ATE WITH THE 
 TKOLL FOR A WAGEK. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a peasant who had 
 three sons. He was badly off, and old and feeV e, 
 and the sons would not do any work. 
 
 To the farm belonged a large pine forest, and the 
 father wanted his sons to cut timber in it, and try 
 to get some of his debts paid off. At last he got 
 them to listen to him, and the eldest one was to go 
 out first and fell trees. When he got into the forest 
 and began felling an old bearded pine, a great big 
 troll came up to him. 
 
 " If you cut dowfi 1 my trees, I ll kill you !" said 
 the troll. 
 
 When the lad heard this he threw down the ax 
 and set off home as fast as he could. He got there 
 quite out of breath, and told what had happened 
 to him, but the father said he was chicken-hearted ; 
 the trolls had never frightened him from felling 
 trees when he was young, he said. 
 
 The next da^ the second son was to go, and the 
 same thing happened to him. He had no sooner 
 
 *The favorite hero of most Norwegian fairy tales is called 
 A .ikeladen, & sort of male Cinderella, and is always the youngest 
 son of the family. 
 
54 *AIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 struck some blows at the pine than the troll came 
 and said : 
 
 " If you cut down my trees I ll kill you !" 
 
 The lad hardly dared to look at him ; he threw 
 down the ax and took to his heels, just like his 
 brother, only rather quicker. 
 
 When he came home the father became angry, 
 and said that the trolls had never frightened him 
 when he was young. 
 
 On the third day Ashiepattle wanted to set out. 
 
 " You indeed !" said the two eldest ; " you Jl never 
 be able to do anything, you who have never been 
 outside the door !" 
 
 Ashiepattle did not answer, but only asked for 
 plenty of food to take with him. His mother had 
 nothing ready, and so she put on the pot and made 
 a cheese for him, which he placed in his scrip, and 
 then set out from home. When he had been felling 
 trees awhile, the troll came to him and said: 
 
 " If you cut down my trees I ll kill you !" 
 
 But the lad was not slow ; he ran into the forest 
 for the cheese and squeezed it, so that the whey 
 spurted from it. 
 
 " If you don t be quiet," he shouted to the troll, 
 "Til squeeze you just as I squeeze the water out of 
 this white stone." 
 
 "Oh dear, oh dear! do spare me!" said the troll, 
 " and I ll help you." 
 
 Well, on that condition the lad would spare him, 
 and as the troll was clever at felling trees, they cut 
 them down by the dozen during the day. Toward 
 evening the troll said : 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 25 
 
 " You had better come home with me ; it is nearer 
 than to your place." 
 
 "Well, the boy went home with him, and when 
 they got there the troll was to light the fire on the 
 hearth, while the boy fetched the water for the 
 porridge. But the two iron buckets that were there 
 were so big and heavy he was not even able to 
 move them. So the boy said : 
 
 " It is hardly worth while to take these thimbles 
 with me ; I ll go and fetch the whole well." 
 
 " Oh dear, no !" said the troll, " I cannot lose my 
 well; you make the fire, and I ll fetch the water." 
 
 When he came back with the water they boiled 
 a great big caldron of porridge. 
 
 "If it s all the same to you," said the lad, "I ll 
 lay a wager I ll eat more than you." 
 
 "All right," said the troll, for he thought he 
 could easily manage that; but the boy took his 
 scrip without the troll seeing it, and tied it in front 
 of him, and managed to put more porridge in the 
 scrip than he ate himself. When the scrip was full 
 he took his knife and cut a slit in it. 
 
 The troll looked at him, but didn t say anything. 
 When they had been eating a good while the trolV 
 put away his spoon, and said : 
 
 " I can t eat any more." 
 
 " You must eat," answered the lad. " I m scarcely 
 halfway through. Do as I did, and cut a hole in 
 your stomach, and then you can eat as much as you 
 like." 
 
 "But I suppose it hurts one dreadfully?" asked 
 the troll. 
 
26 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Oh, nothing worth talking about," answered the 
 lad. 
 
 So the troll did as the lad told him, and as you 
 will easily understand, that was the end of him. 
 But the lad took all the silver and gold which was 
 in the mountain, and went home. With that he 
 would be able to pay off something of his father s 
 debt. 
 

 v,- 
 
 . 
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE 
 BOTTOM OF THE SEA. 
 
 ONCE upon a time in the 
 old, old days there were two 
 brothers, one of whom was 
 rich and the other poor. 
 When Christinas Eve came 
 the poor brother had not a 
 morsel in the house, neither 
 of meat nor bread; and so he 
 went to his rich brother, and 
 asked for a trifle for Christ 
 mas, in heaven s name. It 
 was not the first time the 
 brother had helped him, but 
 
28 FAIRY TALES FROM THE EAR NORTH. 
 
 he was always very close-fisted, and was not par 
 ticularly glad to see tr vr his time. 
 
 "If you ll do Avhat I tell you, you shall have a 
 whole ham," he said. The poor brother promised 
 he would, and was very grateful into the bargain. 
 
 "There it is, and now go to the devil!" said the 
 rich brother, and threw the ham across to him. 
 
 " Well, what I have promised I must keep, 7 said 
 the other one. He took the ham, and set out. He 
 walked and walked the whole day, and as it was 
 getting dark he came to a place where the lights 
 were shining brightly. " This is most likely the 
 place," thought the man with the ham. 
 
 In the woodshed stood an old man with a long 
 white beard, cutting firewood for Christmas. 
 
 " Good-evening," said he with the ham. 
 
 "Good-evening to you," said the man. "Where 
 are you going so late?" 
 
 " I am going to the devil that is to say, if 1 am 
 on the right way," answered the poor man. 
 
 " Yes, you are quite right; this is his place," said 
 the old man. "When you get in they will all 
 want to buy your ham, for ham is scarce food here ; 
 but you must not sell it unless you get the hand- 
 quern, which stands just behind the door. When 
 you come out again I ll teach you how to use it. 
 You will find it useful in many ways." 
 
 The man with the ham thanked him for all the 
 information and knocked at the door. 
 
 When he got in it happened just as the old man 
 had said. All the imps, both big and small, flocked 
 
FAIRY TALES FJIOM THE FAR NORTH. 29 
 
 around him like ants in a field, and the one outbid 
 the other for the ham. 
 
 " Well," said the man, " my good woman and I 
 were to have it for Christmas Eve, but since you 
 want it so badly 1 will let you have it. But if I am 
 going to part with it, I want that hand-quern which 
 stands behind the door." 
 
 The devil did not like to part with it, and higgled 
 and haggled with the man, but he stuck to what he 
 had said, and in the end the devil had to part with 
 the quern. 
 
 When the man came out he asked the old wood 
 cutter how he was to use the quern, and when he 
 had learned this, he thanked the old man and set 
 out homeward, as quickly as he could ; but after all 
 he did not get home till the clock struck twelve on 
 Christmas Eve. 
 
 " Where in all the world have you been ?" said 
 his wife. " Here have I been sitting, hour aftei 
 hour, waiting and watching for you, and have not 
 had as much as two chips to lay under the porridge 
 pot." 
 
 "Well, I couldn t get back before," said the 
 man. " I have had a good many things to look 
 after, and I ve had a long way to walk as well ; but 
 now I ll show you something," said he, and he put 
 the quern on the table. He asked it first to grind 
 candles, then a cloth, and then food and beer, and 
 everything else that was good for Christmas cheer ; 
 and as he spoke the quern brought them forth. 
 The woman crossed herself time after time and 
 
30 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 wanted to know where her husband had got the 
 quern from ; but this he would not tell her. 
 
 " It does not matter where I got it from ; you see 
 the quern is good and the mill stream is not likely 
 to freeze," said the man. So he ground food and 
 drink and all good things during Christmas ; and 
 the third day he invited his friends, as he wanted 
 to give them a feast. When the rich brother saw 
 all that was in the house he became both angry 
 and furious, for he begrudged his brother every 
 thing. 
 
 " On Christmas Eve he was so needy that he came 
 to me and asked for a trifle in heaven s name ; and 
 now he gives a feast, as if he were both a count and 
 a king," said the brother. " Where did you get all 
 your riches from ?" he said to his brother. 
 
 u From just behind the door," he answered, for 
 he did not care to tell his brother much about it. 
 But later in the evening, when he had drank a little 
 freely, he could no longer resist, but brought out 
 the quern. 
 
 " There you see that which has brought me all 
 my riches," he said, and so he let the quern grind 
 first one thing and then another. 
 
 When the brother sa\v this he was determined to 
 have the quern at all cost, and at last it was settled 
 he should have it, but three hundred dollars was to 
 be the price of it. The brother was, however, to 
 keep it till the harvest began ; "for if I keep it so 
 long I can grind out food for many years to come," 
 he thought. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 31 
 
 Daring that time you may be sure the quern 
 did not rust, and when the harvest began the rich 
 brother got it ; but the other had taken great care 
 not to show him how to use it. 
 
 It was evening when the rich brother got the 
 quern home, and in the morning he asked his wife 
 to go out and help the haymakers ; he would get 
 the breakfast ready himself to-day, he said. 
 
 When it was near breakfast . time he put the 
 quern on the breakfast table. 
 
 " Grind herrings and broth, and do it quickly and 
 well," said the man, and the quern began to bring 
 forth herrings and broth, and filled first all the 
 dishes and tubs, and afterward began flooding the 
 whole kitchen. 
 
 The man fiddled and fumbled and tried to stop 
 the quern, but however much he twisted and 
 fingered it, the quern went on grinding, and in a 
 little while the broth reached so high that the man 
 was very near drowning. He then pulled open the 
 parlor door, but it was not long before the quern 
 had filled the parlor also, and it was just in the very 
 nick of time that the man put his hand down into 
 the broth and got hold of the latch, and when he 
 had got the door open, he was soon out of the 
 parlor, you ma} r be sure. He rushed out, and the 
 herrings and the broth came pouring out after him, 
 like a stream, down the fields and meadows. 
 
 The wife, who was out haymaking, now thought 
 it took too long a time to get the breakfast ready. 
 
 " If my husband doesn t call us soon we must go 
 
32 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 home whether or no : I don t suppose he knows 
 much about making broth, so I must go and help 
 him," said the wife to the haymakers. 
 
 They began walking homeward, but when they 
 had got a bit up the hill they met the stream of 
 broth with the herrings tossing about in it and the 
 man himself running in front of it all. 
 
 " I wish all of 3^ou had a hundred stomachs 
 each !" shouted the man ; " but take care you don t 
 get drowned." And he rushed past them as if the 
 Evil One was at his heels, down to where his 
 brother lived. He asked him for heaven s sake to 
 take back the quern, and that at once ; " if it goes 
 on grinding another hour the whole parish will 
 perish in broth and herrings," he said. But the 
 brother would not take it back on any account be 
 fore his brother had paid him three hundred 
 dollars more, and this he had to do. The poor 
 brother now had plenty of money, and before long 
 he bought a farm much grander than the one on 
 which his rich brother lived, and with the quern he 
 ground so much gold that he covered the farm 
 stead with gold plates and, as it lay close to the 
 shore, it glittered and shone far out at sea. All 
 those who sailed past wanted to call and visit the 
 rich man in the golden house, and everybody 
 wanted to see the wonderful quern, for its fame 
 had spread both far and wide, and there was no 
 one who had not heard it spoken of. 
 
 After a long while there came a skipper who 
 wanted to see the quern ; he asked if it could grind 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 33 
 
 salt. Yes, that it could, said he who owned it ; and 
 when the skipper heard this he wanted the quern by 
 hook or by crook, cost what it might, for if he had 
 it he thought he need not sail far away across 
 dangerous seas for cargoes of salt. 
 
 At first the man did not want to part with it, but 
 the skipper both begged and prayed, and at last he 
 sold it and got many, many thousand dollars for it. 
 
 As soon as the skipper had got the quern on his 
 back he did not stop long, for he was afraid the 
 man would change his inind, and as for asking how 
 to use it he had no time to do that ; he made for 
 his ship as quickly as he could, and when he had 
 got out to sea a bit he had the quern brought up 
 on deck. 
 
 "Grind salt, and that both quickly and well," 
 said the skipper, and the quern began to grind out 
 salt so that it spurted to all sides. 
 
 When the skipper had got the skip filled he 
 wanted to stop the quern, but however much he 
 tried and whatever he did the quern went on grind 
 ing, and the mound of salt grew higher and higher, 
 and at last the ship sank. 
 
 There at the bottom of the sea stands the quern 
 grinding till this very day, and that is the reason 
 why the sea is salt. 
 
LITTLE BUTTERKIK 
 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a woman who was 
 sitting baking. She had a little boy who was so 
 fat and plump J and who was so fond of good food 
 that she called him Butterkin. She also had a dog 
 called Goldtooth. 
 
 One day, all of a sudden, the dog began to bark. 
 
 "Run out, Butterkin!" said the woman, "and 
 see what Goldtooth is barking at." 
 
 So the boy ran out and came back, saying : 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 35 
 
 " Oh, mother, mother! There s a great big troll- 
 wife coming here, with her head under her arm 
 and a bag on her back." 
 
 " Kim under the table and hide yourself," said 
 his mother. 
 
 The big troll- wife then came in. 
 
 Good-day !" she said. 
 
 " Good-day to you !" said Butterkin s mother. 
 
 " Is Butterkin at home to-day ?" asked the troll- 
 wife. 
 
 " No, he is in the forest with his father, after the 
 ptarmigan," answered the woman. 
 
 " That s a pity," said the troll ; " for I have such 
 a nice little silver knife I wanted to give him." 
 
 " Peep, peep! Here I am," said Butterkin under 
 the table, and crept out. 
 
 " I am so old and stiff in my back," said the troll, 
 " you must get into the bag and find it yourself." 
 
 ~No sooner was Butterkin in the bag than the 
 troll threw it across her back and walked off with 
 him. When they had gone a bit on the way the 
 troll got tired and asked : 
 
 " How far have I to go before I can lie down 
 and sleep ?" 
 
 " About a mile," answered Butterkin. The troll 
 then put down the bag by the roadside and went in 
 among the bushes by herself and lay down to sleep. 
 In the meantime Butterkin took the opportunity, 
 pulled out his knife, cut a hole in the bag and 
 jumped out ; he then put a big root of a fir tree in 
 his place and ran home to his mother. When the 
 
 
36 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 troll-wife reached home and saw what she had in 
 the bag she flew into a great rage. 
 
 The next day the woman sat baking again. All 
 at once the dog began to bark. 
 
 "Bun out, Butterkin," said she, "and see what 
 Goldtooth is barking at." 
 
 "Oh, mother, mother! It s that terrible old 
 troll!" said Butterkin. "Here she is again, with 
 her head under her arm and a big bag on her back." 
 
 "Eun under the table and hide yourself," said 
 his mother. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the troll-wife. " Is Butterkin 
 at home to-day ?" 
 
 "No, indeed he is not," said his mother; "he is 
 out in the forest with his father, after the ptarmigan." 
 
 " That s a pity !" said the troll ; " for I have such 
 a nice little silver fork I wanted to give him." 
 
 " Peep, peep ! Here I am !" said Butterkin, and 
 crept out. 
 
 "I am so stiff in my back," said the troll, "you 
 must get into the bag and find it } T ourself." 
 
 No sooner was Butterkin in the bag than the 
 troll threw it across her back and walked off with 
 him. When they had gone a good bit on the way 
 the troll got tired and asked : 
 
 " How far have I to go before I can lie down and 
 sleep?" 
 
 "About two miles," answered Butterkin. The 
 troll then put down the bag by the roadside and 
 went into the wood and lay down to sleep. While 
 the troll-wife took her nap, Butterkin cut a hole 
 
FAIRY TALES r ROM THE FAR NORTH. 37 
 
 in the bag, and when he had got out he put a big 
 stone in his place. As soon as the troll- wife reached 
 home she lighted a great fire in the hearth and put 
 on a large caldron in which to boil Butterkin, but 
 when she took the bag to empty Butterkin into 
 the caldron, the stone fell out, and knocked a hole 
 in the bottom of the caldron, so the water rushed 
 out and put out the fire. The troll then became 
 very angry and said : 
 
 "Let him make himself ever so heavy, I ll be 
 even with him yet." 
 
 The third time it happened just as before ; Gold- 
 tooth began to bark, and so the mother said to 
 Butterkin : 
 
 "Kun out, Butterkin, and see what Goldtooth 
 is barking at." 
 
 Butterkin then ran out and came back saying : 
 
 " Oh, mother, mother ! It s that troll again, with 
 her head under her arm and a bag on her back. 
 
 " Eun under the table and hide yourself," said 
 the mother. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the troll, as she came in through 
 the door. " Is Butterkin home to-day ?" 
 
 "No, indeed he is not," said his mother; "he is 
 in the forest with his father, after the ptarmigan." 
 
 " That s a pity !" said the troll-wife, " for I have 
 such a nice little silver spoon I wanted to give him." 
 
 " Peep, peep ! Here I am !" said Butterkin, and 
 crept out from under the table. 
 
 "I am so stiff in my back," said the troll, "you 
 must get into the bag and find it yourself." 
 
38 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 No sooner had Butterkin got into the bag than 
 the troll threw it across her back and walked away 
 with it. 
 
 This time the troll-wife did not lie down and 
 sleep, but went straight home with Butterkin in the 
 bag. It was a Sunday when they got home, and so 
 the troll said to her daughter : 
 
 " Now you must take Butterkin and kill him and 
 make broth of him, till I come back again, for I am 
 going to church, and shall ask some friends for 
 dinner." 
 
 When she was gone the daughter went to take 
 Butterkin to kill him, but she did not quite know 
 how to set about it. 
 
 " Wait a bit ! I ll show you how to do it !" said 
 Butterkin; "just put your head on the block and 
 see how it s done." 
 
 She did so, poor silly thing, and Butterkin took 
 the ax and cut off her head, just as if it had been 
 that of a chicken ; he then put the head in the bed 
 and the body in the caldron, and made broth of the 
 daughter, and when he had done this he climbed up 
 on the roof, just over the door, taking with him the 
 fir root and the stone, and put the first over the 
 door and the other across the top of the chimney. 
 
 When the people came home from church and 
 saw the head in the bed they thought that the 
 daughter had lain down and was asleep, so they 
 thought they would taste the broth. 
 
 " This But terkin- broth tastes nice !" said the troll- 
 wife. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 39 
 
 " This daughter-broth tastes nice !" said Butterkin, 
 but they took no heed. 
 
 The troll-wife then took the spoon to taste the 
 broth. 
 
 " This Butterkin-broth tastes nice," she said. 
 
 " This daughter-broth tastes nice," said Butterkin 
 down the chimney. 
 
 They then began to wonder who it could be, and 
 went out to see. But when they came outside the 
 door, Butterkin threw the fir root and stone at 
 their heads and killed them all on the spot. He 
 then took all the gold and silver that was in the 
 house, and you may imagine how rich he became ; 
 and so he went home to his mother. 
 
THE COSTTKAKY WOMAN 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a man who had a 
 wife, and she was so contrary and crossgrained 
 that it was not an easy thing at all to get on with 
 her. The husband fared worst of all ; whatever he 
 was for, she was always against. 
 
 So it happened one Sunday in summer that the 
 man and the woman went out to see how the crops 
 looked. 
 
 When they came to a cornfield on the other side 
 of the river the man said : 
 
 " It s ready for reaping ; to-morrow we must 
 begin." 
 
 Yes, to-morrow we can begin and clip it," said 
 the woman. 
 
 What is it you say ? Are we going to clip it? 
 Are we supposed not to reap corn any longer ?" said 
 the man. 
 
 " Ts"o, it must be clipped, 1 said the woman. 
 
 " There is nothing so dangerous as a little knowl 
 edge," said the man; "one would think you had 
 lost what little sense you had ! Have you ever 
 seen anybody clipping corn ?" said he. 
 
 " Little I know, and less I want to know," said 
 the woman ; " but this I do know, that the corn 
 
No, no! It must be clipped, clipped, clipped! " shouted the woman, clipping 
 her fingers under the man s nose. Pag* iL 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 41 
 
 shall be clipped and not reaped." There was no 
 use talking any more about that ; clipped it should 
 be. 
 
 So they walked on wrangling and quarreling, 
 till they came to the bridge across the river, close 
 to a deep pool. 
 
 " There s an old saying," said the man, " that 
 good tools make good work ; I fancy that ll be a 
 queer harvest which is cut with a pair of shears," 
 said he. "Shall we not settle to reap the corn, 
 after all?" 
 
 " No, no ! it must be clipped, clipped, clipped !" 
 shouted the woman, jumping up and clipping her 
 fingers under the man s nose. 
 
 In her passion she forgot to look where she was 
 going, and all at once she stumbled over one of the 
 beams on the bridge and fell into the river. 
 
 " Old habits are hard to change," thought the 
 man, " but it would be a wonder if I, for once, got 
 my way." 
 
 He waded out into the pool and got hold of her 
 by the hair, till her head was just out of the water. 
 
 " Shall we reap the corn then ?" he said. 
 
 " Clip, clip, clip !" screamed the woman. 
 
 "I ll teach you to clip," thought the man, and 
 ducked her under the water. But that wasn t of 
 much use ; " they must clip it," she said, as he 
 brought her to the surface again. 
 
 " I do believe the woman is crazy," said the man 
 to himself; "many are mad and don t know it, and 
 many have sense and don t use it ; but I must try 
 
42 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 once more, anyhow," said he. But no sooner had 
 he ducked her under again than she held her hand 
 above the water and began to clip with her fingers, 
 like a pair of shears. Then the man got furious 
 
 and kept her under so long that her hand all of a 
 sudden fell under water, and the woman became so 
 heavy that he had to let go his hold. 
 
 " If you want to drag me down into the pool with 
 you, you may lie there, you wretch !" said the man. 
 And so the woman was drowned. 
 
 But after awhile he thought it wasn t right that 
 she should lie there and not be buried in Christian 
 soil, so he went along the river and searched and 
 dragged for her ; but for all his searching and all his 
 dragging he could not find her. He took the people 
 on the farm and others in the neighborhood with 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 43 
 
 him, and they began dragging the river all the way 
 down ; but for all the searching they could not find 
 the woman. 
 
 " Well/ said the man, " this is not much use ! 
 This woman was a sort by herself; while she was 
 alive she was altogether a contrary one ; and it is 
 not likely she ll be different now," he said ; " we 
 must search up the river for her, and try above the 
 fall ; perhaps she has floated upward." 
 
 So they went up the river and searched and 
 dragged for her above the fall, and there, sure 
 enough, she lay. That shows what a contrary 
 woman she was ! 
 
THE WOODPECKER. 
 
 IN those days when the saints used 
 to wander about on earth, St. Peter 
 once came to a woman who was sit 
 ting baking oatcakes. Her name was 
 Gertrude, and she had a red cap on 
 her head. 
 
 As St. Peter had been walking a long distance 
 and was hungry, he asked her for a bit of her cake. 
 Yes, he might have some, and she took a tiny lump 
 of dough and began to roll it out ; but it became so 
 big that it filled the whole of the board. No, that 
 cake was too big ; he shouldn t have that one. 
 
 She then took a still smaller lump of dough, bix 
 when she had rolled it out and put it on the slab tc: 
 bake, that one also became too big. He shouldn t 
 have that one either. 
 
 The third time she took a still smaller lump, a 
 tiny little one ; but this time also the cake became 
 too big. 
 
 " I have nothing to give you," said the woman ; 
 " you may as well go without your bit, for all the 
 cakes are too big." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 45 
 
 Then St. Peter became angry and said : " Because 
 you begrudge me such a trifle you shall be punished, 
 and you shall become a bird and seek your food be 
 tween the bark and the wood and have nothing to 
 drink except when it rains." 
 
 He had no sooner said the last word than she 
 became a woodpecker and flew from the hearth up 
 the chimney. To this day you can see her flying 
 about with her red cap on and her body all over 
 black from the chimney. She is always tapping 
 and pecking at the trees for food, and piping when 
 it is going to rain, for she is always thirsty and is 
 then waiting for water. 
 
THE MAN S DAUGHTER AND THE 
 WOMAN S DAUGHTER 
 
 ONCE upon a time there were a man and a woman 
 who got married ; they had each a daughter. The 
 woman s daughter was lazy and idle and would 
 never do any work, and the man s daughter was 
 active and willing, but for all that she could never 
 please the stepmother, and both the woman and 
 her daughter would have liked to get rid of her. 
 
 One day they were sitting by the well spinning ; 
 the woman s daughter had flax to spin, but the 
 man s daughter had nothing else but bristles. 
 
 " You are always so clever and smart, 7 said the 
 woman s daughter, " but still I m not afraid to try 
 and see who can spin the most." 
 
 They agreed that the one whose thread first 
 broke should be put into the well. 
 
 All at once the man s daughter s thread broke, so 
 she was put into the well. But when she came to 
 the bottom she found she was not hurt ; and far and 
 wide around she saw nothing but a beautiful green 
 meadow. 
 
 She walked for some time in the meadow, till 
 he came to a hedge which she had to climb over. 
 
 "Do not step heavily on me," said the hedge, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 47 
 
 "and I ll help you another time." She made her 
 self as light as a feather and stepped over so 
 carefully that she scarcely touched it. 
 
 So she went on a bit further, till she came to a 
 brindled cow, which had a milk pail on her horns; 
 it was a fine large cow, and her udder was round 
 and full of milk. 
 
 " Please do milk me," said the cow, " for I am so 
 full of milk ; drink as much as you like and pour 
 the rest over my hoofs, and I ll help you some other 
 time." 
 
 The man s daughter did as the cow had asked 
 her; the moment she. took hold of the teats the 
 milk squirted into the pail, then she drank as much 
 as she could and the rest she poured over the cow s 
 hoofs, and the pail she hung on the horns again. 
 
 When she had gone a bit further she met a large 
 ram, which had such long thick wool that it trailed 
 along the ground, and on one of his horns hung a 
 large pair of shears. 
 
 4k Please do shear me," said the ram, " for here 
 I have to go about panting with all this wool, 
 and it is so warm I am almost stifled. Take as 
 much wool as you like and twist the rest round my 
 neck, and I ll help you another time." 
 
 She was quite willing, and the ram lay down in 
 her lap; he was so quiet and she sheared him so 
 neatly that she did not make a single scratch in his 
 skin. She then took as much as she wanted of the 
 wool, and the rest she twisted round the ram s 
 neck. 
 
48 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 A little further on she came to an apple tree, 
 which was so laden with apples that all the branches 
 were bent to the ground. Close to the trunk stood 
 a small pole. 
 
 " Please do pluck some .of my apples," said the 
 tree, " so that my branches can straighten them 
 selves, for it is quite painful to stand so crooked ; 
 but be sure and strike me gently and lightly, so 
 that you do not injure me. Eat as many as you 
 like and place the rest around my root, and I ll 
 help you some other time." 
 
 So she plucked all she could reach, and then she 
 took the pole and carefully knocked down all the 
 other apples ; she ate till she was satisfied, and the 
 rest she placed neatly round the root. 
 
 Then she walked on a long, long way, till she 
 came to a large farm, where a troll-wife and her 
 daughter lived. She went in and asked if they 
 wanted a serving maid. 
 
 " Oh, it s no use," said the troll-wife, " we have 
 tried many, but none of them were good for any 
 thing." But she begged so hard that at last they 
 took her into service ; and the troll- wife gave her a 
 sieve and told her to fetch some water in it. She 
 thought it was rather unreasonable that they should 
 ask her to fetch water in a sieve, but she went all 
 the same, and when she came to the well the little 
 birds were singing : 
 
 "Rubin clay! 
 Put in hay! 
 Kub in clay! 
 Put in hayl" 
 
She went in to the troll-wife and asked if they wanted a serving maid. Page 48. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 49 
 
 She did so and was then able to carry the water 
 in the sieve easily enough, but when she came home 
 with the water and the troll-wife saw the sieve, she 
 said : 
 
 " You have not done that by yourself." 
 
 The troll-wife then told her to go into the cow 
 house and clean it out and then milk the cows ; but 
 when she came there she found that the shovel was 
 so big and heavy she could not use it, she could not 
 even lift it. She did not know what to do, but the 
 birds sang to her that she should take the handle of 
 the besom and throw a little out with it and then 
 all the rest would follow. 
 
 She did this and no sooner had she done it than 
 the cow-house was as clean as if it had been cleaned, 
 and swept. She had next to milk the cows, but 
 they were so restless and kicked and plunged 
 so that she could not get any milking done at 
 all. Then she heard the birds singing outside : 
 
 " A little squirt! 
 A little sip! 
 To little birds!" 
 
 She squirted a little milk out to the birds, and 
 then all the cows stood still and let her milk them ; 
 they neither kicked nor plunged, they did not even 
 lift a leg. 
 
 When the troll-wife saw her coming in with the 
 milk she said : 
 
 " You have not done this by yourself. Now you 
 must take this black wool and wash it white." 
 
50 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 The girl did not know how she should get thig 
 done, for she had never seen any one who could 
 wash black wool white. But she said nothing, she 
 took the wool and went to the well with it. The 
 little birds sang to her that she should take the 
 wool and put it in the big bucket that was standing 
 near the well, and it would become white. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear ! " said the troll- wife, when 
 the girl came in with the wool. " It s no use keep 
 ing you, you can do everything ; you will worry the 
 life out of me in the end, it is better you should go 
 your way." 
 
 The troll-wife then brought out three caskets, a 
 red, a green, and a blue one, and the girl might tako 
 whichever she liked, and that was to be her wages. 
 She did not know which one to take, but the little 
 birds sang : 
 
 " Take not the green I 
 Take not the red ! 
 But take the blue ! 
 On which we ve put 
 Three little crosses!" 
 
 She then took the blue one, as the birds had told 
 her. 
 
 " A curse upon you," said the troll-wife ; " you 
 will be sure to suffer for this." 
 
 When the man s daughter was going the troll- 
 wife threw a red-hot iron bar after her, but the girl 
 ran behind the door and hid herself, so the bar 
 missed her, for the little birds had told her what 
 to do. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 51 
 
 She set off as quickly as she could ; but when she 
 came to the apple tree she heard a rumbling noise 
 behind her on the road ; it was the troll-wife and 
 her daughter, who were after her. The girl got so 
 frightened she did not know what to do with 
 herself, 
 
 " Come here to me," said the apple tree, " and I ll 
 help you. Hide yourself under my branches, for if 
 they get hold of you they will take the casket from 
 you and tear you to pieces." The girl did so, and 
 just then up came the troll- wife and her daughter. 
 
 " Have you seen any girl go past here ?" said the 
 troll- wife. 
 
 " Oh, yes," said the tree, "one ran past awhile 
 ago ; but she is now so far away you ll never over 
 take her." 
 
 The troll- wife then turned about and set off 
 home. 
 
 The girl walked on a bit ; but when she came to 
 the ram she heard the rambling noise again on the 
 road, and she became so frightened and terrified 
 that she did not know what to do with herself ; for 
 she knew it was the troll-wife who had changed her 
 mind. 
 
 "Come here and I ll help you," said the ram. 
 " Hide yourself under my wool and they won t see 
 you ; or else they ll take the casket from you and 
 tear you to pieces." 
 
 All at once the troll-wife came rushing up. 
 
 " Have you seen a girl go past here ?" she asked 
 the ram. 
 
52 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Oh, yes," said the ram, "I saw one awhile ago, 
 but she ran so fast that you will never overtake 
 her." So the troll-wife turned round and went home. 
 
 When the girl had got as far as the cow she 
 heard the rumbling noise again on the road. 
 
 " Come here," said the cow, " and I ll help you ; 
 hide yourself under my udder, or else the troll-wife 
 will take the casket from you, and tear you to 
 pieces." Before long she came. 
 
 " Have you seen any girl go past here ?" said the 
 troll-wife to the cow. 
 
 " Yes, I saw one awhile ago, but she is far away 
 now, for she was running so fast that you will never 
 overtake her," said the cow. The troll-wife then 
 turned round and went home again. 
 
 When the girl had got a long bit on the way and 
 was not far from the hedge, she heard the noise 
 again on the road ; she became terribly frightened, 
 for she knew it was the troll-wife who had come 
 back again. 
 
 " Come here and I ll help you," said the hedge ; 
 " creep in among my twigs, and they won t see you ; 
 or else they will take the casket from you and tear 
 you to pieces." She made haste to hide herself 
 among the twigs of the hedge. 
 
 " Have you seen any girl go past here ?" said the 
 troll wife to the hedge. 
 
 "No, I have not seen any girl," said the hedge, 
 and it became so angry you could hear it crackle. 
 Then it made itself so big, it was no use trying to 
 get over it. There was no help for it ; the troll- 
 wife had to turn round and go home again. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 53 
 
 When the man s daughter got home both the 
 woman and her daughter were still more spiteful 
 than they had been before ; for now she was still 
 more beautiful, and so grand that it was a pleasure 
 to look at her. She was not allowed to stop with 
 them, but they sent her to the pigsty, where she 
 was to live. She then began to wash and clean out 
 the place, and then she opened her casket to see 
 what she had got for wages ; when she opened it 
 she found there was so much gold and silver, and 
 so many beautiful things in it, that both the walls 
 and roof were covered, and the pigsty became 
 more magnificent than the finest palace. 
 
 When the stepmother and the daughter saw this 
 they were quite beside themselves, and began to 
 ask her what sort of service she had been in. 
 
 " Oh," she said, " you can easily guess since I 
 have had such wages. Such a mistress to work for, 
 and such people you will not easily find !" 
 
 The woman s daughter then wanted to set out 
 and go into service, so that she also might get such 
 a golden casket. 
 
 They then sat down to spin again; but this time 
 the woman s daughter was to spin bristles, and the 
 man s daughter flax, and the one who first broke 
 the thread would be put into the well. 
 
 Before long the woman s daughter broke her 
 thread, as you may guess, and so they threw her 
 into the well. 
 
 Everything happened as before ; she fell to the 
 bottom, but did not hurt herself, and then she came 
 
54 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 to a beautiful green meadow. When she had 
 walked a bit she came to the hedge. 
 
 " Do not step heavily on me, and I will help you 
 another time," said the hedge. 
 
 " Oh, what do I care about a lot of twigs," she 
 said, and trod heavily on the hedge, so that it 
 groaned. 
 
 In a little while she came to the cow, which 
 wanted milking again. 
 
 " Please do milk me," said the cow, " and I \vill 
 help you another time ; drink as much as you like, 
 and pour the rest over my hoofs." 
 
 This she did ; she milked the cow, and drank as 
 long as she was able, till there was nothing left to 
 pour over the hoofs. She then threw the pail down 
 the hill and went her way. When she had gone a 
 bit further she came to the ram, which was going 
 about trailing his wool along the ground. 
 
 " Do shear me, and I ll help you another time," 
 said the ram ; " take as much of the wool as you 
 like, but twist the rest around my neck." She did 
 this, but sheared the ram so roughly that she made 
 big gashes in his skin ; and then she took all the 
 wool away with her. 
 
 In a little while she came to the apple tree, which 
 was quite bent down under the weight of its apples. 
 
 " Please do pluck my apples, so that my branches 
 can straighten themselves, for it is painful to stand 
 so crooked," said the apple tree, " but be careful not 
 to injure me ; eat as many as you like, but place 
 the rest at my root, and I ll help you another 
 time," 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 55 
 
 She plucked some of the nearest, and those she 
 could not reach she knocked down with the pole ; 
 but she did not care how she did it. She tore down 
 large branches, and ate till she was unable to t eat 
 any more ; and then she threw the rest under the 
 tree. 
 
 When she had walked a little way she came to 
 the farm where the troll- wife lived, and asked to be 
 taken into service. The troll-wife said she would 
 not have any servant girl, for either they were good 
 for nothing or else they were far too clever, and 
 cheated her of what she had. The woman s 
 daughter did not give in, but said she must have a 
 place ; and then the troll-wife said she would take 
 her, if she was good for anything. 
 
 The first thing she got to do was to fetch water 
 in the sieve. She went to the well and poured 
 water into the sieve, but as fast as she poured it in 
 it ran out. The birds then sang : 
 
 "Rubin clay! 
 Put in hay ! 
 Rub in clay! 
 Put in hay!" 
 
 But she didn t take any notice of what the birds 
 sang; she threw the clay at them, so that they flew 
 away, and she had to go back with an empty sieve, 
 and got scolded by the troll-wife. She was then 
 to clean out the cowhouse and milk the cows, but 
 she thought she was too good for that. She went 
 into the cowhouse, however; and when she got 
 
56 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 there she found she could not use the shovel ; it was 
 so big. The birds said the same to her as to the 
 man s daughter that she should take the besom 
 and sweep out the litter, and all the rest would 
 follow ; but she took the besom and threw it at the 
 birds. When she was going to milk the cows they 
 were so restless that they kicked and plunged, and 
 every time she had got a little in the pail they 
 kicked it over. The birds sang : 
 
 "A little squirt! 
 A little sip! 
 For little birds!" 
 
 But she struck and beat the cows, flung and threw 
 everything she could. get hold of at the birds, and 
 carried on in a way that was never heard of. She 
 had not, of course, cleaned the cowhouse or milked 
 the cows, so when she came in she got both blows 
 and scolding from the troll-wife. She was then to 
 wash the black wool white, but she did not fare any 
 better with that. The troll-wife thought this was 
 too bad, and so she brought out three caskets one 
 red, one green, and one blue and told her she had 
 no use for her, as she was fit for nothing; but she 
 should have a casket all the same for her wages, 
 and could choose which she liked best. Then the 
 birds sang : 
 
 " Take not the green! 
 Take not the redl 
 But take the blue! 
 Which we have put 
 Three crosses on!" 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 5? 
 
 She did not take any notice of what the birds 
 sang, but took the red one, which was the gaudiest. 
 So she set out on her way home, and got there 
 without any trouble, for there was no one in pursuit 
 of her. 
 
 When she got home the mother was greatly re 
 joiced to see her, and they went at once into the 
 parlor and placed the casket there, for they thought 
 there was nothing but gold and silver in it, and 
 they believed that both the walls and the roof 
 would be covered with gold. But as soon as they 
 opened the casket there swarmed out of it vipers 
 and toads, and when the daughter opened her mouth 
 it was just the same ; vipers and toads and all sorts 
 of vermin fell out, till at last it was impossible to 
 live in the same house with her. And that was all 
 she got for serving the troll-wife 1 
 
THE HAKE WHO HAD BEEN MAKKIED. 
 
 ONCE upon a time a hare was running and frisking 
 about in a cornfield. 
 
 "Hurray! hurrah! hurray!" he shouted, as he 
 jumped and skipped along. 
 
 All of a sudden he turned a somersault, and found 
 himself standing on his hind legs in a new-sown 
 cornfield. 
 
 Just then a fox came slinking by. 
 
 " Good-day, good-day to you !" said the hare. " I 
 feel so jolly to-day, for I have been married, you 
 must know !" 
 
 " That s a good thing for you," said the fox. 
 
 " Oh, I don t know so much about that," said the 
 hare, " for she was rather a crossgrained creature, 
 and she turned out C regular scold of a wife, she 
 did." 
 
 " That was a bad thing for you," said the fox. 
 
 " Oh, it wasn t so bad," said the hare, " for I got 
 a lot of money with her, and she had a house of her 
 own besides." 
 
 " That was a very good thing indeed," said the 
 fox. 
 
 " Oh, I don t know so much about that," said the 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 59 
 
 hare, " for the house got burned down, and every 
 thing we had along with it." 
 
 " That was really too bad," said the fox. 
 
 " Oh, not so very bad after all," said the hare, 
 " for that crossgrained wife of mine was burned as 
 well." 
 
THE SQUIEE S BKIDE. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a rich squire who 
 owned a large farm, and had plenty of silver at the 
 bottom of his chest and money in the bank besides ; 
 but he felt there was something wanting, for he was 
 a widower. 
 
 One day the daughter of a neighboring farmer 
 was working for him in the hayfield. The squire 
 saw her and liked her very much, and as she was the 
 child of poor parents he thought if he only hinted 
 that he wanted her she would be ready to marry 
 him at once. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 61 
 
 So he told her he had been thinking of getting 
 married again. 
 
 " Ay ! one may think of many things," said the 
 girl, laughing slyly. In her opinion the old fellow 
 ought to be thinking of something that behoved 
 him better than getting married. 
 
 " Well, you see, I thought that you should be my 
 wife!" 
 
 " No, thank you all the same," said she, " that s 
 not at all likely." 
 
 The squire was not accustomed to be gainsaid, and 
 the more she refused him the more determined he 
 was to get her. 
 
 But as he made no progress in her favor he sent 
 for her father and told him that if he could arrange 
 the matter with his daughter he would forgive him 
 the money he had lent him, and he would also give 
 him the piece of land which lay close to his meadow 
 into the bargain. 
 
 " Yes, you may be sure I ll bring my daughter to 
 her senses," said the father. " She is only a child, 
 and she doesn t know what s best for her." But all 
 his coaxing and talking did not help matters. She 
 would not have the squire, she said, if he sat buried 
 in gold up to his ears. 
 
 The squire waited day after day, but at last he 
 became so angry and impatient that he told the 
 father, if he expected him to stand by his promise, 
 he would have to put his foot down and settle the 
 matter now, for he would not wait any longer. 
 
 The man knew no other wav out of it but to let 
 
62 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 the squire get everything ready for the wedding ; 
 and when the parson and the wedding guests had 
 arrived the squire should send for the girl as if she 
 were wanted for some work on the farm. When 
 she arrived she would have to be married right 
 away, so that she would have no time to think it 
 over. 
 
 The squire thought this was well and good, and so 
 he began brewing and baking and getting ready for 
 the wedding in grand style. When the guests had 
 arrived the squire called one of his farm lads and 
 told him to run down to his neighbor and ask him 
 to send him what he had promised. 
 
 "But if you are not back in a twinkling," he said, 
 shaking his fist at him, " I ll 
 
 He did not say more, for the lad ran off as if he 
 had been shot at. 
 
 " My master has sent me to ask for that you 
 promised him," said the lad, when he got to the 
 neighbor, " but there is no time to be lost, for he is 
 terribly busy to-day.." 
 
 " Yes, yes ! Run down into the meadow and 
 take her with you. There she goes !" answered the 
 neighbor. 
 
 The lad ran off and when he came to the meadow 
 he found the daughter there raking the hay. 
 
 " I am to fetch what your father has promised 
 my master," said the lad. 
 
 " Ah, ha I" thought she. " Is that what they are 
 up to ?" 
 
 "Ah, indeed!" she said. "I suppose it s that 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 63 
 
 little bay mare of ours. You had better go and take 
 her. She stands there tethered on the other side of 
 the peas field," said the girl. 
 
 The boy jumped on the back of the bay mare and 
 rode home at full gallop. 
 
 " Have you got her with you ?" asked the squire. 
 " She is down at the door," said the lad. 
 " Take her up to the room my mother had," said 
 the squire. 
 
64 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " But, master, how can that be managed ?" said 
 the lad. 
 
 " You must just do as I tell you," said the squire. 
 "If you cannot manage her alone you must get the 
 men to help you," for he thought the girl might 
 turn obstreperous. 
 
 When the lad saw his master s face he knew it 
 would be no use to gainsay him. So he went and got 
 all the farm-tenants who were there te help him. 
 Some pulled at the head and the forelegs of the 
 mare and others pushed from behind, and at last 
 they got her up the stairs and into the room. 
 There lay all the wedding finery ready. 
 
 " Now, that s done, master !" said the lad ; " but 
 it was a terrible job. It was the worst I have ever 
 had here on the farm." 
 
 "Never mind, you shall not have done it for 
 nothing," said his master. " Now send the women 
 up to dress her." 
 
 " But I say, master !" said the lad. 
 
 "None of your talk!" said the squire. "Tell 
 them they must dress her and mind and not forget 
 either wreath or crown." 
 
 The lad run into the kitchen. 
 
 "Look here, lasses," he said; "you must go 
 upstairs and dress up the bay mare as bride. I 
 expect the master wants to give the guests a laugh." 
 
 The women dressed the bay mare in everything 
 that was there, and then the lad went and told his 
 master that now she was ready dressed, with wreath 
 and crown and all. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 66 
 
 " Very well, bring her down !" said the squire. 
 " I will receive her myself at the door," said he. 
 
 There was a terrible clatter on the stairs; for 
 that bride, you know, had no silken shoes on. 
 
66 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 When the door was opened and the squire s bride 
 entered the parlor you can imagine there was a 
 good deal of tittering and grinning. 
 
 And as for the squire you may be sure he had 
 had enough of that bride, and they say he never 
 went courting again. 
 
ALL WOMEN AKE ALIKE. 
 
 ONCE upon a time a man and a woman were going 
 to sow, but they had no seed-corn and no money to 
 buy an} T with either. They had only one cow and 
 this the man was to go to town with and sell to get 
 money for the seed-corn. 
 
 But when the time came the wife would not let 
 the man go, for she was afraid he would spend the 
 money on drink. So she set off herself with the 
 cow and took with her a hen as well. 
 
 Close to the town she met a butcher. 
 
 " Are you going to sell that cow, mother ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes, that I am," she said. 
 
 " How much do you want for it then ?" 
 
 " I suppose I must have a shilling for the cow, 
 but the hen you can have for two pounds," she said. 
 
 "Well," said the butcher. "I haven t any use for 
 the hen, and you can easily get rid of that when 
 you get to the town, but I ll give you a shilling for 
 the cow." 
 
 She sold the cow and got her shilling, but nobody 
 in the town would give two pounds for a tough old 
 hen. So she went back to the butcher and said : 
 
 " I can t get rid of this hen, father. You ll have 
 to take that as well since you took the cow." 
 
68 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "We ll soon settle that," said the butcher, and 
 asked her to sit down. He gave her something to 
 eat and so much brandy to drink that she became 
 tipsy and lost her wits. While she slept it off the 
 butcher dipped her into a barrel of tar and then 
 put her in a heap of feathers. 
 
 When she woke up she found that she was 
 feathered all over and she began to wonder : " Is it 
 me? or it is not me ? It must be a strange bird ! 
 But what shall I do to find out whether it is me, or 
 whether it isn t me ? Now I know if the calves 
 will lick me and the dog doesn t bark at me, when 
 I get home, then it is me." 
 
 The dog no sooner saAV such a monster than it 
 began barking with all its might as if there were 
 thieves and vagabonds about the place. 
 
 " No, surely, it cannot be me," she .said. 
 
 When she came to the cowhouse the calves would 
 not lick her, because they smelled the tar. 
 
 " No, it cannot be me ; it must be a strange bird, 5 
 she said ; and then she climbed up on top of the 
 storehouse and began to flap with her arms as if she 
 had wings and wanted to fly. When the man saw 
 this he came out with his rifle and took aim at her. 
 
 " Don t shoot, don t shoot," cried his wife ; " it is 
 me." 
 
 " Is it you 2" said the man. " Then don t stand 
 there like a goat, but come down and tell me what 
 you have been about." 
 
 She climbed down again, but found she had not 
 a single penny left, for the shilling she got from the 
 butcher she had lost while she was tipsy. 
 
Wi. 3n the man saw the strange figure on the roof he came out with his rifle 
 and took aim at it. Page 68. 
 
70 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 husband on the head with a bat; and over his head 
 she had pulled a shirt in which there was no hole 
 for the neck. 
 
 " Do you want to kill your husband, mother ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "No," she said, "I only want to make a hole for 
 the neck in his shirt." 
 
 The man moaned and groaned and said : "Oh, 
 dear, oh, dear ! I pity those who have to try on 
 new shirts. If any one could teach my wife how to 
 make the hole for the neck in a different way, I d 
 willingly give him three hundred dollars." 
 
 " I ll soon do that," said the man ; " only let me 
 have a pair of scissors." 
 
 He got a pair and cut the hole, and then he took 
 his money and went his way. 
 
 " That was the second of them !" he said to him 
 self. 
 
 After a long while he came to a farm, where he 
 thought he would rest awhile, so he went in. 
 
 " Where do you come from ?" asked the woman. 
 
 " I come from Ringerige," * answered the man. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear ! are you from Himmerige ? f 
 Then you must know Peter, my second husband, 
 poor soul?" said the woman. She had been married 
 three times; the first and the last husbands were 
 bad men, so she thought that the second, who had 
 
 * A district in the south of Norway. 
 
 f "Hirnmerige," the Norwegian word for "heaven." The 
 similarity between the two words "Himmerige" und "Ringe 
 rige " will easily explain the mistake made by the woman. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 71 
 
 been a good husband, was the only one likely to go 
 to heaven. 
 
 " Yes, I know him well," said the man. 
 
 " How is it with him there?" asked the woman. 
 
 "Oh, things are rather bad with him," said the 
 man. " He knocks about from place to place, and 
 has neither food nor clothes to his back, and as for 
 money " 
 
 "Goodness gracious!" cried the woman, "there s 
 no need that he should go about in such a plight 
 he that left so much behind him. Here is a large 
 loft full of clothes, which belonged to him, as well 
 as a big chest of money. If you ll take it all with 
 you you shall have the horse and trap to take it in ; 
 and he can keep both horse and trap, so that he can 
 drive about from place to place ; for he has no need 
 to walk, I m sure." 
 
 The man got a whole cartload of clothes and a 
 chest full of bright silver dollars, and as much food 
 and drink as he wanted. When he had finished he 
 got into the trap and drove off. 
 
 "That s the third of them!" he said to himself. 
 
 But the woman s third husband was over in a 
 Held plowing, and when he saw a stranger driving 
 off with the horse and trap he went home and 
 asked his wife who it was who drove away with the 
 horse. 
 
 " Oh," she said, " that was a man from heaven ; 
 he said that Peter, my second, poor, dear soul, is so 
 badly off that he walks about there from place to 
 place, and has neither clothes nor money ; so I sent 
 him all his old clothes, which have been hanging 
 
72 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 here ever since, and the old money chest with the 
 silver dollars." 
 
 The man understood at once what all this meant, 
 and saddled a horse and set off at full gallop. 
 
 Before long he was close behind the man in the 
 trap ; who when he discovered he was pursued, 
 drove the horse and trap into a thick part of the 
 wood, pulled a handful of Vir out of the horse s 
 tail, and sprang up a hill, where he tied the horse s 
 hair to a birch tree, and lay down on his back under 
 it, gaping and staring up into the clouds. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear !" he said, as if talk 
 ing to himself, when the woman s third husband 
 came riding up. " We ll, I ve never seen an} 7 thing so 
 wonderful ! I ve never seen the like of it !" 
 
 The husband stopped and looked at him for 
 awhile and wondered if the man was crazy, or what 
 he was up to. At last he asked him : 
 
 " What are you staring at ?" 
 
 " Well, I never saw the like !" exclaimed the man. 
 "I ve just seen some one driving straight into 
 heaven, horse and all ! There, you see part of the 
 horse s tail hanging on the birch tree, and up among 
 the clouds you can see the horse." 
 
 The husban% looked up at the clouds and then at 
 him and said : 
 
 " I don t see anything but the horse hair on the 
 birch tree." 
 
 " No, of course you can t see it, where you stand," 
 said the man, " but come and lie down here and 
 look straight up ; you must not take your eyes away 
 from the clouds." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 73 
 
 "While the husband lay staring into the sky till 
 the water ran from his eyes, the man jumped on 
 the horse and set off, both with that and the horse 
 and trap. 
 
 When the husband heard the rumbling noise on 
 the road he jumped up, but was so bewildered be 
 cause the man had gone off with his horses that he 
 did not think of setting after him till it was too 
 late. He did not feel very proud, as you can 
 imagine, when he came home to his wife, and when 
 she asked him what he had done with the horse he 
 said: 
 
 " Oh, I told the man he could take that with him 
 as well to Peter, for I did not think it was right 
 that he should jolt about in a trap up there ; now 
 he can sell the trap and buy a carriage." 
 
 " Oh, thank you for that ! never did I think you 
 were such a kind husband," said the woman. 
 
 When the man who had got the six hundred dollars 
 and the cartload of clothes and money came home, 
 he saw that all the fields were plowed and sown. 
 The first thing he asked his wife was where she 
 got the seed corn from. 
 
 " Oh," said she, " I have always h^^rd that he 
 who sows something gets something. So I sowed 
 the salt which the carrier left here the other day, 
 and if we only get rain soon, I think it will grow 
 up nicely. 7 
 
 " Mad you are, and mad you ll be as long as you 
 live," said the man; but it doesn t much matter, for 
 the others are no better than you." 
 
ONE S OWN 
 CHILDREN 
 AEE ALWAYS 
 THE 
 PRETTIEST. 
 
 ONCE upon a 
 time a man went 
 oat shooting in a 
 forest, and there 
 he met a wood 
 cock. 
 
 " Pray, don t 
 shoot my child 
 ren," said the 
 woodcock. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 75 
 
 " What are your children like ?" asked the man. 
 
 " Mine are the prettiest children in the forest," 
 answered the woodcock. 
 
 " I suppose I mustn t shoot them then," said the 
 man. 
 
 When he came back he carried in his hand a 
 whole string of young woodcocks which he had 
 shot. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear ! Why, you have shot my 
 children after all!" said the woodcock. 
 
 " Are these yours ?" said the man. " Why, I shot 
 the ugliest I could find. 
 
 " Yes, yes," answered the woodcock ; " but don t 
 you know that every one thinks one s own children 
 the prettiest?" 
 
OLD FATHEE BKUIN 
 
 THE WOLF PIT. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a man who lived far 
 away in the wood. He had many sheep and goats, 
 but he could never keep the wolf away from them. 
 
 " I ll be even with you yet, Master Greylegs," he 
 said at last, and began to dig a pit for the wolf. 
 When he had dug it deep enough he placed a pole 
 in the middle of the pit and on the top of the pole 
 he fixed a board, and on the board he put a little 
 dog. He then placed some twigs and branches 
 across the pit, and on top of all he sprinkled some 
 snow, so that the wolf should not see there was a 
 trap underneath. When the night came the little 
 dog got tired of being there. 
 
 " Bow-wow-wow !" it barked at the moon. 
 
 A fox just then came slinking along, and thought 
 here was a fine chance. He made a spring and fell 
 plump into the pit. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 77 
 
 As the night wore on the little dog became so 
 weary and hungry that it began to whine and bark. 
 
 " Bow-wow-wow," it barked. 
 
 All at once a wolf came slouching along. He 
 thought here is a fat little morsel, and sprang plump 
 into the pit. 
 
 Early in the gray morning the north wind began 
 to blow, and it became so cold that the little dog 
 shivered and trembled, and was so weary and 
 hungry. 
 
 " Bow-wow-wow," it went on barking all the 
 time. 
 
 A bear then came trudging along, and thought 
 here was a nice tit-bit early in the morning ; so he 
 stepped out on the branches and fell plump into the 
 pit. 
 
 As the morning wore on there came an old beg 
 gar woman who was tramping about from place to 
 place with a bag on her back. When she saw the 
 little dog standing there barking she thought she 
 would go and see if any animals had been caught 
 in the trap during the night. She went down on 
 her knees and peered into the pit. 
 
 " So you have been caught, Master Reynard, have 
 you?" she said to the fox, for she saw him first; 
 " serves you right, you old hen-thief. And you 
 there too, are you, Master Greylegs ?" said she to 
 the wolf. " Well, you have killed goats and sheep 
 enough in your time, and now you ll suffer for it 
 and get what you deserve. Halloo, Father Bruin, 
 are you in this nice little parlor too. you old horse 
 
78 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 thief ? We will cut you up and flay you, we will, 
 and your skull we will nail up on the cowhouse," 
 shouted the woman excitedly, and shook her fists 
 at the bear; but just then her bag slipped forward 
 over her head, and the woman tumbled plump into 
 the pit. There they sat staring at one another, all 
 four of them, each in their corner the fox in one, 
 the wolf in the other, the bear in the third, and the 
 old woman in the fourth. 
 
 When it became full daylight Reynard began to 
 shake himself and whisk about, for he thought he 
 might as well try to get out ; but the old woman 
 said: 
 
 " Can t you sit quiet, you old roost-robber, and 
 not go frisking and trailing about in this way ? 
 Look at old Father Bruin ; he sits as quiet as a par 
 son in his study ;" for she thought she had better 
 make friends with the bear. 
 
 Then came the man who had set the trap for the 
 wolf. First of all he dragged up the old woman, 
 and then he killed all the animals ; he spared 
 neither old Father Bruin, nor Grey legs, nor Rey 
 nard, the hen thief. The man thought he had 
 made a good haul that night. 
 
THE DOLL IN THE GKASS. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king who had 
 twelve sons. When they were grown up he told 
 them they must go out into the world and find 
 themselves wives, who must all be able to spin and 
 weave and make a shirt in one day, else he would 
 not have them for daughters-in-law. He gave each 
 of his sons a horse and a new suit of armor, and so 
 they set out in the world to look for wives. 
 
 When they had traveled a bit on the way they 
 said they would not take Ashiepattle with them, 
 for he was good for nothing. Ashiepattle must 
 stop behind ; there was no help for it. He did not 
 know what he should do or which way he should 
 turn ; he became so sad that he got off the horse 
 and sat down on the grass and began to cry. 
 
 When he had sat awhile one of the tussocks 
 
80 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 among the grass began to move, and out of it came 
 a small white figure; as it came nearer Ashiepattle 
 saw that it was a beautiful little girl, but she was 
 so tiny, so very, very tiny. 
 
 She went up to him and asked him if he would 
 come below and pay a visit to the doll in the grass. 
 
 Yes, that he would ; and so he did. When he 
 came down below the doll in the grass was sitting 
 in a chair dressed very finely and looking still more 
 beautiful. She asked Ashiepattle where he was 
 going and what was his errand. 
 
 He told her they were twelve brothers, and that 
 the king had given them each a horse and a suit of 
 armor, and told them to go out in the world and 
 find themselves wives, but they must all be able to 
 spin and weave and make a shirt in a day. 
 
 " If you can do that and will become my wife, I 
 will not travel any further," said Ashiepattle to the 
 doll in the grass. 
 
 Yes, that she would, and she set to work at once 
 to get the shirt spun, woven and made ; but it was 
 so tiny, so very, very tiny, no bigger than so ! 
 
 Ashiepattle then returned home, taking the shirt 
 with him ; but when he brought it out he felt very 
 shy because it was so small. But the king said he 
 could have her for all that, and you can imagine 
 how happy and joyful Ashiepattle became. 
 
 The road did not seem long to him as he set out 
 to fetch his little sweetheart. When he came to the 
 doll in the grass he wanted her to sit with him on 
 his horse; but no, that she wouldn t ; she said she 
 
A mall white figure cama out of one of the tussocks among the grass. Page 80, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 81 
 
 would sit and drive in a silver spoon, and she had 
 two small white horses which would draw her. So 
 they set out, he on his horse and she in the silver 
 spoon ; and the horses which drew her were two 
 small white mice. 
 
 Ashiepattle always kept to one side of the road, 
 for he was so afraid he should ride over her ; she 
 was so very, very tiny. 
 
 When they had traveled a bit on the way they 
 came to a large lake ; there Ashiepattle s horse 
 took fright and shied over to the other side of the 
 road, and upset the spoon, so that the doll in the 
 grass fell into the water. Ashiepattle became very 
 sacl, for he did not know how he should get her out 
 again ; but after awhile a merman brought her up. 
 But now she had become just as big as any other 
 grown-up being and was much more beautiful than 
 she was before. So he placed her in front of him 
 on the horse and rode home. 
 
 When Ashiepattle got there all his brothers had 
 also returned, each with a sweetheart ; but they 
 were so ugly and ill-favored and bad-tempered that 
 they had come to blows with their sweethearts on 
 their way home. On their heads they had hats 
 which were painted with tar and soot, and this had 
 run from their hats down their faces, so that they 
 were still uglier and more ill-favored to behold. 
 
 When the brothers saw Ashiepattle s sweetheart 
 they all became envious of him, but the king was 
 so pleased with Ashiepattle and his sweetheart that 
 he drove all the others away, and so Ashiepattle 
 
82 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 was married to the doll in 
 the grass; and afterward 
 they lived happy and com 
 fortable for a long, long 
 while ; and if they are not 
 dead, they must be still 
 alive. 
 
THE HEN WHO 
 WENT TO 
 DOVKEFJELD TO 
 SAVE THE WORLD. 
 
 THERE was once upon 
 a time a hen, which flew 
 up in an oak tree and 
 perched there for the 
 night. Before long she 
 dreamed that if she did 
 not go to Dovrefjeld 
 the world would come 
 to an end. All of a 
 mdden she jumped 
 down and set out on 
 the road. 
 
84 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "When she had gone a bit she met a cock. 
 
 " Good-day, Cocky Locky !" said the hen. 
 
 " Good-day, Henny Penny ! where are you going 
 so early ?" said the cock. 
 
 " Oh, I am going to Dovref jeld, so that the world 
 shan t come to an end," said the hen. 
 
 " Who told you that, Henny Penny ?" said the 
 cock. 
 
 " I sat in the oak and dreamed it last night," said 
 the hen. 
 
 " I ll go with you," said the cock. So they went 
 a long way, till they met a duck. 
 
 " Good-day, Ducky Lucky !" said the cock. 
 
 " Good-day, Cocky Locky ! where are you going 
 so early ?" said the duck. 
 
 " I am going to Dovref jeld, so that the world 
 shan t come to an end," said the cock. 
 
 " Who told you that, Cocky Locky ?" 
 
 " Henny Penny !" said the cock. 
 
 " Who told you that, Henny Penny ?" said the 
 duck. 
 
 " I sat in the oak and dreamed it last night," said 
 the hen. 
 
 " I ll go with you !" said the duck. So they set 
 off and walked a bit till they met a gander. 
 
 " Good-day, Gandy Pandy !" said the duck. 
 
 " Good-day, Ducky Lucky !" said the gander. 
 " Where are you going so early ?" 
 
 " I am going to Dovref jeld, so that the world 
 shan t come to an end," said the duck. 
 
 "Who told you that. Ducky Lucky?" said the 
 gander. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 85 
 
 " Cocky Locky !" 
 
 " Who told you that, Cocky Locky ?" 
 
 " Henny Penny !" 
 
 " How do you know that, Henny Penny ?" said 
 the gander. 
 
 " I sat in the oak and dreamed it last night, Gandy 
 Pandy," said the hen. 
 
 " I ll go with you !" said the gander. When they 
 had gone on a bit, they met a fox. 
 
 " Good-day, Foxy Woxy !" said the gander. 
 
 " Good-day, Gandy Pandy !" 
 
 " Where are you going, Foxy Woxy ?" 
 
 " Where are you going, Gandy Pandy ?" 
 
 "I m going to Dovrefjeld so that the world 
 shan t come to an end," said the gander. 
 
 " Who told you that, Gandy Pandy ?" said the 
 fox. 
 
 " Ducky Lucky !" 
 
 " Who told you that, Lucky Ducky ?" 
 
 " Cocky Locky !" 
 
 " Who told you that, Cocky Locky?" 
 
 " Henny Penny !" 
 
 " How do you know that, Henny Penny ?" 
 
 " I sat in the oak and dreamed last night that if we 
 don t go to Dovrefjeld the world will come to an 
 end," said the hen. 
 
 " Oh, nonsense !" said the fox, " the world won t 
 come to an end if you don t get there. No, come 
 home with me to my den ; that s much better, for 
 there it is cozy and comfortable." 
 
 So they followed the fox home to his den, and 
 
86 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 when they came there the fox put so much wood on 
 the fire that they all became sleepy ; the duck and 
 the gander settled in a corner, but the cock and the 
 hen perched on a pole. As soon as the gander and 
 the duck were asleep the fox seized the gander and 
 put it on the fire and roasted it. The hen thought 
 she smelled something burning, she jumped up to a 
 higher perch and said, half-asleep : 
 
 " Faugh ! How it stinks here !" 
 
 " Oh, nonsense," said the fox, " it is only the 
 smoke coming down the chimney ; go to sleep and 
 shut your mouth." So the hen went to sleep. No 
 sooner had the fox eaten the gander than he seized 
 the duck ; he took it and put it on the fire and 
 roasted it and then set about to eat it. The hen 
 then woke up again and flew up to a still higher 
 perch. 
 
 " Faugh ! How it stinks here," she said, and 
 when she opened her eyes and saw that the fox had 
 eaten both the gander and the duck she flew up to 
 the highest perch and settled there and looked up 
 through the chimney. 
 
 "Just look at all the fine geese flying over 
 there!" she said to the fox. 
 
 Reynard ran out, thinking to find another fat 
 roast. In the meantime the hen woke up the cock 
 and told him what had happened to Gandy Pandy 
 and Ducky Lucky. 
 
 So Cocky Locky and Henny Penny flew up 
 through the chimney, and if they hadn t got to 
 Dovref jeld the world would surely have come to an 
 end! 
 
SQUIKE PETEK. 
 
 THEBE was once upon a time a poor couple who 
 had nothing in the world but three sons. What 
 the two eldest were called I don t know, but the 
 youngest was called Peter. 
 
 When the parents died the children were to have 
 all they left behind ; but there was nothing but a 
 porridge pot, a gridiron and a cat. The eldest, who 
 was to have the best, took the pot. 
 
88 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Every time I lend the pot I shall get the scrap 
 ings," he said. 
 
 The second took the gridiron. 
 
 " For when I lend it I shall get a bit to taste," 
 said he. 
 
 But there was no choice for the youngest ; if he 
 wanted anything he would have to take the cat. 
 
 " If I lend the cat to any one I shall get nothing 
 for it," he said ; " if the cat gets a little milk she ll 
 want it herself, but I ll take her with me anyhow; 
 it s a pity she should be left behind to pine." 
 
 So the brothers set out into the world to try their 
 fortune, and each went his own way. When the 
 youngest had gone awhile the cat said : 
 
 " You ll not be sorry you didn t leave me behind. 
 I ll now go into the forest and fetch some fine 
 animal which you must take to the king s palace 
 you see yonder, and say to the king you have come 
 with a small present for him. When he asks who 
 it is from you must say it is from Squire Peter." 
 
 Peter had not long to wait before the cat came 
 back with a reindeer from the forest ; she had 
 jumped upon its head, and when she had settled 
 herself between its horns she said : " If you don t 
 go straight to the king s palace I shall scratch your 
 eyes out." The reindeer dared not do otherwise. 
 
 When Peter came to the palace he went into the 
 kitchen with the reindeer and said : 
 
 " I have come with a small present for the king, 
 which I hope he will accept." 
 
 The king came out into the kitchen and when he 
 saw the big fine reindeer he was much pleased. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 89 
 
 " But, dear friend ! who is it that sends me such 
 a fine present ?" said the king. 
 
 " Oh, it s Squire Peter !" said the lad. 
 
 " Squire Peter !" said the king. " Ah, let me see, 
 where is it he lives ?" for he thought it was a shame 
 he should not know such a worthy man. 
 
 But the lad would not tell him. He dared not 
 for his master, he said. 
 
 So the king gave Peter some money and asked 
 him to give his master his greetings and many 
 thanks for the present. 
 
 The next day the cat went into the forest again 
 and jumped up on the head of a stag, settled herself 
 between its eyes and compelled it to go to the 
 palace. Peter again went into the kitchen with it 
 and said he came with a small present for the king 
 if he would accept it. The king was still more 
 pleased with the stag than with the reindeer, and 
 asked again who it was that had sent him such a fine 
 present. 
 
 " Oh, it s Squire Peter," said the lad ; but when 
 the king wanted to know where Squire Peter lived 
 he got the same answer as the day before. This 
 time he gave Peter still more money. 
 
 The third day the cat brought an elk. When 
 Peter came into the kitchen at the palace he said 
 that he had a small present for the king if he would 
 accept it. The king came out at once into the 
 kitchen, and when he saw the fine, big elk he 
 became so pleased he did not know which leg to 
 stand upon. That time he gave Peter much more 
 money ; it must have been a hundred dollars. 
 
90 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 The king was now most anxious to know where 
 
 Squire Peter lived and began questioning him back- 
 
 , ward and forward, but the lad said he dared not 
 
 tell him, for his master had given him strict orders 
 
 not to disclose it. 
 
 " Well, ask Squire Peter to pay me a visit then," 
 said the king. 
 
 " Yes, he would do that," said the lad, bat when 
 he came out of the palace and met the cat, Peter 
 said: 
 
 " You have got me into a fine scrape ; the king 
 now says I must visit him and I have nothing but 
 the rags I walk in." 
 
 " Oh, don t trouble about that," said the cat. " In 
 three days you shall have coach and horses and fine 
 clothes with gold trimmings and hangings, and then 
 you can surely visit the king. But whatever you 
 see at the palace you must say you have grander 
 and finer things at home; you must not forget 
 that." 
 
 ]S"o, he would be sure to remember, said Peter. 
 
 When the three days were over the cat came 
 with the coach and horses and clothes and every 
 thing that Peter wanted ; all was so grand that no 
 one had seen anything like it before. So Peter set 
 out for the palace and the cat ran alongside him. 
 
 The king received him well, but whatever he 
 offered him and whatever he showed him Peter 
 said it was all very well, but he had everything 
 finer and grander at home. The king was not over 
 pleased at this, but Peter went on just the same and 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 91 
 
 at last the king became so angry that he could no 
 longer contain himself. 
 
 " I ll go home with you," said the king, " and see 
 if it is true that you have everything so much 
 grander and finer; but if you have not told the 
 truth it will be the worse for you. I ll say no 
 more !" 
 
 " You have got me into a fine scrape this time," 
 said Peter to the cat; "the king now wants to go 
 home with me, but it will not be an easy thing to 
 find my home." 
 
 " Oh, don t trouble about that," said the cat, " I 
 will run on in front and you need only follow me." 
 
 So they set off. Peter followed the cat, who ran 
 on in front, and then came the king with all his 
 suite. When they had driven a good bit on the way 
 they came to a large flock of fine sheep ; the wool 
 was so long it almost reached to the ground. 
 
 " If you will say that the sheep belong to Squire 
 Peter when the king asks, you shall have this silver 
 spoon," said the cat to the herdsboy. She had 
 taken the spoon with her from the palace. Yes, he 
 would willingly do that, said the herdsboy. 
 
 When the king came by he said: 
 
 "I ve never seen such a fine flock of sheep ! To 
 whom do they belong, my little boy ?" 
 
 "Oh, they belong to Squire Peter," said the boy. 
 
 In a little while they came to a great big herd of 
 fine brindled cows ; they were so fat that their hides 
 glistened. 
 
 "If you will say the cattle belong to Squire Peter 
 
92 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 when the king asks, you shall have this silver ladle," 
 said the. cat to the cow-girl. The silver ladle she 
 had also taken with her from the palace. 
 
 " Yes,* that I will," said the girl. "When the king 
 came up, he was quite surprised at the fine big 
 cattle, for such a herd he thought he had never seen 
 
 before; and so he asked the girl to whom those 
 brindled cows belonged. 
 
 " Oh, they are Squire Peter s !" said the girl. 
 
 So they traveled on, again, and then they came 
 to a great big drove of horses. They were the 
 finest one could see, big and sleek, and six of each 
 color, both brown and red, and cream-colored. 
 
 "If you will say those horses belong to Squire 
 Peter when the king asks, I ll give you this silver 
 goblet," said the cat to the boy. The goblet she 
 had also taken from the palace. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 93 
 
 " Yes, that I will," said the boy. When the king 
 came by, he became quite dazed at the fine drove of 
 horses, for he had never seen the like of such horses, 
 he said. He then asked the boy to whom those 
 brown, red, and cream-colored horses belonged. 
 
 " Oh, they are Squire Peter s !" said the boy. 
 
 "When they had traveled a long, long way, they 
 came to a castle. First there was a gateway of 
 brass, then one of silver, and then one of gold. The 
 castle itself was of silver, and glistened so brightly 
 that it made one s eyes smart, for the sun was shin 
 ing full upon it when they arrived. 
 
 They entered, and the cat told Peter to say he 
 lived there. Inside the castle was still more splen 
 did than outside ; everything was of gold, both 
 chairs and tables and benches. When the king had 
 been round and seen it all from top to bottom, he 
 became quite confounded. 
 
 " Yes, Squire Peter is much grander than I ; 
 there is no use denying that," he said ; and then he 
 wanted to return home. But Peter asked him to 
 stop and sup with him, which the king agreed to ; 
 but he was cross and peevish the whole time. 
 While they sat at table. the troll, who owned the 
 castle, came and knocked at the gate. 
 
 "Who eats my food and drinks my mead in 
 there ?" he cried. As soon as the cat heard him she 
 ran to the gate. 
 
 " Wait a little, and I ll tell you how the farmer 
 gets his winter rye," said the cat. " First he plows 
 his field, and then he manures it, and then he plows 
 it again ;" and so the cat went on till the sun rose. 
 
94 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 , "Just look behind at that beautiful damsel!" 
 said the cat to the troll. The troll then turned 
 round, and when he saw the sun he burst. 
 
 "All this is now yours," said the cat to Squire 
 Peter. "And now you must cut my head off ; it is 
 the only thing I ask for all I have done for you." 
 
 " No," said Squire Peter, " that I will not do." 
 
 " You must," said the cat, " or I ll scratch your 
 eyes out." 
 
 Squire Peter was then obliged to do it, although 
 he was very loath. He cut the cat s head off, and 
 the same moment she became the most beautiful 
 princess any one could set eyes on, and Squire Peter 
 fell in love with her then and there. 
 
 " All this splendor has formerly been mine," said 
 the princess, " but the troll got me into his power 
 and turned me into a cat, and ever since I have been 
 at your parents . You must now do as you like 
 about making me your queen, for you are king over 
 the whole realm," said the princess. 
 
 Squire Peter was, of course, only too glad to make 
 her his queen. So the wedding took place, and the 
 feasting lasted for eight days. And as I did not 
 stay any longer with the squire and his queen I 
 cannot tell you any more about them. 
 
BTKD DAUNTLESS. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king who had 
 twelve daughters, and he loved them so much that 
 he never allowed them out of his sight ; but every 
 day after dinner, while the king slept, the princesses 
 went out for a walk. Once, when the king was 
 having his afternoon nap, the princesses went out as 
 usual ; but they never returned. 
 
 The whole country mourned, but the king was 
 the one who sorrowed most. Messengers were 
 sent out to search for them, both in his own and in 
 foreign countries ; proclamations were read out in 
 all the churches, and the bells were rung all over 
 
96 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 the country. But they had disappeared and left no 
 trace behind, so the people at last guessed that they 
 had been spirited away into the mountains. 
 
 It did not take long before this was known far-and 
 wide, in town and country ; yea, even in the very 
 depth of the country and in foreign lands. And so 
 the report reached the ears of a king in a far away 
 country, who had twelve sons. 
 
 When they heard about the twelve princesses 
 they asked for leave to set out and find them. The 
 king did not much like them to go ; he was afraid 
 he should never see them again. But they went on 
 their knees before him, and prayed so long that the 
 king at last gave his consent. 
 
 He fitted out a ship for them and gave them a 
 knight called Redbeard as steersman, for he was a 
 good seaman. The} 7 sailed about for a very long 
 time and visited all the countries they came near, 
 and asked and searched for the princesses, but they 
 got no tidings whatever. 
 
 But a few more days and they would have been 
 gone seven years. Then one day there blew such a 
 gale and the weather was so bad that they believed 
 they would never reach land any more. While the 
 stormy weather lasted they were all obliged to 
 work, so they got no rest. On the third day the 
 wind went down and there came a calm. 
 
 Now they were all so tired after the hard work 
 and rough weather that they fell asleep at once, 
 but the youngest prince felt uneasy and could get 
 no sleep. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 97 
 
 While he paced backward and forward on deck 
 the ship neared a small island, and on the shore 
 was a little dog running about barking and whining 
 at the ship, just as if it wanted to be taken on 
 board. The prince walked up and down on the 
 deck, whistling and calling the dog, but the little 
 creature only barked and whined the more. 
 
 The prince thought it was a great pity to leave it 
 there to starve ; he fancied it must have belonged 
 to a ship which had been wrecked during the storm, 
 but he did not think he could help it either, for he 
 thought he would not be able to put the boat out 
 without help, and all the crew slept so soundly he 
 would not awake them for the sake of a dog. 
 
 But the weather was bright and calm, so he said 
 to himself : " I had better go ashore and save the 
 dog," and tried to lower the boat and found it was 
 easily managed. 
 
 He rowed ashore and went up to the dog, but 
 every time he tried to seize it the dog ran away 
 from him, and this went on until before he knew a 
 word about it he found himself in a large gilded 
 castle. There the dog changed into a beautiful 
 princess, and on the bench sat a man so big and 
 ugly that the prince became quite terrified. 
 
 " You need not be frightened," said the man, but 
 the prince became still more frightened when he 
 heard his voice ; " for I know very well what you 
 want ; you are the twelve princes who are looking 
 for the twelve princesses that were lost. I know 
 where they are ; they are in my master s castle ; 
 
98 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 there they sit on golden stools, each scratching a 
 head, for he has twelve of them. Now you have 
 been sailing about for seven y ears, but you will have 
 to sail for seven more years before you find them. 
 You might as well stay here," he said, "and wed 
 my daughter ; but first of all you must kill my 
 master, for he is very hard on us. We are tired of 
 him, and when he is dead I shall be king in his 
 place. Try first if you can lift this sword," 1 said 
 the troll. 
 
 The prince took hold of an old rusty sword which 
 hung on the wall, but he could scarcely stir it. 
 
 " Well, then, you will have to take a drink from 
 this bottle," said the troll. 
 
 When he had taken one sip he was just able to 
 move the sword, and when he had taken another 
 he could lift it, and when he had taken still another 
 he could flourish the sword as easily as a rolling- 
 pin. 
 
 "When you return on .board," said the troll, 
 "you must hide the sword well in }^our berth, so 
 that Knight Red beard does not see it ; he would 
 not be able to use it, of course, but he hates }^ou, 
 and will try to take your life." 
 
 " Three days before the seven years are up," he 
 said further, " all that has happened now will 
 happen again ; you will have bad and stormy 
 weather, and when it is over you will all become 
 sleepy ; ther you . must take the sword and go 
 ashore. You will then come to a castle where there 
 are all sorts of sentinels wolves, bears, and lions ; 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 99 
 
 but you must not be afraid of them, for they will 
 all. fall down before your feet. When you get into 
 the castle you will see the troll-king sitting in a 
 gorgeous chamber, magnificently dressed ; he has 
 twelve heads, and the princesses will be sitting on 
 their golden stools, each of them scratching one of 
 his heads. This kind of work, you know, they don t 
 like, so you must make haste and cut off one head 
 after the other; if the troll wakes up and sees you 
 he will swallow you alive." 
 
 The prince went on board with the sword, and 
 he remembered well what he had been told. All 
 on board were still asleep, and he hid the sword in 
 his berth, so that Knight Eedbeard and the other 
 could not see it. It then began to blow again, so 
 the prince called the others and said he thought it 
 would not do to sleep any longer since they had 
 such a fair wind. Nobody guessed he had been 
 away from the ship. 
 
 Now when the seven years all but three days had 
 passed it happened . just as the troll had said. 
 There came bad and stormy weather which lasted 
 for three days, and when it was over they all be 
 came sleepy after their hard work and lay down ; 
 but the youngest prince rowed ashore and the 
 sentinels fell down before him, and so he .came to 
 the castle. When he entered the chamber the king- 
 troll sat and slept just as the other troll had fore 
 told, and the twelve princesses sat on their stools, 
 each scratching one of his heads. The prince made 
 signs to the princesses to move away, but they 
 
100 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 pointed at the troll and motioned to the prince to 
 go. 
 
 He continued to make signs to them, and then 
 they understood that he wanted to save them. 
 They moved quietly away, one after the other, and 
 immediately he cut off the heads of the troll-king, 
 till the blood flowed like a great brook. 
 
 When the troll was killed the prince rowed out 
 to the ship again and hid the sword ; he thought he 
 had done his share, and as he could not get the body 
 away by himself, he thought the others ought to 
 help him a little. He therefore called them, and 
 said it was a shame they should be lying asleep 
 while he had been finding the princesses and had 
 saved them from the troll-king. 
 
 The others laughed at him, and said that no 
 doubt he had been sleeping as well, if not better, 
 than they, and had dreamed that he was such a 
 clever fellow. If any one had saved the princesses, 
 it was far more likely to be one of them. 
 
 But the youngest prince told them how it had all 
 happened, and when they went ashore w r ith him and 
 saw the brook of blood, the castle, the troll, the 
 twelve heads and the princesses, they saw he had 
 told the truth ; and so they helped him to throw 
 the heads and the body into the sea. 
 
 They were now all quite happy, but none more 
 so than the princesses, who after this had no longer 
 to sit all day and scratch the troll-king s heads. 
 They took with them of all the gold and silver and 
 valuable things which were there, as much as they 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAP NORTH. lUl 
 
 could carry ; and so they went on board, both the 
 princes and the princesses. 
 
 When they had got a good way out to sea the 
 princesses said that in their joy they had forgotten 
 their golden crowns ; they lay in a chest, and they 
 would so much like to take them with them. As 
 none of the others offered to go for them, the 
 youngest prince said : 
 
 " I have ventured as much before, so now I may 
 as well fetch the crowns, if you will let down the 
 sails and wait till I come back again." 
 
 Yes, that they would ; but when he had got so 
 far away that they could not see anything more of 
 him, Knight Redbeard, who himself wanted to be 
 foremost and have the youngest princess, said that 
 it was of no use to lie and wait for him, for they 
 must surely know he would never come back. 
 
 They knew, he said, that the king had given him, 
 Knight Redbeard, power and authority to do just 
 as he thought right ; and they could say that he had 
 saved the princesses, and if any one dared to say 
 otherwise he should lose his life. 
 
 The princes therefore dared not do anything else 
 but what Knight Eedbeard told them, and so they 
 set sail. 
 
 In the meantime, the youngest prince rowed 
 ashore and went into the castle, found the chest in 
 which were the golden crowns, and tugged and 
 dragged till he got it down to the boat; but when 
 he came to the place where he expected to find the 
 ship it was gone. As he could not see it in any 
 
101* FAJ.RY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 direction, he soon guessed what had happened, and 
 there was therefore nothing else for him to do but 
 to turn round and row to land again. 
 
 He was, of course, afraid to be alone the whole 
 night in the castle, but there was no other shelter, 
 so he took courage, locked all the doors and gates, 
 and lay himself down in a room where there was a 
 ready-made bed. But he felt afraid, and became 
 still more so when, after he had been in bed awhile, 
 the walls and roof began to creak and groan as if 
 the whole castle was falling to pieces. Then, all of 
 a sudden, something which sounded like a load of 
 hay came flopping down by the side of his bed, and 
 all became quiet again ; but he heard a voice, which 
 told him not to be afraid, and said : 
 
 ; 
 
 " I am bird Dauntless, 
 All that I do is faultless; 
 Be not afraid of me, 
 For I will help you o er the sea!" 
 
 " The first thing you must do in the morning 
 when you awake is to go to the storehouse and fetch 
 four barrels of rye for me ; I must have that for 
 breakfast, otherwise I can do nothing." 
 
 When the prince awoke in the morning he saw an 
 enormous bird with a feather at the back of its neck 
 as thick as a small pine tree. The prince went to 
 the storehouse for the four barrels of rye, and when 
 the bird had eaten it he told the prince to hang the 
 chest with the golden crowns on one side of his neck 
 and to take as much gold and silver as would balance 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 103 
 
 it and hang it on the other; then he asked the 
 prince to get on his back and to hold on to the big 
 feather on his neck. Off they started, whisking 
 through the air at such a speed that it did not take 
 long before they overtook the ship. The prince 
 wanted to go on board and fetch the sword, because 
 he was afraid somebody might see it, for the troll 
 had told him it must not be seen by anybody ; but 
 bird Dauntles said they could not trouble about it 
 now. 
 
 " Knight Redbeard is not likely to see it," said 
 the bird ; " but if you go on board he will try and 
 take your life, as he wants to have the youngest 
 princess ; but you may rest easy about her, for she 
 puts a naked sword by her side every night when 
 she goes to bed." 
 
 After some time they reached the island where 
 the troll whom the prince had first met lived. 
 There the prince was so well received that there 
 was no end of festivities. The troll did not know 
 how to treat him well enough, for he had killed his 
 master and made him the king; he would gladly 
 give him his daughter and half of his kingdom. But 
 the prince had taken such a fancy to the youngest 
 princess that he could not rest and wanted every 
 moment to set out again. 
 
 The troll asked him to take a rest and remain 
 with him for a time, and told him the princesses 
 had seven years to sail yet before they would get 
 home. He also told him the same about the princess 
 as bird Dauntless had done. 
 
104 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " You can rest easy about her ; she places a naked 
 sword by her side in bed. If you don t believe me," 
 said the troll, " you can go on board when the ship 
 passes here and see for yourself and fetch the sword. 
 I must have that back in any case." 
 
 When the ship came sailing past the weather had 
 been bad again, and when the prince went on board 
 he found everybody asleep, the princesses each with 
 a prince by her side ; but the youngest lay alone 
 with a naked sword beside her, and on the floor, in 
 front of the bed lay Knight Redbeard. 
 
 The prince found his sword and went ashore, 
 without any one having discovered he had been on 
 board; but still he was uneasy and wanted to be off, 
 and when at last the seven } r ears were nearly over, 
 all but about three weeks, the troll said : 
 
 " Now you had better get ready to sail, since you 
 will not remain with us. I will lend you my iron 
 boat, which goes of itself , if only you say Boat, sail 
 on. In the boat you will find an iron club, and 
 that club you must lift when you see the ship right 
 in front of you ; they will then have such a gale of 
 wind they will not think of looking for you. When 
 you come alongside the ship you must lift the club 
 again, and they will then have such a hurricane 
 that they will have something else to do than be 
 spying after you ; when you have passed them you 
 must lift the club for the third time, taking care 
 always to lay it down carefully, otherwise }^ou will 
 get such weather that both you and they will perish. 
 When you reach land you need not trouble yourself 
 
When he aw the ship right to front of him, he lifted the club. Page 106, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 105 
 
 about the boat ; you need only give it a push, turn 
 it round and say, Boat, go home the same way you 
 came. " 
 
 When the prince started he had much gold and 
 silver and lots of fine things, and clothes and linen, 
 which the troll princess had made for him during 
 his long stay there, so he was much richer than any 
 of his brothers. 
 
 He had no sooner sat himself down in the boat 
 and said : " Boat, sail on," .than the boat set off, and 
 when he saw the ship right in front of him he lifted 
 the club ; they then got such a gale of wind that 
 they could not look his way. When he got along 
 side the ship he lifted the iron club again, and the 
 weather became so bad and stormy that the white 
 foam splashed up on all sides, and the waves washed 
 over the deck, so that the people on board had 
 something else to do than be spying after him ; and 
 when he was passing them he lifted the club for the 
 third time, and then they had so much to look after 
 that they had no time to find out who he could be. 
 He reached land long before the ship, and when he 
 had taken all his things out of the boat he shoved it 
 out again, turned it round and said : " Boat, go 
 home the same way you came !" and off the boat 
 started. 
 
 He disguised himself as a sailor, and went to an 
 old woman who lived in a wretched hut hard by ; 
 he told her he was a poor sailor and belonged to a 
 big ship, which had been wrecked, and that he was 
 the only one who had been saved. He then asked 
 
i 
 
 106 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 her if she would give him shelter for himself and 
 the things he had saved. 
 
 " Bless me !" said the woman, " I don t think I 
 can give any one lodgings ; you see how it is here, 
 I have nothing to lie upon myself, still less anything 
 for others to lie upon." 
 
 The sailor said that did not matter ; if he could 
 only get a roof over his head he did not mind how 
 he lay. She could not deny him that, if he would 
 take things as he found them ; so in the evening he 
 brought his things to the hut. 
 
 No sooner were they in than the woman, who 
 was very fond of some new gossip to run about 
 with, began to ask him who he was, where he came 
 from, where he had been, where he was going, 
 what he had with him, on what errand he was trav 
 eling, and if he had heard anything about the twelve 
 princesses, who had disappeared so many years ago, 
 
 knd about many other things which she wanted to 
 now and talk about. 
 
 But he said he felt poorly, and his head ached so 
 much after the terrible weather, he could not give 
 an account of anything ; she would have to leave 
 him in peace for some days, till he had taken a rest 
 after all the work he had had to do; then she 
 should know everything and more besides. 
 
 The following day the old woman began again to 
 question him, but the sailor had still such pains in 
 his head he could not give an account of anything. 
 But all at once he dropped a hint that perhaps he 
 knew something about the princesses after all 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 10? 
 
 The old woman ran at once with what she had 
 heard to all the gossips in the neighborhood, and 
 one after the other came running and asking for 
 news of the princesses, if he had seen them, if they 
 were soon coming home, if they were on the way, 
 and more of that kind. But he still complained 
 that his head ached, so he could not answer them ; 
 but he could tell them this much, that if they had 
 not been drowned in the storm they would arrive 
 in a fortnight s time, or perhaps before ; but he 
 could not tell for certain if they were alive. He 
 had seen them, but they might easily have gone to 
 the bottom since then. 
 
 One of the old women ran to the palace with this 
 news, and said there was a sailor in the hut of a 
 certain old woman, that he had seen the princesses, 
 and that they might be expected in a fortnight s 
 time, or perhaps in a week. 
 
 When the king heard this he sent a messenger to 
 fetch the sailor that he might come and tell the 
 news himself. 
 
 " I am not in a fit state to go," said the sailor, 
 " for I have no clothes good enough in which to 
 appear before the king." But the king s messenger 
 said he must come ; the king would and must speak 
 with him, no matter how he was dressed, for no 
 one had as yet been able to tell the king anything 
 about the princesses. 
 
 " Yes, I can," said the sailor. " But I cannot tell 
 if they are still alive. When I saw them the 
 weather was so bad that we were wrecked ; but if 
 
108 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 they are still alive they will be here in a fortnight s 
 time, or perhaps before." 
 
 when the king heard this he almost went out of 
 his mind with joy ; and as the time when the sailor 
 had said they would return drew near, the king 
 proceeded to the shore in great pomp to meet them. 
 
 There was great joy all over the country when 
 the ship arrived with the princesses, the princes 
 &nd Knight Redbeard ; but no one was more glad 
 than the old king, who now had got his daughters 
 back again. The eleven elder princesses were very 
 happy and merry, but the youngest, who was to 
 have Knight Redbeard, was always weeping and 
 sorrowful. 
 
 The king did not like this, and asked her whv 
 she was not merry and happy like her sisters ; there 
 was no reason why she should be so sad, now that 
 she had escaped from the troll and was going to 
 marry such a brave man as Knight Redbeard. But 
 she dared not say anything, for Knight Redbeard 
 had vowed he would take the life of any one 
 who told how all had happened. One day when 
 the princesses were busy making fine clothes for 
 the weddings, a person dressed like a sailor, with a 
 pack on his back, came into the palace, and asked 
 if they would buy some pretty things from him for 
 their wedding ; he had many rare and costly articles 
 both in gold and silver. Yes, they would look at 
 his Avares. Then they glanced at him and thought 
 they recognized both him and many of the things 
 he had. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 109 
 
 " You, who have so many fine things," said the 
 youngest princess, " must surely have many things 
 which are still finer, and which would suit us still 
 better." 
 
 " That may be," said the peddler ; but her sisters 
 
 told her to be quiet, and reminded her what Knight 
 Redbeard had threatened them with. 
 
 Some time afterward the princesses were sitting 
 one day by the window, when the youngest prince 
 came by with the chest containing the golden 
 crowns on his back. 
 
 When he came into the great hall of the palace 
 ht opened the chest for the princesses, and they all 
 
110 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 recognized their crowns. The youngest then 
 said: 
 
 " I think it is only right that the one who saved 
 us should have the reward he deserves. It is not 
 Knight Redbeard, but he who has brought us our 
 crowns that has saved us." And then the prince 
 threw off his sailor attire and stood before them 
 more finely dressed than all the other princes, and 
 the old king then ordered that Knight Redbeard 
 should be put to death. 
 
 Now there was great joy in the palace. Each 
 prince took his bride, and they kept such a wedding 
 that it was heard of and talked about throughout 
 twelve kingdoms. 
 
THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUOTKY 
 MOUSE. 
 
 ONCE upon a time a town mouse met a country 
 mouse on the outskirts of a wood. The country 
 mouse was sitting under a hazel thicket plucking 
 nuts. 
 
 "Busy harvesting, I see," said the town mouse. 
 " Who would think of our meeting in this out-of - 
 the-way part of the world ?" 
 
 " Just so," said the country mouse. 
 
 " You are gathering nuts for your winter store ?" 
 said the town mouse. 
 
 " I am obliged to do so if we intend having any 
 thing to live upon during the winter," said the 
 country mouse. 
 
 "The husk is big and the nut full this year, 
 enough to satisfy any hungry body," said the town 
 mouse. 
 
112 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "Yes, you are right there," said the country 
 mouse ; and then she related how well she lived 
 and how comfortable she was at home. 
 
 The town mouse maintained that she was the 
 better off, but the country mouse said that nowhere 
 could one be so well off as in the woods and hills. 
 The town mouse, however, declared she was best 
 off; and as they could not agree on this point they 
 promised to visit one another at Christmas, then 
 they could see for themselves which was really the 
 most comfortable. 
 
 The first visit was to be paid by the town mouse. 
 
 Now, although the country mouse had moved 
 down from the mountains for the Avinter, the road 
 was long and tiring, and one had to travel up hill 
 and down dale ; the snow lay thick and deep, so the 
 town mouse found it hard work to get on, and she 
 became both tired and hungry before she reached 
 the end of her journey. 
 
 How nice it will be to get some food, she 
 thought. 
 
 The country mouse had scraped together the best 
 she had. There were nut kernels, polypoly and 
 other sorts of roots, and many other good things 
 which grow in woods and fields. She kept it all in 
 a hole far under the ground, so the frost could not 
 reach it, and close by was a running spring, open 
 all the winter, so she could tirink as much water as 
 she liked. There was an abundance of all she 
 had, and they ate both well and heartily ; but the 
 town mouse thought it was very poor fare indeed. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 113 
 
 " One can, of course, keep body and soul together 
 on this," said she ; " but I don t think much of it. 
 Now you must be good enough to visit me and 
 taste what we have." 
 
 Yes, that she would, and before long she set out. 
 The town mouse had gathered together all the 
 scraps from the Christmas fare which the woman 
 of the house had dropped on the floor during the 
 holidays bits of cheese, butter and tallow ends, 
 cake-crumbs, pastry and many other good things. 
 In the dish under the ale-tap she had drink enough ; 
 in fact the place was full of all kinds of dainties. 
 
 They ate and fared well ; the country mouse 
 seemed never to have had enough ; she had never 
 tasted such delicacies. But then she became thirsty, 
 for she found the food both strong and rich, and 
 now she wanted something to drink. 
 
 " We haven t far to go for the beer we shall drink," 
 said the town mouse, and jumped upon the edge of 
 the dish and drank till she was no longer thirsty ; 
 she did not drink too much, for she knew the 
 Christmas beer was strong. The country mouse, 
 however, thought the beer a splendid drink; she 
 had never tasted anything but water, so she took 
 one sip after another, but as she could not stand 
 strong drink she became tipsy before she left the 
 dish. 
 
 The drink got into her head and down into her 
 toes and she began running and jumping about 
 from one beer barrel to the other, and to dance and 
 tumble about on the shelves among the cups and 
 
114 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 mugs; she squeaked and screeched as if she were 
 both drunk and mad. About her being drunk there 
 was very little doubt. 
 
 " You must not carry on as if you had just come 
 from the backwoods and make such a row and 
 noise," said the town mouse ; " the master of the 
 house is a bailiff and he is very strict indeed," she 
 added. 
 
 The country mouse said she didn t care either for 
 bailiffs or beggars. But the cat sat at the top of 
 the cellar steps, lying in wait, and heard all the 
 chatter and noise. When the woman of the house 
 went down to draw some beer and lifted the trap 
 door the cat slipped by into the cellar and struck 
 its claws into the country mouse. Then there was 
 quite another sort of dance. 
 
 The town mouse slid back into her hole and sat 
 in safety looking on, while the country mouse sud 
 denly became sober when she felt the claws of the 
 cat in her back. 
 
 " Oh, my dear bailiff, oh, dearest bailiff, be 
 merciful and spare my life and I will tell you a 
 fairy tale," she said. 
 
 " Well, go on," said the cat. 
 
 " Once upon a time there were two little mice," 
 said the country mouse, squeaking slowly and piti 
 fully, for she wanted to make the story last as long 
 as she could. 
 
 " Then they were not lonely," said the cat dryly 
 and curtly. 
 
 " And they had a steak which they were going 
 to fry." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 115 
 
 " Then they could not starve," said the cat. 
 
 " And they put it out on the roof to cool," said 
 the country mouse. 
 
 Then they did not burn themselves," said the 
 cat. 
 
 "But there came a fox and a crow and ate it all 
 up," said the country mouse. 
 
 "Then I ll eat you," said the cat. But just at 
 that moment the woman shut the trapdoor with a 
 slam, which so startled the cat that she let go her 
 hold of the mouse. One bound and the country 
 mouse found herself in the hole with the town 
 mouse. 
 
116 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 From there a passage led out into the snow, and 
 you may be sure the country mouse did not wait 
 long before she set out homeward. 
 
 " And this is what you call living well and being 
 best off," she said to the town mouse. " Heaven 
 preserve me from having such a fine place and such 
 a master ! Why, I only just got away with my life !" 
 
1" 
 
 
 SORT A MARIA S CASTLE. 
 
 THERE \>as once upon a time a couple who had a 
 son and his nan>e was Ilalvor. Since he was quite a 
 small boy he ne rer cared to do any work ; he would 
 only sit in the hoarth and rake together the ashes. 
 The parents had many times apprenticed him to 
 
118 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 learn some trade, but Halvor never stopped long 
 anywhere; when he had been at a place for some 
 days he always ran off home again, sat himself 
 down in the hearth .and began digging in the ashes. 
 
 But one day a skipper came to the house and 
 asked Halvor if he had a mind to go to sea with him 
 and visit foreign countries. Yes, Halvor had a 
 mind for that, and this time he was not long in 
 getting ready. 
 
 How long they sailed I do not know, but after 
 some time a storm overtook them, and when it was 
 over and the sea became calm they did not know 
 where they were; they had drifted to a foreign 
 coast which was quite unknown to them. 
 
 As there was no wind at all they had to remain 
 there, and Halvor asked the skipper for permission 
 to go ashore and look about a bit, for he would 
 rather do that than lie and sleep, 
 
 "Do you think you are fit to show yourself?" 
 said the skipper. " Why, you have no other clothes 
 but the rags you have on your back. 7 But Halvor 
 would not give in and at last he got permission ; 
 but he must come back on board when it began to 
 blow. 
 
 He started off and found the country most beau 
 tiful; all around he saw large plains with cornfields 
 and meadows, but he did not see any people. Soon 
 it began to blow, but Halvor did not think he had 
 seen enough yet, so he thought he would go on a 
 little further and see if he could find any people, 
 
 In a while he came to a big road, which was so 
 

 When the Troll with the three heads came into the room, Halvor took the 
 sword and cut off all the heads. -Page 119. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 119 
 
 even one could roll an egg along it. Halvor fol 
 lowed the road and toward evening he saw a great 
 castle far away all lighted up. 
 
 As he had been walking all day almost without 
 any food, he was very hungry ; but the nearer he 
 came to the castle the more afraid he felt. 
 
 In the castle the fires were still burning in the 
 hearths. Halvor went into the kitchen, which was 
 the most splendid he had ever seen ; there were pots 
 and pans both of gold and silver, but no people. 
 When Halvor had stood there awhile and no one 
 came, he went to a door and opened it and inside 
 sat a princess at her spinning wheel. 
 
 "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" she cried, "how dare any 
 Christian person come here! You had better go 
 away if you don t want the troll to swallow you 
 alive, for here lives a troll with three heads." 
 
 " It would be all one to me, even if he had four," 
 said the lad. "I should much like to see him! I 
 am not going away, for I have done nothing wrong ; 
 you must give me something to eat as I am terribly 
 hungry." 
 
 When Halvor had finished his meal the princess 
 told him he had better try if he could swing the 
 sword which hung on the wall. No, he could not 
 even lift it. 
 
 " You had better take a drink from that bottle 
 which hangs by the side of it," said the princess, 
 " for the troll does so when he is going to use the 
 sword." 
 
 Halvor took a drink and immediately he was able 
 
120 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 to swing the sword as if it had been nothing. Now, 
 thought he, the troll might come any time. All at 
 once they heard the troll coming and Halvor hid 
 behind the door. 
 
 " Ugh ! I smell Christian blood here," said the 
 troll, putting one head in through the door. 
 
 " You ll soon find that is so," said Halvor, and cut 
 off all his heads. The princess was so glad at being 
 saved that she both sang and danced. Then she 
 began to think about her sisters and said : 
 
 " I wish my sisters were saved also." 
 
 "Where are they?" asked Halvor; and so she 
 told him one was shut up by a troll in a castle fifty 
 miles away and the other was shut up in a castle 
 another fifty miles away. 
 
 " First you must help me to get this carcass 
 away," said she. Halvor was so strong he swept 
 everything before him and cleared all away in no 
 time ; he then ate and enjoyed himself for the rest 
 of the day. 
 
 Next morning he set out at daybreak, and so 
 eager was he to reach the castle that he ran the 
 whole day. When at last he saw it he became 
 frightened again ; it was more gorgeous even than 
 the first one, but here also he could see no one. He 
 went into the kitchen and straight on into the room 
 without stopping. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! how dare any Christian person come 
 here I" cried the princess. " I don t know how long 
 I have been here, but during all that time I have 
 not seen a Christian. You had better go away, for 
 here lives a troll who has six heads." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 121 
 
 " ISTo, I won t go," said Halvor, " even if he had 
 twelve." 
 
 "He will swallow you alive," said the princess. 
 But it was of no use, Halvor would not go ; he was 
 not afraid of the troll, but he wanted meat and 
 drink, for he was hungry after the journey. He 
 got as much as he wanted and then the princess 
 again begged him to go. 
 
 " ]STo," said Halvor, " I won t go, for I have done 
 nothing wrong and I have nothing to be afraid of." 
 
 " That makes no difference," said the princess, 
 " for he will take you, whether or no ; but since 
 you will not go, try if you can swing this sword, 
 which the troll uses when he goes to war." 
 
 He could not swing the sword, so the princess 
 told him to take a drink from the bottle which 
 hung by the side. When he had clone so he found 
 himself able to swing the sword. All of a sudden 
 the troll came home ; he was so fat and big he had 
 to go sideways to get through the door. When he 
 had got one of his heads inside he cried : 
 
 " Ugh ! what a smell of Christian blood !" but at 
 the same moment Halvor cut off one head and then 
 all the others. 
 
 The princess was very glad, but she soon began 
 to think of her sisters and wish that they also were 
 saved. Halvor thought that could be done, and 
 wanted to set off at once ; but first he had to help 
 the princess to get rid of the body of the troll, and 
 next morning he set out. 
 
 It was a long way to the castle, and he walked 
 
122 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 and ran as fast as he could to get there in good 
 time. Toward evening he came in sight of the 
 castle, and found it even more splendid than the 
 others. He was not the least afraid this time, but 
 went straight through the kitchen and into the 
 room. There sat the princess, who was so pretty 
 that no words can tell. She said just the same as 
 the other princesses, that no Christian person had 
 been there since she came, and asked him to go 
 away, or else the troll would swallow him alive. 
 This troll had nine heads, she said. 
 
 "Well, even if he has twice nine and still another 
 nine I shall not go," said Halvor, going up to the 
 fire. 
 
 The princess entreated him to go, so that the troll 
 should not eat him ; but Halvor said , " Let him 
 come when he likes ;" then she gave him the sword 
 and asked him to take a sip from the bottle, so that 
 he could use the sword. 
 
 All of a sudden the troll came in with a great 
 noise. He was still fatter and bigger than the 
 other two, and he had also to go sideways to get 
 through the door. 
 
 " Ugh ! what a smell of Christian blood !" he said ; 
 but at the same moment Halvor cut off his 
 first head and then all the others ; but the last one 
 was very tough and gave Halvor more work than 
 anything he had yet had to do, although he felt so 
 very strong. 
 
 All the princesses were now together at this 
 castle, and they were happier than they had ever 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 123 
 
 been in all their lives. They were very fond of Hal- 
 vor and he of them. He could choose the one he 
 liked best of them to wed, but the youngest was 
 most fond of him of all three. He, however, went 
 about looking so sad, and he was so sullen and quiet, 
 that the princesses asked him what he was longing 
 for and whether he did not like staying with them. 
 Yes, that he liked well enough, for they had plenty 
 to live on and he was very comfortable ; but he 
 longed so much for home, his parents were still 
 alive, and he had a great mind to see them again. 
 That could easily be arranged, they said : 
 
 " You can go there and back without any danger 
 if you follow our advice." Yes, he would do every 
 thing they told him. Then they dressed him up 
 till he looked as fine as a prince, and they put a 
 magic ring on his finger, so that he had only to 
 wish himself anywhere and his wish would be ful 
 filled ; but they said he must not lose the ring or 
 mention their names, for then there would be an 
 end to all their happiness and he would never see 
 them any more. 
 
 " I wish I were home," said Halvor, and as he 
 wished so it happened. He stood outside his 
 parents house in less than no time. It was just in 
 the dusk of the evening, and when his parents saw 
 what a fine and noble stranger was coming they 
 lost their wits, and began to bow and courtesy. 
 Halvor asked if he could stop there and get lodg 
 ings for the night. 
 No, that he couldn t. "Our place is not good 
 
124: FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 enough," they said; "we have nothing here that 
 would do for so grand a traveler." He had better 
 go up to the farm, which was not far away; he 
 could see the chimney-pots from where they stood, 
 and there he would find plenty of everything. 
 Halvor did not like that at all ; he wanted to re 
 main where he was, but the parents stuck to what 
 they had said, that he should go up to the farm, 
 for there he could get both meat and drink, while 
 they had not even a chair to offer him. 
 
 "No," said Halvor, "I won t go there till the 
 morning ; let me remain here to-night ; I can sit in 
 the hearth." They could not refuse him that, so 
 Halvor sat down in the hearth and began digging 
 in the ashes, just as he had done when he was at 
 home and idled away his time. 
 
 They spoke about a good many things, and told 
 Halvor one thing and another till at last he asked 
 them if they ever had had any children. Yes, they 
 had a boy whose name was Halvor, but they did 
 not know whereabouts he was wandering, or 
 whether he was alive or dead. 
 
 "Could I belie?" said Halvor. 
 
 "No, not likely," said the woman; "Halvor was 
 such a lazy, idle boy, he would never do anything, 
 and he was so ragged his rags would hardly keep 
 together ; he could never become as grand as you." 
 
 In a little while the wcman went over to the 
 chimney to rake a fire, and just then the light from 
 the ashes shone upon Halvor the same as when he 
 used to sit at home raking i.i the ashes, and then 
 the woman knew him again. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 125 
 
 rt Of course it is you, Halvor!" she said, and the 
 old couple became so glad they did not know 
 what to do. He had then to tell them all that had 
 happened to him, and his mother was so proud of 
 him that she wanted to take him up with her to the 
 farm and show him off to the girls, who had always 
 put on such airs. She went first and Halvor came 
 after. When she got up there she told the people 
 Halvor had come home again, and they should soon 
 see what a fine fellow he was; he looked like a 
 prince, she said. 
 
 "Oh, indeed!" said the girls, turning up thei* 
 noses ; " we expect he is the same ragged fellow as 
 ever." Just at that moment Halvor came in, and 
 so startled the girls, who were busy dressing them 
 selves, that they took to their heels with nothing on 
 but their petticoats. 
 
 When they came in again they were so shy they 
 hardly dared to look at Halvor, to whom they had 
 formerly always been so proud and short-spoken. 
 
 " Well, you have always thought yourselves so fine 
 and handsome that there were none like you, but 
 you should just see t ^ eldest of the princesses I have 
 saved," said Halvoi her side you would look 
 
 like scullery -maidf ar-ti the second sister is still 
 prettier ; but the st, who is my sweetheart, 
 
 is prettier than b< b T ^e sun and the moon. I wish 
 they were here, aen you would see," said 
 
 Halvor. 
 
 He had no sooner spoken the words than the 
 princesses stooc This vexed him very much, 
 
126 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NOPTH. 
 
 for now he remembered his promise to them. 
 Much rejoicing now began on the farm in honor of 
 the princesses, but they did not care to remain there. 
 
 " We want to visit your parents," they said to 
 Halvor, "and then we ll travel about and look 
 around us." He said he would go with them, and 
 soon they came to a large lake some distance from 
 the farm. Close to the lake was a green hillside, 
 where the princesses wanted to rest awhile, for they 
 thought it would be so nice to sit there and look 
 out over the water. 
 
 They sat down, and after awhile the youngest 
 princess said to Halvor : " Won t you lie down and 
 rest your head in my lap ?" Yes, he would do so, 
 and before long he fell asleep. Then she took the 
 ring from his finger and put another in its place, 
 and said to her sisters : 
 
 " Take hold of me as I take hold of you. I wish 
 we were back in Soria Maria s castle." 
 
 When Halvor awoke he soon guessed he had lost 
 the princesses and began to cry and lament, and 
 was so disconsolate no one could get a word out of 
 him. Though his parents begged and prayed him 
 to stop with them he would not, but bid them fare 
 well and said he was not ever likely to see them 
 again, for if he did not find the princesses life would 
 not be worth living. He had three hundred dollars 
 left, which he put in his pocket, and then set out. 
 
 When he had got a bit on the way he met a man 
 with a horse, which he wanted to buy, so he began 
 bargaining. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 127 
 
 " Well, I have not exactly been thinking of sell 
 ing it," said the man, " but if we can come to some 
 agreement, well " Halvor asked how much he 
 wanted for it. 
 
 " I did not pa} 7 much for it and it isn t worth 
 much," said the man ; " it is a good horse to ride on, 
 but no good as a cart-horse. In any case he could 
 manage to get along with your scrip-bag and you as 
 well, if you will walk a bit now and then." 
 
 At last they agreed about the price and Halvor 
 put his bag on the horse, and sometimes walked and 
 sometimes rode, till toward evening he came to a 
 green field, and there stood a great tree, under 
 which he sat down. He let the horse loose and then 
 opened his bag and had some food, but did not lie 
 down to sleep. 
 
 At daylight he set out, for he had no peace of 
 mind till he was on his way again ; so he rode and 
 walked by turns all day through a large forest with 
 many beautiful green openings gleaming here and 
 there among the trees. He did not know where he 
 was, nor in which direction he was going ; he only 
 gave himself time to rest when he came to one of 
 the green spots ; he then foddered the horse and had 
 some food himself. 
 
 On he walked and on he rode, and it seemed as if 
 there never would be an end to the forest. But 
 toward evening on the second day he saw a light 
 shining between the trees. " I hope the folks are 
 not gone to bed, so that I can warm myself and get 
 something to eat," said Halvor to himself. When 
 
128 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 he came nearer he found only a poor little hut, and 
 through the window he saw an old couple. They 
 were very old and gray and the woman had such a 
 
 long nose that she could use it to rake the ashes 
 together with when she sat by the fire. 
 
 " Good-evening, good-evening," said the woman. 
 "But what business can you have here, I wonder? 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 129 
 
 No Christian people have been this way for over a 
 hundred } r ears." 
 
 Halvor told her he was going to Soria Maria s 
 castle and asked her if she knew the way. 
 
 " No," said the old woman, " I don t know, but 
 the moon will be out soon and I ll ask her ; she is 
 sure to know, for she shines over every place." 
 
 As soon as the moon appeared bright and clear 
 above the tree-tops the woman went out. 
 
 " You moon ! you moon !" she shouted, " can you 
 tell me the way to Soria Maria s castle?" 
 
 "No," said the moon, "I cannot, for when I 
 passed that way a cloud stood before me." 
 
 " Wait awhile yet," said the woman to Halvor, 
 " the west wind will be here directly ; he is sure to 
 know, for he whistles and blows in every corner. 
 Dear, dear, you have a horse, I see," continued the 
 old woman as she came into the room. "Let the 
 poor creature into the meadow ; don t let it remain 
 here at the door to starve. Will you exchange it 
 with me for something ?" said she. " We have a 
 pair of old boots here and when you have them on 
 you can take twenty miles at every step. You can 
 have them instead of the horse, and then you 
 can get sooner to Soria Maria s castle. 
 
 Halvor agreed at once, and the woman took such 
 a fancy to the horse she was ready to dance for joy, 
 " For now I can ride to church like other people," 
 she said. 
 
 Halvor became impatient to start, but the woman 
 said there was no hurry. 
 
130 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Lie down on the bench and take a nap, for we 
 have no bed," said she, " and I will look out for the 
 west wind when he comes." 
 
 All of a sudden the west wind came rushing 
 along, making the walls creak and groan. The 
 woman ran out. 
 
 " You west wind ! you west wind ! can you tell 
 me the way to Soria Maria s castle ? There is 
 somebody here who wants to go that way." 
 
 " Yes, I know it well," said the west wind. " I 
 am just going there to dry clothes for a wedding 
 which is to be. If he is quick on his legs he can 
 come with me." 
 
 Halvor just then came out. 
 
 " You will have to make haste if you want com 
 pany," said the west wind; and away they went 
 far over hills and dales and seas, while Halvor had 
 as much as he could do to keep up. 
 
 " I haven t time to go with you any further," said 
 the west wind, " for I have to tear up a pine forest 
 first before I go to the bleaching ground to dry 
 the clothes ; but if you keep along the ridge of the 
 mountain you will come to some lasses who are 
 washing clothes, and then you have not far to go to 
 Soria Marie s castle." 
 
 Before long Halvor came to the lasses who were 
 busy washing clothes. They asked if he had seen 
 anything of the west wind. 
 
 " He was coming here to dry clothes for the 
 wedding," said they. 
 
 " Yes," said Halvor, " he has only gone to tear 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 131 
 
 up a pine forest ; it will not be long before he is 
 here." And then he asked them the way to Soria 
 Maria s castle. 
 
 They put him in the way, and when he came to 
 the castle he found quite a crowd of horses and 
 people there. But Halvor was so ragged and dirty 
 from having followed the west wind through bush 
 and bog that he kept out of sight, and would not 
 go to the castle till the last day, when they were 
 going to have a grand dinner. And when the time 
 came, as was the custom, for drinking the health of 
 the bride, and the servant was filling every one s 
 cup that of the bride and bridegroom, the knights 
 and yeomen s he came at length to Halvor. 
 
 He drank the toast, and let the ring which the 
 princess had put on his finger at the lake fall into 
 the cup. He then asked the servant to carry the 
 cup to the bride, with his compliments. 
 
 The princess at once got up from the table. 
 
 "Who has most right to wed one of us," she 
 said ; " he who saved us or he who sits here as 
 bridegroom ?" 
 
 All thought there could be but one opinion about 
 that ; so when Halvor heard it, he was not long in 
 getting off his rags and in dressing himself as a 
 bridegroom. 
 
 " Yes, he is the right one !" cried the youngest 
 princess when she saw him ; and so she threw the 
 other one over, and was married to Halvor. 
 
r\/ 
 
 WELL DONE, ILL PAID. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a man who was 
 going to the forest for firewood. On his way he 
 
 met a bear. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 133 
 
 " Give me your horse, or I will kill all your sheep 
 next summer !" said the bear. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! oh, dear !" said the man, " there is 
 not a chip of wood in the house. You must let me 
 drive* home a cartload of wood, or we shall be 
 frozen to death ; but I will come back with the 
 horse to-morrow for you." 
 
 "Well, that would do ; but it was understood that 
 if he did not return he would lose all his sheep dur 
 ing the summer. The man loaded his sledge with 
 wood, and drove homeward; but he was not very 
 pleased with the arrangement he had made, you can 
 imagine. On the way he met a fox. 
 
 " Why do you look so sad ?" asked the fox. 
 
 u Oh, I met a bear up yonder," said the man, 
 " and I had to promise that at this time to-morrow 
 he should have my horse. If he does not get it, he 
 said he would tear all my sheep to pieces next 
 summer." 
 
 " Oh, nothing worse than that ?" said the fox. " If 
 you will give me your fattest ram I will soon get 
 you out of your difficulty." 
 
 The man promised this, and said he would be 
 sure to keep his word. 
 
 " When you come to the bear to-morrow with the 
 horse," said the fox, " I will be up in the mountain, 
 and will shout out to you. When the bear asks 
 who it is, you must say it is Peter, the huntsman, 
 who is the finest shot in the world. Afterward 
 you must use your own wits." 
 
 The next day the man set out, and when he met 
 
134 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 the bear some one up in the mountain began 
 shouting. 
 
 " Whst! what s that?" said the bear. 
 
 " Oh, that s Peter, the huntsman. He is the 
 finest shot in the world," said the man. " I know 
 him by his voice." 
 
 " Have you seen any bear about here, Erik ?" 
 came from the wood. 
 
 " Say no !" said the bear. 
 
 "No, I have not seen any bear," said Erik. 
 
 " "What s that standing by your sledge then ?" 
 came from the wood. 
 
 " Say it is the root of an old tree," whispered the 
 bear. 
 
 " Oh, it s only the root of an old tree," said Erik. 
 
 " Such roots we generally load our sledges with," 
 came from the wood ; " if you are not able to do so, 
 I will come and help you." 
 
 " Say you can do it yourself, and put me on the 
 sledge." 
 
 " No, thanks, I can manage by myself," said the 
 man, and rolled the bear on to the sledge. 
 
 " Such roots we generally tie down," came from 
 the wood ; " do you want any help 3" 
 
 " Say you can do it yourself, and tie me down," 
 said the bear. 
 
 " No, thanks, I can do it, " said Erik, and began 
 tying down the bear with all the ropes he had till 
 the bear could not move a paw. 
 
 " Such roots we generally strike an ax into when 
 we have tied it down," came from the wood, " for 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 135 
 
 then one can steer the sledge better down the big 
 hills." 
 
 " Pretend to strike the ax into me," whispered 
 the bear. 
 
 But the man took the ax and split the skull of 
 the bear, who was killed on the spot. So Erik and 
 the fox became good friends and got on well 
 together, but when they came to the farm the fox 
 said: 
 
 " I should like to go in with you, but I don t like 
 dogs. I will wait here till you come with the ram. 
 But remember to pick me out one that is very fat." 
 
 Yes, the man would do so, and thanked the fox 
 besides for his help. When he had put the horse 
 into the stable he went across to the sheep pen. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" asked his wife. 
 
 " Oh, I am only going over to the sheep-pen to 
 fetch a fat ram for that good fox who saved our 
 horse," said the man, " as I have promised him one." 
 
 " Why on earth give that thief of a fox any 
 ram ?" said the woman. " We have got the horse 
 quite safe and the bear besides, and the fox has 
 stolen more geese from us than the ram is worth ; 
 or, if he hasn t already taken them, he is sure to do 
 so some time. ISFo, take the most savage pair of 
 those dogs of yours and let loose on him, then per 
 haps we ll get rid of that thieving old rascal, said 
 the woman. 
 
 The man thought this was sensible advice and 
 took two of his savage red dogs, put them in a bag 
 and set out with them. 
 
136 
 
 FAIRY TALES FROM THE 
 
 NORTH. 
 
 " Have you got the ram ?" said the fox. 
 
 " Yes, come and fetch it," said the man, undoing 
 the string round the bag and setting the dogs at the 
 fox. 
 
 " Ugh !" said the fox, bounding away, " the old 
 saying, Well done, ill paid, is only too true ; and 
 now I find it is also true that one s relations are 
 one s worst enemies," said he, as he saw the red 
 dogs at his heels. 
 
ASHIEPATTLE AND HIS GOODLY CEEW. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king, and this king 
 had heard about a ship which went just as fast by 
 land as by water; and as he wished to have one 
 like it, he promised any one who could build one 
 for him his daughter and half the kingdom. And 
 this was given out at every church all over the 
 country, There were many who tried, as you can 
 imagine ; for they thought it would be a nice thing 
 to have half the kingdom, and the princess wouldn t 
 be a bad thing into the bargain. But they all fared 
 badly, 
 
 Now there were three brothers, who lived far 
 away on the borders of a forest; the eldest was 
 
138 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH, 
 
 called Peter, the second Paul, and the youngest 
 Espen Ashiepattle, because he always sat in the 
 hearth, raking and digging in the ashes. 
 
 It so happened that Ashiepattle was at church on 
 the Sunday when the proclamation about the ship, 
 which the king wanted, was read. When he came 
 home and told his family, Peter the eldest asked 
 his mother to get some food ready for him, for now 
 he was going away to try if he could build the ship 
 and win the princess and half the kingdom. When 
 the bag was ready he set out. On the way he met 
 an old man who was very crooked and decrepit. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the man. 
 
 " I m going into the forest to make a trough for 
 my father. He doesn t like to eat at table in our 
 company," said Peter. 
 
 "Trough it shall be!" said the man. "What 
 have you got in that bag of yours ?" he added. 
 
 " Dung," said Peter. 
 
 " Dung it shall be," said the man. Peter then 
 went into the forest and began to cut and chop 
 away at the trees and work away as hard as he 
 could, but in spite of all his cutting and chopping 
 he could only turn out troughs. Toward dinner 
 time he wanted something to eat and opened his 
 bag. But there was not a crumb of food in it. As 
 he had nothing to live upon and as he did not turn 
 out anything but troughs, he became tired of the 
 work, took his ax and bag on his shoulder and went 
 home to his mother. 
 
 Paul then wanted to set out to try his luck at 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 139 
 
 building the ship and winning the princess and 
 half the kingdom. He asked his mother for 
 provisions, and when the bag was ready he threw 
 it over his shoulder and went on his way to the 
 forest. On the road he met the old man, who was 
 very crooked and decrepit. 
 
 " Where are you going?" said the man. 
 
 " Oh, I am going into the forest to make a trough 
 for our sucking pig," said Paul. 
 
 " Pig-trough it shall be," said the man. " What 
 have you got in that bag of yours?" added the 
 man. 
 
 "Dung," said Paul. 
 
 u Dung it shall be," said the man. 
 
 Paul then began felling trees and working away 
 as hard as he could, but no matter how he cut ami 
 how he worked he could only turn out pig-troughs. 
 He did not give in, however, but worked away till 
 far into the afternoon before he thought of taking 
 any food ; then all at once he became hungry and 
 opened his bag, but not a crumb could he find. 
 Paul became so angry he turned the bag inside out 
 and struck it against the stump of a tree ; then he 
 took his ax, went out of the forest and set off home 
 ward. 
 
 As soon as Paul returned, Ashiepattle wanted to 
 set out and asked his mother for a bag of food. 
 
 " Perhaps I can manage to build the ship and win 
 the princess and half the kingdom," said he. 
 
 " Well, I never heard the like," said his mother. 
 "Are you likely to win the princess, you, who 
 
140 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 never do anything but root and dig in the ashes ? 
 No, you shan t have any bag with food !" 
 
 Ashiepattle did not give in, however, but he 
 prayed and begged till he got leave to go. He did 
 not get any food, not he ; but he stole a couple of 
 oatmeal cakes and some flat beer and set out. 
 
 When he had walked awhile he met the same old 
 man, who was so crooked and tattered and decrepit, 
 
 " Where are you going?" said the man. 
 
 " Oh, I was going into the forest to try if it were 
 possible to build a ship which can go as fast by 
 land as by water," said Ashiepattle, " for the king 
 has given out that any one who can build such 
 a ship shall have the princess and half the kingdom." 
 
 " What have you got in that bag of yours ?" said 
 the man. 
 
 " Not much worth talking about ; there ought to 
 be a little food in it," answered Ashiepattle. 
 
 "If you ll give me a little of it I ll help you," 
 said the man. 
 
 "With all my heart," said Ashiepattle, "but 
 there is nothing but some oatmeal cakes and a drop 
 of flat beer." 
 
 It didn t matter what it was, the man said ; if 
 he only got some of it he would be sure to help 
 Ashiepattle. 
 
 When they came up to an old oak in the wood the 
 man said to the lad, " Now you must cut off a chip 
 and then put it back again in exactly the same place, 
 and when you have done that you can lie down and 
 go to sleep." Ashiepattle did as he was told and 
 
he ship which went just as fast by land as by water. Page 140. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 141 
 
 then lay down to sleep, and in his sleep he thought 
 he heard somebody cutting and hammering and 
 sawing and carpentering, but he could not wake up 
 till the man called him ; then the ship stood quite 
 finished by the side of the oak. 
 
 " Now you must go on board and every one you 
 meet you must take with you," said the man. 
 Espen Ashiepattle thanked him for the ship, said 
 he would do so, and then sailed away. 
 
 When he had sailed some distance he came to a 
 long, thin tramp, who was lying near some rocks, 
 eating stones. 
 
 " What sort of a fellow are you, that you lie there 
 eating stones ?" asked Ashiepattle. The tramp said 
 he was so fond of meat he could never get enough, 
 therefore he was obliged to eat stones. And then 
 he asked if he might go with him in the ship. 
 
 " If you want to go with us, you must make haste 
 and get on board," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 Yes, that he would, but he must take with him 
 some large stones for food. 
 
 When they had sailed some distance they met 
 one who was lying on the side of a sunny hill, suck 
 ing at a bung. 
 
 Who are you," said Ashiepattle, " and what is 
 the good of lying there sucking that bung?" 
 
 " Oh, when one hasn t got the barrel, one must 
 be satisfied with the bung," said the man. " I m 
 nl ways so thirsty, I can never get enough beer and 
 wine." And then he asked for leave to go with 
 him in the ship. 
 
142 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " If you want to go with me you must make haste 
 and get on board," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 Yes, that he would. And so he went on board 
 and took the bung with him to allay his thirst. 
 
 When they had sailed awhile again they met one 
 who was lying with his ear to the ground, listening. 
 
 " Who are you, and what is the good of lying 
 there on the ground listening ?" said Ashiepattle. 
 
 " I m listening to the grass, for I have such good 
 ears that I can hear the grass growing," said the 
 man. And then he asked for leave to go with him 
 in the ship. Ashiepattle could not say nay to that, 
 so he said : 
 
 "If you want to go with me, you must make 
 haste and get on board." 
 
 Yes, that the man would. And he also went on 
 board. 
 
 When they had sailed some distance the} 7 came 
 to one who was standing taking aim with a gun. 
 
 " Who are you, and what is the good of standing 
 there aiming like that ?" asked Ashiepattle. 
 
 So the man said : 
 
 " I have such good eyes that I can hit anything, 
 right to the end of the world." And then he asked 
 for leave to go with him in the ship. 
 
 " If you want to go with me, you must make 
 haste and get on board," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 Yes, that he would. And he went on board. 
 
 When they had sailed some distance again they 
 came to one who was hopping and limping about 
 on one leg, and on the other he had seven ton 
 weights. 
 
To the end of the world in less than five minutes. Page 148, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 143 
 
 " Who are you/ said Ashiepattle, " and what is 
 the good of hopping and limping about on one leg 
 with seven ton weights on the other ?" 
 
 " I am so light," said the man, " that if I walked 
 on both my legs I should get to the end of the 
 world in less than five minutes." And then he 
 asked for leave to go with him in the ship. 
 
 " If you want to go with us, you must make haste 
 and get on board," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 Yes, that he would. And so he joined Ashiepattle 
 and his crew on the ship. 
 
 When they had sailed on some distance they met 
 one who was standing holding his hand to his 
 mouth. 
 
 " Who are you ?" said Ashiepattle, " and what is 
 the good of standing there, holding your mouth 
 like that?" 
 
 " Oh, I have seven summers and fifteen winters 
 in my body," said the man ; " so I think I ought to 
 keep my mouth shut, for if they get out all at the 
 same time they would finish off the world alto 
 gether." And then he asked for leave to go with 
 him in the ship. 
 
 " If you want to go with us you must make haste 
 and get on board," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 Yes, that he would, and then he joined the others 
 on the ship. 
 
 When they had sailed a long time they came to 
 the king s palace. 
 
 Ashiepattle went straight in to the king and said 
 the ship stood ready in the courtyard outside ; and 
 
144 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 now he wanted the princess, as the king had 
 promised. 
 
 The king did not like this very much, for Ashie- 
 pattle did not cut a very fine figure ; he was black 
 and sooty, and the king did not care to give his 
 daughter to such a tramp, so he told Ashiepattle 
 that he would have to wait a little. 
 
 " But you can have her all the same, if by this 
 time to-morrow you can empty my storehouse of 
 three hundred barrels of meat," said the king. 
 
 " I suppose I must try," said Ashiepattle ; " but 
 perhaps you don t mind my taking one of my crew 
 with me ?" 
 
 " Yes, you can do that, and take all six if you 
 like," said the king, for he was quite sure that even 
 if Ashiepattle took six hundred with him, it would 
 be impossible. "So Ashiepattle took with him the 
 one who ate stones and always hungered after meat. 
 
 When they came next morning and opened the 
 storehouse they found he had eaten all the meat, 
 except six small legs of mutton, one for each of his 
 companions. Ashiepattle then went to the king and 
 said the storehouse was empty, and he supposed he 
 could now have the princess. 
 
 The king went into the storehouse and, sure 
 enough, it was quite empty ; but Ashiepattle was 
 still black and sooty, and the king thought it was 
 really too bad that such a tramp should have his 
 daughter. So he said he had a cellar full of beer 
 and old wine, three hundred barrels of each kind, 
 which he would have him drink first. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 145 
 
 " I don t mind your having my daughter if you 
 can drink them up by this time to-morrow," said the 
 king. 
 
 " I suppose I must try," said Ashiepattle, " but 
 perhaps you don t mind my taking one of my crew 
 with me ?" 
 
 " Yes, you may do that," said the king, for he 
 was quite sure there was too much beer and wine 
 even for all seven of them. Ashiepattle took with 
 him the one who was always sucking the bung and 
 was always thirsty ; and the king then shut them 
 down in the cellar. 
 
 There the thirsty one drank barrel after barrel, 
 as long as there was any left, but in the last barrel 
 he left a couple of pints to each of his companions. 
 
 In the morning the cellar was opened and Ashie 
 pattle went at once to the king and said he had 
 finished the beer and wine, and now he supposed he 
 could have the princess as the king had promised. 
 
 " Well, I must first go down to the cellar and see," 
 said the king, for he could not believe it ; but when 
 he got there he found nothing but empty barrels. 
 
 But Ashiepattle was both black and sooty and the 
 king thought it wouldn t do for him to have such a 
 son-in-law. So he said that if Ashiepattle could get 
 water from the end of the world in ten minutes for 
 the princess tea, he could have both her and half 
 the kingdom; for he thought that task would be 
 quite impossible. 
 
 " I suppose I must try," said Ashiepattle, and sent 
 for the one of his crew who limped about on one leg 
 
146 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 and had seven ton weights on the other, and told 
 him he must takeoff the weights and use his legs as 
 quickly as he could, for he must have water from 
 the end of the world for the princess tea in ten 
 minutes. 
 
 So he took off the weights, got a bucket and set 
 off, and the next moment he was out of sight. But 
 they waited and waited and still he did not return. 
 At last it wanted but three minutes to the time and 
 the king became as pleased as if he had won a big 
 wager. Then Ashiepattle called the one who could 
 hear the grass grow and told him to listen and find 
 out what had become of their companion. 
 
 " He has fallen asleep at the well," said he who 
 could hear the grass grow ; " I can hear him snor 
 ing, and a troll is scratching his head." Ashie 
 pattle then called the one who could shoot to the 
 end of the world and told him to send a bullet into 
 the troll ; he did so and hit the troll right in the 
 eye. The troll gave such a yell that he woke the 
 man who had come to fetch the water for the tea, 
 and when he returned to the palace there was still 
 one minute left out of the ten. 
 
 Ashiepattle went straight to the king and said : 
 "Here is the water;" and now he supposed he could 
 have the princess, for surely the king would not 
 make any more fuss about it now. But the king 
 thought that Ashiepattle was just as black and 
 sooty as ever, and did not like to have him for a 
 son-in-law ; so he said he had three hundred fath 
 oms of wood with which he was going to dry corn 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 147 
 
 in the bakehouse, and he wouldn t mind Ashiepattle 
 having his daughter if he would first sit in the 
 bakehouse and burn all the wood ; he should then 
 have the princess, and that without fail. " I sup 
 pose I must try," said Ashiepattle ; " but perhaps 
 you don t mind my taking one of my crew with 
 me?" 
 
 " Oh, no, you can take all six," said the king, for 
 he thought it would be warm enough for all of 
 them. 
 
 Ashiepattle took with him the one who had 
 fifteen winters and seven summers in his body, and 
 in the evening he went across to the bakehouse ; 
 but the king had piled up so much wood on the fire 
 that you might almost have melted iron in the 
 room. They could not get out of it, for no sooner 
 were they inside than the king fastened the bolt 
 and put a couple of padlocks on the door besides. 
 Ashiepattle then said to his companion : 
 
 " You had better let out six or seven winters, so 
 that we may get something like summer weather 
 here." 
 
 They were then just able to exist, but during the 
 night it got cold again and Ashiepattle then told 
 the man to let out a couple of summers, and so they 
 slept far into the next clay. But when they heard 
 the king outside Ashiepattle said : 
 
 "You must let out a couple more winters, but 
 you must manage it so that the last winter you let 
 out strikes the king right in the face." 
 
 He did so, and when the king onened the door, 
 
148 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 expecting to find Ashiepattle and his companion 
 burned to cinders, he saw them huddling together 
 and shivering with cold till their teeth chattered. 
 The same instant Ashiepattle s companion with the 
 fifteen winters in his body let loose the last one 
 right in the king s face, which swelled up into a big 
 chilblain. 
 
 "Can I have the princess now?" asked Ashie 
 pattle. 
 
 " Yes, take her and keep her and the kingdom 
 into the bargain," said the king, who dared not 
 refuse any longer. And so the wedding took place 
 and they feasted and made merry and fired off guns 
 and powder. 
 
 While the people were running about searching 
 for wadding for their guns, they took me instead, 
 gave me some porridge in a bottle and some milk 
 in a basket, and fired me right across here, so that 
 I could tell you how it all happened. 
 
 *i 
 
 
GUDBEAISTD ON THE 
 HILLSIDE. 
 
 THERE was once upon a 
 time a man whose name 
 was Gudbrand. He had 
 a farm which lay far away 
 up on the side of a hill, 
 and therefore they called 
 him Gudbrand on the 
 hillside. 
 
 He and his wife lived 
 so happily together, and 
 agreed so well, that what 
 ever the man did the wife 
 thought it so well done 
 that no one could do it 
 
150 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 better. No matter what he did, she thought it was 
 always the right thing. 
 
 They lived on their own farm, and had a hundred 
 dollars at the bottom of their chest and two cows in 
 their cowshed. One day the woman said to Gud- 
 brand : 
 
 " I think we ought to go to town with one of the 
 cows and sell it, so that we may have some ready 
 money by us. We are pretty well off, and ought 
 to have a few shillings in our pocket like other 
 people ; the hundred dollars in the chest we mustn t 
 touch, but I can t see what we want with more than 
 one cow, and it will be much better for us, as I shall 
 have only one to look after instead of the two I 
 have now to mind and feed." 
 
 Yes, Gudbrand thought, that was well and 
 sensibly spoken. He took the cow at once and 
 went to town to sell it ; but when he got there no 
 one would buy the cow. 
 
 " Ah, well !" thought Gudbrand, " I may as well 
 take the cow home again. I know I have both stall 
 and food for it, and the way home is no longer than 
 it was here." So he strolled homeward again with 
 the cow. 
 
 When he had got a bit on the way he met a man 
 who had a horse to sell, and Gudbrand thought it 
 was better to have a horse than a cow, and so he 
 changed the cow for the horse. 
 
 When he had gone a bit further he met a man 
 who was driving a fat pig before him, and then he 
 thought it would be better to have a fat pig than a 
 horse, and so he changed with the man. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 151 
 
 He now went a bit further, and then he met a 
 man with a goat, and so he thought it was surely 
 better to have a goat than a pig, and changed with 
 the man who had the goat. 
 
 Then he went a long way, till he met a man who 
 had a sheep ; he changed with him, for he thought 
 it was always better to have a sheep than a goat. 
 
 When he had got a bit further he met a man 
 with a goose, and so he changed the sheep for the 
 goose. And when he had gone a long, long way he 
 met a man with a cock ; he changed the goose with 
 him, for he thought this wise : " It is surely better 
 to have a cock than a goose." 
 
 He walked on till late in the day, when he began 
 to feel hungry. So he sold the cock for sixpence 
 and bought some food for himself ; " for it is 
 always better to keep body and soul together than 
 to have a cock, thought Gudbrand. 
 
 He then set off again homeward till he came to 
 his neighbor s farm and there he went in. 
 
 " How did you get on in town ?" asked the people. 
 
 " Oh, only so-so," said the man, " I can t boast of 
 my luck, nor can I grumble at it either." And 
 then he told them how it had gone with him from 
 first to last. 
 
 t( Well, you ll have a fine reception when you get 
 home to your wife," said the man. " Heaven help 
 you ! I should not like to be in your place." 
 
 44 1 think I might have fared much worse," said 
 Gudbrand ; " but whether I have fared well or ill, I 
 have such a kind wife that she never says anything, 
 no matter what I do." 
 
152 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "Ay, so you say; but you won t get me to 
 believe it," said the neighbor. 
 
 " Shall we have a wager on it ?" said Gudbrand. 
 " I have a hundred dollars in my chest at home ; 
 will you lay the same ?" 
 
 So they made the wager and Gudbrand remained 
 there till the evening, when it began to get dark, 
 and then they went together to the farm. 
 
 The neighbor was to remain outside the door and 
 listen while Gudbrand went in to his wife 
 
 " Good-evening !" said Gudbrand when he came 
 in. 
 
 " Good-evening !" said the wife. " Heaven be 
 praised you are back again." 
 
 " Yes, here I am !" said the man. And then the 
 wife asked him how he had got on in town. 
 
 " Oh, so-so," answered Gudbrand ; " not much 
 to brag of. When I came to town no one would buy 
 the cow, so I changed it for a horse." 
 
 " Oh, I m so glad of that," said the woman ; " we 
 are pretty well off and we ought to drive to church 
 like other people, and when we can afford to keep 
 a horse I don t see why we should not have one. 
 Run out, children, and put the horse in the stable." 
 
 " Well, I haven t got the horse after all," said 
 Gudbrand ; " for when I had got a bit on the way I 
 changed it for a pig. 
 
 "Dear me!" cried the woman, "that s the very 
 thing I should have done myself. I m so glad of 
 that, for now we can have some bacon in the house 
 and something to offer people when they come to 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 153 
 
 see us. What do we want with a horse ? People 
 would only say we had become so grand that we 
 could no longer walk to church. Run out. children, 
 and let the pig in." 
 
 " But I haven t got the pig either," said Gud- 
 brand, " for when I had got a bit further on the road 
 I changed it into a milch-goat." 
 
 "Dear! dear! how well you manage every 
 thing !" cried the wife. " When I really come to 
 think of it, what do I want with the pig? People 
 would only say, over yonder they eat up every 
 thing they have. No, now I have a goat I can have 
 both milk and cheese and keep the goat into the 
 bargain. Let in the goat, children." 
 
 "But I haven t got the goat either," said Gud- 
 brand ; " when I got a bit on the way I changed the 
 goat and got a fine sheep for it." 
 
 " Well !" shouted the woman, " you do everything 
 just as I should wish it just as if I had been there 
 myself. What do we want with a goat ? I should 
 have to climb up hill and down dale to get it home 
 at night. No, when I have a sheep I can have wool 
 and clothes in the house and food as well. Run out, 
 children, and let in the sheep." 
 
 " But I haven t got the sheep any longer," said 
 Gudbrand, " for when I had got a bit on the way I 
 changed it for a goose." 
 
 " Well, thank you for that !" said the woman ; 
 "and many thanks, too! What do I want with a 
 sheep ? I have neither wheel nor spindle, and I do 
 not care either to toil and drudge making clothes ; 
 
15-i FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 wo can buy clothes now as before. Now I can have 
 goose fat, which I have so long been wishing for, 
 and some feathers to stuff that little pillow of mine. 
 Kun, children, and let in the goose." 
 
 " Well, I haven t got the goose either," said Gud- 
 brand. " When I had got a bit further on the way 
 I changed it for a cock." 
 
 " Well, I don t know how you can think of it all !" 
 cried the woman. " It s just as if I had done it all 
 myself. A cock! Why, it s just the same as if 
 you d bought an eight-day clock, for every morning 
 the cock will crow at four, so we can be up in good 
 time. What do we want with a goose? I can t 
 make goose-fat and I can easily fill my pillow with 
 some soft grass. Run, children, and let in the 
 cock." 
 
 "But I haven t got a cock either," said Gud- 
 brand ; " for when I had got a bit further I became 
 so terribly hungry I had to sell the cock for sixpence 
 and get some food to keep body and soul together." 
 
 " Heaven be praised you did that !" cried the 
 woman. "Whatever you do, you always do the 
 very thing I could have wished. Besides, what did 
 we want with the cock ? We are our own masters 
 and can lie as long as we like in the mornings. 
 Heaven be praised ! As long as I have got you 
 back again, who manage everything so well, I shall 
 neither want cock, nor goose, nor pig, nor cows." 
 
 Gudbrand then opened the door. " Have I won 
 the hundred dollars now?" he asked. And the 
 neighbor was obliged to confess that he had. 
 
THE TWELVE WILD DUCKS. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a queen who was 
 out driving one winter after a fresh fall of snow. 
 When she had been driving some time her nose 
 began to bleed and she got out of the sledge. 
 While she was standing by the fence looking at the 
 red blood on the white snow she began thinking 
 that she had twelve sons, but no daughters ; so she 
 said to herself : " If I had a daughter as white as 
 snow and as red as blood I should not care what 
 became of my sons." The words were scarcely out 
 of her mouth when a witch came up to her. 
 
 " You shall have a daughter," said she, " and she 
 shall be as white as snow and as red as blood. 
 Your sons shall then be mine, but you can keep 
 them with you until the child is christened." 
 
156 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 When the time came the queen had a daughter, 
 and she was as white as snow and as red as blood, 
 just as the witch had promised, and they therefore 
 called her Snow-white-and-rosy-red. 
 
 There was great joy in the king s palace and the 
 queen was happy beyond description, but when she 
 remembered what she had promised the witch she 
 ordered a silversmith to make twelve silver spoons, 
 one for each prince ; she also let him make one 
 more, which she gave to Snow-white-and-rosy-red. 
 As soon as the princess was christened the princes 
 were changed into twelve wild ducks which flew 
 away and no more was seen of them. Away they 
 were and away they remained. 
 
 The princess grew up tall and fair, but she was 
 often strange and sad and no one knew what ailed 
 her. One evening the queen also felt very sad, for 
 she was no doubt troubled whenever she thought of 
 her sons, so she said to Snow-white-and-rosy-red : 
 
 " Why are you so sad, my daughter ? If there is 
 anything you want you shall have it." 
 
 " Oh, I think it is so lonely here," said the prin 
 cess. " Every one has brothers and sisters, but I 
 am all alone and have none. It is that which 
 makes me so sad." 
 
 "You have had some brothers, my daughter," 
 said the queen. "I had twelve sons, who were 
 your brothers, but I gave them all away to get 
 you," she said, and then she told her the whole 
 story. 
 
 When the princess heard this she had no peace. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 157 
 
 She must and would set out to find her brothers. 
 The queen cried and wept, but it was of no avail, 
 for the princess thought she was the cause of it all, 
 and at last she left the palace and set out on her 
 search. 
 
 She walked and walked so far out in the wide 
 world that no one would believe such a frail maiden 
 could walk so far. 
 
 One day when she had been walking a long, long 
 while in a great, big forest she became tired and 
 sat down on a tussock and there she fell asleep. 
 She dreamed she went further into the forest and 
 came to a small, log hut and there she found her 
 brothers. Just then she awoke and straight in 
 front of her she saw a path in the greensward lead 
 ing further into the forest. She followed this, 
 and after a long while she came to just such a little 
 log hut as she had dreamed about. 
 
 When she got inside she found no one there, but 
 there were twelve beds, and twelve stools, and 
 twelve spoons, and twelve of everything that was 
 in the place. When she saw this she became so 
 glad, she had not felt so glad for many years ; for 
 she knew at once that her brothers lived there and 
 that it was they who owned the beds, the stools, 
 and the spoons. She began to make the fire and 
 the beds, and to sweep out the room, and cook the 
 food, and to tidy everything as best she could. 
 
 After she had done the cooking she had some 
 food herself, but she forgot to take her spoon from 
 the table. She then crept under the youngest 
 brother s bed and lay down there. 
 
158 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 No sooner had she done this than she heard a 
 whizzing sound in the air and all the twelve wild 
 ducks came flying in, but as soon as they had passed 
 the threshold they at once became princes again. 
 
 "How nice and warm it is here!" they said. 
 "Heaven bless the one who has made our fire and 
 cooked such good food for us." And so they each 
 took their silver spoon and sat down to eat. But 
 when each had taken his own there was still one 
 left lying on the table and it was so like the others 
 that they could not tell the difference. They then 
 looked at one another in great wonder. 
 
 " It is our sister s spoon," they said, " and if the 
 spoon is here, she cannot be far away herself." 
 
 " If it is our sister s spoon and we find her here, 
 she ought to be killed ; for she is the cause of all 
 our sufferings," said the eldest of the princes, and 
 this the sister heard as she lay under the bed. 
 
 " No," said the youngest, " it would be a shame 
 to kill her for it ; she cannot be blamed that we 
 suffer. If any one is the cause of it, it is our own 
 mother." They then began to search for her high 
 and low, and at last they searched under all the beds, 
 and when they came to that of the youngest prince 
 they found her and dragged her out. 
 
 The eldest prince again said she ought to be killed, 
 but she cried and prayed so pitifully for herself : 
 
 " Oh, pray do not kill me," she said ; " I have been 
 wandering about for many years searching for you. 
 If I could save you, I would willingly give my 
 life !" 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 159 
 
 " If you ll set us free you shall live ; for if you 
 will you can," said they. 
 
 " Only tell ine how it can be done, and I ll do it, 
 whatever it may be," said the princess. 
 
 " You must gather cotton-grass," said the princes, 
 " and this you must card and spin and weave ; 
 when you have done that, you must cut out and 
 make twelve caps, twelve shirts, and twelve hand 
 kerchiefs with the cloth, one for each of us ; and 
 while you do that, you must neither speak, nor 
 laugh, nor weep. If you can do all that, we are 
 saved." 
 
 " But where shall I get the cotton-grass for so 
 many handkerchiefs and caps and shirts ?" said their 
 sister. 
 
 " That we will show you," said the princes ; and 
 so they took her with them to a great, big moor, 
 which was covered with cotton-grass, waving in the 
 wind and glistening in the sun, so that it shone like 
 snow a long way off. 
 
 The princess had never seen so much before. She 
 set to work at once to pluck and gather the best as 
 fast as she could, and in the evening when she 
 came home she began carding and spinning yarn 
 from the down of the cotton-grass. 
 
 Thus all went well for a long time. She gath 
 ered the grass and carded it, and in the meantime 
 she looked after the house for her brothers. She 
 cooked their food and made their beds for them. 
 In the evening they came flying home as wild 
 ducks, and at night they were princes; but i& the 
 
160 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 morning they flew away again, and were wild ducks 
 the whole of the day. 
 
 But then it happened while she was on the moor 
 gathering cotton-grass one day and if I don t make 
 a mistake it was the last time she had to go there 
 that a young king, who governed that country, 
 was out shooting and came riding across the moor. 
 When he saw her he stopped and wondered who 
 the beautiful maiden could be who was wandering 
 about gathering cotton-grass. He asked her, but 
 got no answer, and he then asked her again and 
 wondered still more who she could be. 
 
 He took such a fancy to her that he wanted to 
 take her home with him to the palace and marry 
 her. He told his servants to take her and place her 
 next him on his horse. 
 
 The princess wrung her hands, and made signs to 
 them, pointing to the bags in which she had all her 
 work; and when the king understood that she 
 wanted these with her he told his servants to 
 take the bags with them. 
 
 When the princess saw this she became contented, 
 for the king was both good and handsome, and he 
 was as kind and gentle to her as a child to a doll. 
 
 When they came home to the palace, and the old 
 queen, who was the king s stepmother, saw Snow- 
 white-and-rosy-red she became so angry and jealous 
 because she was so beautiful that she said to the 
 king : 
 
 " Can t you see that this woman whom you have 
 taken with you and want to marry is a witch ; she 
 neither speaks, nor laughs, nor weeps." 
 

 She was on the Moor gathering cotton grass. Page 160. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 161 
 
 The king did not listen to what she said, but 
 married Snow-white-and-rosy-red, and they lived in 
 great joy and splendor ; but for all that she did not 
 forget she had to make the shirts and caps for her 
 brothers. 
 
 Before the year was over the young queen had a 
 little prince, and this made old queen still more 
 angry and jealous. In the night she stole into the 
 room where the queen slept, took the child and 
 threw it into the snake-pit ; she then cut the young 
 queen s finger and smeared the blood on her mouth 
 and went to the king. 
 
 " Come and see," she said, " whom you have taken 
 for your queen ; she has eaten her own child !" 
 
 The king then became so distressed that he 
 nearly wept, and said : 
 
 " I suppose it must be true, since I have seen it 
 with my own eyes, but surely she will not do it 
 again. This time I will spare her life." 
 
 Before the next year was out she had another son, 
 and the same thing happened again. The king s 
 stepmother became still more jealous and angry 
 she stole into the queen s bedroom while she slept, 
 took her child and threw it into the snake-pit, cut 
 the queen s finger, smeared the blood round her 
 mouth, and then told the king that she had eaten 
 this child also. 
 
 You can hardly imagine how distressed the king 
 became, and then he said : 
 
 " I suppose it must be true, since I have seen it 
 with my own eyes ; but surely she will not do it 
 again, and I ll spare her life this time also." 
 
162 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 Before the following year was over the queen had 
 a daughter, whom the old queen also took and 
 threw into the snake-pit. While the young queen 
 slept she cut her finger and smeared the blood 
 around her mouth, and then went to the king and 
 said : 
 
 " Now come and see if it isn t true what I have 
 said, that she is a witch ; for now she has eaten her 
 third child also." 
 
 The king s sorrow was so great there was no end 
 to it. He could not spare her life any longer, but 
 was obliged to give orders that she should be burned 
 alive. 
 
 When the pile was lighted, and she was about to 
 be placed on it, she made signs to the people to take 
 twelve boards and place them round the pile. On 
 these she laid all the handkerchiefs, and caps, and 
 shirts for her brothers ; but the left sleeve was 
 wanting in the youngest brother s shirt, for she had 
 not been able to get it ready. No sooner was this 
 done than they heard a whiz and a whirr in the 
 air, and the twelve wild ducks came flying across 
 from the forest. Each one took his clothes in his 
 bill and flew off. 
 
 " You can see now," said the wicked queen to the 
 king, " she is really a witch ; make haste and burn 
 her before the pile is burned out." 
 
 " Oh," said the king, " we have plenty of wood ; 
 the forest is close at hand. I want to wait a bit, 
 for I should like to see what the end of all this will 
 be." 
 
There lay the three children playing with snakes and toads. Page 163, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAS. NORTH. 163 
 
 Just then the twelve princes came riding along 
 the road, all as handsome and well-made as one 
 could wish to see ; but the youngest prince had a 
 duck s wing instead of a left arm. 
 
 " What does all this mean ?" asked the princes. 
 
 " My queen is to be burned because she is a 
 witch, and has eaten her own children," answered 
 the king. 
 
 " She has not eaten her children," said the prince. 
 " Speak, sister ! Now that you have saved us, save 
 yourself !" 
 
 Then Snow-white-and-rosy-red spoke and told 
 them how all had happened, that every time a child 
 was born the old queen, the king s stepmother, had 
 stolen into her room in the night, taken the child 
 from her, and cut her finger, and smeared the blood 
 around her mouth. 
 
 The princes then took the king and led him to the 
 snake-pit. There lay the three children playing 
 with snakes and toads, and finer children you could 
 not see anywhere. The king took them with him, 
 and carried them to his stepmother, and asked her 
 what punishment she thought ought to be given to 
 any one who could be wicked enough to betray an 
 innocent queen and three innocent children. 
 
 " He ought to be tied between twelve wild horses, 
 and torn to pieces," said the old queen. 
 
 " You have pronounced your own doom, and now 
 you will have to submit to it," said the king. And 
 so the wicked old queen was tied between twelve 
 wild horses and torn to pieces. 
 
164 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH, 
 
 But Snow-white-and-rosy-red took the king and 
 her children and the twelve princes to her parents 
 and told them all that had happened. There was 
 now great joy and gladness over the whole king 
 dom because the princess was saved and because she 
 had also set free her twelve brothers. 
 
THE BEAR AND THE FOX. 
 
 I. SLIP PINE-KOOT, GBIP FOX-FOOT. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a bear, who sat on a 
 sunny hillside taking a nap. Just then a fox came 
 slinking by and saw him. 
 
 " Aha ! Have I caught you napping, grandfather ? 
 See if I don t play you a trick this time !" said Rey 
 nard to himself. 
 
 He then found three wood-mice and laid them on 
 a stump of a tree just under the bear s nose. 
 
 " Boo ! Bruin ! Peter the hunter is just behind 
 that stump !" shouted the fox right into the bear s 
 ear, and then took to his heels and made off into the 
 wood. 
 
 The bear woke at once, and when he saw the 
 three mice he became so angry that he lifted his 
 
166 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 paw and was just going to strike them, for he 
 thought it was they who had shouted in his ear. 
 But just . then he saw Reynard s tail between the 
 bushes and he set off at such a speed that the 
 branches crackled under him, and Bruin was soon 
 so close upon Reynard that he caught him by the 
 right hind leg just as he was running into a hole 
 under a pine tree. 
 
 Reynard was now in a fix ; but he was not to be 
 outwitted, and he cried : 
 
 " Slip pine-root, grip fox-foot," and so the bear let 
 go his hold ; but the fox laughed far down in the 
 hole and said : 
 
 " I sold you that time, also, grandfather !" 
 
 " Out of sight is not out of mind !" said the bear, 
 who was in a fine fury. 
 
 II. THE BEAR AND THE FOX MAKE A WAGER. 
 
 The other morning, when Bruin came trudging 
 across the moor with a fat pig, Master Reynard was 
 lying on a stone by the moorside. 
 
 " Good-day, grandfather !" said the fox. " What 
 nice thing have you got there ?" 
 
 " Pork," said the bear. 
 
 " I have got something tasty as well," said the 
 fox. 
 
 " What s that ?" said the bear. 
 
 " It s the biggest bees nest I ever found," said 
 Reynard. 
 
 "Ah, indeed/ said the bear, grinning, and his 
 mouth began to water ; he thought a little honey 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 167 
 
 would be so nice. " Shall we change victuals ?" he 
 said. 
 
 " No, I won t do that," said Eeynard. But they 
 made a wager about naming three kinds of trees. 
 If the fox could say them quicker than the bear he 
 was to have one bite at the pig ; but if the bear 
 could say them quicker he was to have one suck at 
 the bees nest. The bear thought he would be able 
 to suck all the honey up at one gulp. 
 
 " Well," said the fox, " that s all well and good, 
 but if I win you must promise to tear off the 
 bristles where I want to have a bite," he said. 
 
 " Well, I suppose I must, since you are too lazy 
 yourself," said the bear. 
 
 Then they began to name the trees. 
 
 " Spruce, fir, pine," growled the bear. His voice 
 was very gruff. But all these were only different 
 names of one kind of tree. 
 
 "Ash, aspen, oak," screeched the fox, so that the 
 forest resounded. He had thus won the bet, and so 
 he jumped down, took the heart out of the pig at 
 one bite and tried to run off. But the bear was 
 angry, because he had taken the best bit of the 
 whole pig, and seized hold of him by his tail and 
 held him fast. 
 
 " Just wait a bit," said the bear, who was furious. 
 
 "Never mind, grandfather; if you ll let me go 
 you shall have a taste of my honey," said the fox. 
 
 When the bear heard this he let go his hold and 
 the fox jumped up on the stone after the honey. 
 
 " Over this nest," said Keynard, " I ll put a leaf. 
 
168 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 and in the leaf there is a hole, through which you 
 can suck the honey." He then put the nest right 
 up under the bear s nose, pulled away the leaf, 
 jumped on to the stone and began grinning and 
 laughing ; for there was neither honey nor honey 
 comb in the nest. It was a wasps nest as big as a 
 man s head, full of wasps, and out they swarmed 
 and stung the bear in his eyes and ears and on his 
 mouth and snout. He had so much to do with 
 scratching them off him that he had no time to think 
 of Reynard. 
 
 Ever since the bear has been afraid of wasps. 
 
 III. THE BEAR AND THE FOX GO INTO PARTNERSHIP. 
 
 Once the fox and the bear made up their minds 
 to have a field in common. They found a small 
 clearing -far away in the forest, where they sowed 
 rye the first year. 
 
 " Now we must share and share alike, 1 said Rey 
 nard ; " if you will have the roots I will have the 
 tops," he said. 
 
 Yes, Bruin was quite willing ; but when they had 
 thrashed the crop the fox got all the corn, while 
 the bear got nothing but the roots and tares. 
 
 Bruin didn t like this, but the fox said it was 
 only as they had agreed. 
 
 "This year I am the gainer," said the fox; 
 " another year it will be your turn ; you can then 
 have the tops and I will be satisfied with the roots." 
 
 Next spring the fox asked the bear if he didn t 
 think turnips would be the right thing for that 
 year. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 160 
 
 " Yes, that s better food than corn," said the 
 bear ; and the fox thought the same. 
 
 When the autumn came the fox took the turnips, 
 but the bear only got the tops. 
 
 The bear then became so angry that he parted 
 company then and there with Reynard. 
 
 IV. REYNARD WANTS TO TASTE HORSEFLESH. 
 
 One day the bear was lying eating a horse which 
 he had killed. Reynard was about again and came 
 slinking along, his mouth watering for a tasty bit 
 of the horseflesh. 
 
170 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 He sneaked in and out and round about till he 
 came up behind the bear, when he made a spring to 
 the other side of the carcass, snatching a piece as 
 he jumped across. 
 
 The bear was not slow either ; he made a dash 
 after Reynard and caught the tip of his red tail in 
 his paw. Since that time the fox has always had a 
 white tip to his tail. 
 
 " Wait a bit, Reynard, and come here," said the 
 bear, " and I ll teach you how to catch horses." 
 
 Yes, Reynard was quite willing to learn that, but 
 he didn t trust himself too near the bear. 
 
 " When you see a horse lying asleep in a sunny 
 place," said the bear, " you must tie yourself fast 
 with the hair of his tail to your brush, and then 
 fasten your teeth in his thigh," he said. 
 
 Before long the fox found a horse lying asleep on 
 a sunny hillside ; and so he did as the bear had told 
 him ; he knotted and tied himself well to the horse 
 with the hair of the tail and then fastened his teeth 
 into his thigh. 
 
 Up jumped the horse and began to kick and gal 
 lop, so that Reynard was dashed against stock and 
 stone, and was so bruised and battered that he 
 nearly lost his senses. 
 
 All at once a hare rushed by. " Where are you 
 off to in such a hurry, Reynard ?" said the hare. 
 
 " I m having a ride, Bunny !" said the fox. 
 
 The hare sat up on his hind legs and laughed till 
 the sides of his mouth split right up to his ears, at 
 the thought of Reynard having such a grand ride ; 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 171 
 
 but since then the fox has never thought of catch 
 ing horses again. 
 
 That time it was Bruin who for once had the 
 better of Keynard ; otherwise they say the bear is 
 as simple-minded as the trolls. 
 
TEE COCK WHO FELL INTO THE 
 BEEWING-YAT. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a cock and a hen, 
 who were out in a field scratching and scraping and 
 pecking. 
 
 All at once the hen found a barleycorn, and the 
 cock found a bur of hops, and so they made up 
 their minds they would make some malt and brew 
 beer for Christmas. 
 
 " I plucked the barley and I malted the corn and 
 brewed the beer, and the beer is good," cackled the 
 hen. 
 
 "Is the wort strong enough ?" said the cock, and 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 173 
 
 flew up to the edge of the vat to taste it ; but when 
 he stooped down to take a sip he began flapping 
 with his wings and fell on his head into the vat and 
 was drowned. 
 
 When the hen saw this she was quite beside her 
 self ; she flew on to the hearth and began to scream 
 and cry : 
 
 " Got, got, got, drowned ! got, got, got, drowned !" 
 and this she went on crying all the time and would 
 not stop. 
 
 " What is the matter with you, Mother Tup, since 
 you are crying and grieving so ?" asked the hand- 
 quern. 
 
 u Oh, Father Tup has fallen into the brewing- vat 
 and got drowned and there he lies dead !" said the 
 hen ; " that s the reason I cry and grieve." 
 
 " Well, if I can t do anything else I will grind and 
 groan," said the hand-quern, and began grinding as 
 fast as it could. 
 
 When the stool heard this it said : 
 
 " What s the matter with you, quern, since you 
 groan and grind so fast ?" 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup has fallen into the brewing- vat 
 and got drowned; Mother Tup is sitting on the 
 hearth, crying and grieving ; therefore I grind and 
 groan," said the hand-quern. 
 
 "Well, if I can t do anything else I shall creak," 
 said the stool, and began creaking and cracking. 
 
 This the door heard, so it said : 
 
 "What s the matter with you? Why are you 
 creaking, stool ?" 
 
174 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup has fallen into the brewing- vat 
 and got drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the 
 hearth crying and grieving and the hand-quern is 
 grinding and groaning ; therefore I creak and crack 
 and crackle," said the stool. 
 
 " Well, if I can t do anything else I ll bang and 
 slam and whine and whistle," said the door, 
 and began opening and shutting and slamming and 
 banging till it went through one s bones and mar 
 row to hear it. 
 
 This the dust-bin heard. 
 
 " Why are you slamming and banging like that, 
 door ?" said the bin. 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup fell into the brewing- vat and 
 got drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth 
 crying and grieving; the hand-quern is grinding 
 and groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; 
 therefore I keep slamming and banging," said the 
 door. 
 
 " Well, if I can t do anything else I ll fume and 
 smoke," said the dust-bin, and began fuming and 
 smoking and sending the dust up in clouds all over 
 the room. 
 
 This the hay rake saw, as it stood peeping in 
 through the window. 
 
 " Why are you raising the dust like that, dust 
 bin ?" asked the rake. 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup fell into the brewing-vat and got 
 drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth cry 
 ing and grieving ; the hand-quern is grinding and 
 groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; the 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 175 
 
 door is slamming and banging; therefore I keep 
 fuming and smoking," said the dust-bin. 
 
 " Well, if I can t do anything else I ll rake and 
 rend," said the rake, and began rending and raking. 
 
 This the aspen tree saw as it looked on. 
 
 " Why do you rend and rake like that, rake ?" said 
 the tree. 
 
 " Oh, father Tup fell into the brewing- vat and got 
 drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth cry 
 ing and grieving ; the hand-quern is grinding and 
 groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; the 
 door is slamming and banging ; the dust-bin is fum 
 ing and smoking; therefore I keep rending and 
 raking," said the rake. 
 
 "Well, if I can t do anything else," said the 
 aspen, " I will quiver and quake." 
 
 This the birds noticed. " Why do you quiver and 
 quake like that?" said the birds to the tree. 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup fell into the brewing-vat and got 
 drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth cry 
 ing and grieving ; the hand-quern is grinding and 
 groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; the 
 door is slamming and banging; the dust-bin is fum 
 ing and smoking ; the rake is rending and raking ; 
 therefore I quiver and quake," said the- aspen. 
 
 " Well, if we can t do anything else we will pluck 
 off our feathers," said the birds, and began pecking 
 and plucking till the feathers flew about the farm 
 like snow. 
 
 The farmer stood looking on, and when he saw 
 the feathers flying about he asked the birds: 
 
176 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Why are you plucking off your feathers like 
 that, birds ?" 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup fell into the brewing-vat and 
 got drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth 
 crjdng and grieving ; the hand-quern is grinding 
 and groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; 
 the door is slamming and banging; the dust-bin is 
 fuming and smoking ; the rake is rending and 
 raking ; the aspen is quivering and quaking : there 
 fore we keep pecking and plucking," said the birds. 
 
 " Well, if I can t do anything else I will pull the 
 besoms to pieces," said the farmer, and began tug 
 ging and pulling the besoms to pieces, so that the 
 twigs flew about, both east and west. 
 
 His wife was boiling the porridge for supper 
 when she saw this. 
 
 " Why are you pulling the besoms to pieces, 
 husband ?" said she. 
 
 " Oh, Father Tup fell into the brewing-vat and 
 got drowned ; Mother Tup is sitting on the hearth 
 crying and grieving; the hand-quern is grinding 
 and groaning ; the stool is creaking and cracking ; 
 the door is slamming and banging ; the dust-bin is 
 fuming and smoking; the rake is rending and 
 raking ; the aspen is quivering and quaking ; the 
 birds are pecking and plucking off their feathers : 
 therefore I am pulling the besom to pieces," said 
 the man. 
 
 "Well, then I ll daub the walls all over with 
 porridge," she said. And she set about it there and 
 then, and took one ladleful after another and 
 
The man began pulling the besom to pieces, and his wife took one ladleful of 
 porridge after another and daubed it all over the place. Page 176. 
 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 17? 
 
 smeared the porridge all over the walls, so that no 
 one could see what they were made of. 
 
 Then they kept the burial feast of the cock who 
 fell into the brewing- vat. And if you don t believe 
 it, you had better go there and taste both the beer 
 and the porridge. 
 
THE COCK 
 
 AND 
 THE FOX. 
 
 THERE was once a cock 
 who stood on a dunghill, 
 crowing and flapping his 
 wings. 
 
 A fox just then came 
 strolling by. 
 
 " Good-day," said the 
 fox ; " that s a very fine 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 179 
 
 crow, but can you stand on one leg and crow with 
 your eyes shut, as your father did ?" 
 
 " I can easily do that, 7 said the cock, and stood 
 on one leg and crowed. But he only shut one eye, 
 and then he strutted about flapping his wings as if 
 he had done something grand, 
 
 " That was very niee,^ said the fox ; " almost as 
 nice as when the parson chants in church ; but can 
 you stand on one leg and crow with both your eyes 
 shut at the same time ? I scarcely think you can," 
 said Reynard. " No ; that father of yours, he was 
 really wonderful." 
 
 " Oh, I can do that as well," said the cock, and 
 began to crow standing on one leg and closing both 
 his eyes, when all of a sudden the fox made a dash 
 at him, caught him by the neck, and slung him 
 across his back, and before he had finished his crow 
 Reynard had set off with him for the forest as 
 quickly as he could. 
 
 When they got under an old pine tree Reynard 
 threw the cock down, put his paw on his breast, 
 and was going to help himself to a tasty bit. 
 
 " You are not so pious as your father, Reynard," 
 said the cock ; " he always crossed himself and said 
 grace before his meals." 
 
 Reynard thought he ought to show a little piety, 
 so he let go his hold and was just going to say grace 
 when up flew the cock and settled in the tree 
 above. 
 
 " I ll be even with you yet," said the fox to him 
 self, and went off. He soon returned with a couple 
 of drippings which the woodcutters had left behind. 
 
180 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 The cock kept peeping and peering to see what 
 it could be. 
 
 " What have you got there ?" he said. 
 
 " Oh, some letters I have got from the Pope in 
 Rome," said the fox. " Won t you help me to read 
 them, for I am getting rather shortsighted myself ? 5 
 
 " I would with pleasure, but I dare not just now," 
 said the cock ; " there is a man coming along with 
 a gun; I see him from behind the tree I see him !" 
 
 When the fox heard the cock prating about a man 
 with a gun he took to his heels as fast as he could. 
 
 That time it was the cock who outwitted Reynard. 
 
THE THKEE PKINCESSES IN THE BLUE 
 MOUNTAIN. 
 
 THERE were once upon a time a king and queen 
 who had no children, and they took it so much to 
 heart that they hardly ever had a happy moment. 
 
182 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 One day the king stood in the portico and looked 
 out over the big meadows and all that was his. 
 But he felt he could have no enjoyment out of it 
 
 all, since he did not know what would become of i 
 after his time. As he stood there pondering, an old 
 beggar-woman came up to him and asked him for 
 a trifle in heaven s name. She greeted him and 
 courtesied, and asked what ailed the king, since he 
 looked so sad. 
 
 "You can t do anything to help me, my good 
 woman," said the king ; " it s no use telling you." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 183 
 
 " I am not so sure about that," said the beggar- 
 woman. " Very little is wanted when luck is in the 
 way. The king is thinking that he has no heir to 
 his crown and kingdom, but he need not mourn on 
 that account," she said. " The queen shall have three 
 daughters, but great care must be taken that they 
 do not come out under the open heavens before 
 they are all fifteen years old ; otherwise a snow 
 drift will come and carry them away." 
 
 When the time came the queen had a beautiful 
 baby girl ; the year after she had another, and the 
 third year she also had a girl. 
 
 The king and queen were glad beyond all meas 
 ure ; but although the king was very happy, he 
 did not forget to set a watch at the palace door, so 
 that the princesses should not get out. 
 
 As they grew up they became both fair and 
 beautiful, and all went well with them in every 
 way. Their only sorrow was that they were not 
 
184 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 allowed to go out and play like other children. 
 For all they begged and prayed their parents, and 
 for all they besought the sentinel, it was of no 
 avail ; go out they must not before they were 
 fifteen years old, all of them. 
 
 So one day, not long before the fifteenth birth 
 day of the youngest princess, the king and the 
 queen were out driving, and the princesses were 
 standing at the window and looking out. The sun 
 was shining, and everything looked so green and 
 beautiful that they felt they must go out, happen 
 what might. So they begged and entreated and 
 urged the sentinel, all three of them, that he should 
 let them down into the garden. " He could see for 
 himself how warm and pleasant it was ; no snowy 
 weather could come on such a day." Well, he 
 didn t think it looked much like it either, and if 
 they must go they had better go, the soldier said , 
 but it must only be for a minute, and he himself 
 would go with them and look after them. 
 
 When they had got down into the garden they 
 ran up and down, and filled their laps with flowers 
 and green leaves, the prettiest they could find. At 
 last they could manage no more, but just as they 
 were going indoors they caught sight of a large 
 rose at the other end of the garden. It was many 
 times prettier than any they had gathered, so they 
 must have that also. But just as they bent down 
 to take the rose a big dense snowdrift came and 
 carried them away. 
 
 There was great mourning over the whole country, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 185 
 
 and the king made known from all the churches 
 that any one who could save the princesses should 
 have half the kingdom and his golden crown and 
 whichever princess he liked to choose. 
 
 You can well understand there were plenty who 
 wanted to gain half the kingdom, and a princess into 
 the bargain ; so there were people of both high and 
 low degree who set out for all parts of the country. 
 But there was no one who could find the princesses, 
 or even get any tidings of them. 
 
 When all the grand and rich people in the country 
 had had their turn, a captain and a lieutenant came 
 to the palace, and wanted to try their luck. The 
 king fitted them out both with silver and gold, and 
 wished them success on their journey. 
 
 Then came a soldier, who lived with his mother 
 in a little cottage some way from the palace. He 
 had dreamed one night that he also was trying to 
 find the princesses. "When the morning came he 
 still remembered what he had dreamed, and told 
 his mother about it. 
 
 " Some witchery must have got hold of you," 
 said the woman, " but you must dream the same 
 thing three nights running, else there is nothing in 
 it." And the next two nights the same thing hap 
 pened ; he had the same dream, and he felt he must 
 go. So he washed himself and put on his uniform, 
 and went into the kitchen at the palace. It was 
 the day after the captain and the lieutenant had set 
 out. 
 jl a " You had better go home again," said the king, 
 
186 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " the princesses are beyond your reach, I should say ; 
 and beside I have spent so much money oa outfits 
 that I have nothing left to-day. You had better 
 come back another time." 
 
 "If I go, I must go to-day," said the soldier. 
 " Money I do not want ; I only need a drop in my 
 flask and some food in my wallet," he said ; " but 
 it must be a good walletful as much meat and 
 bacon as I can carry." 
 
 ""-v^r i^^r"^ 
 "~: r :"^"~^Ltcr - 
 
 Yes, that he might have if that was all he 
 wanted. 
 
 So he set off, and he had not gone many miles 
 before he overtook the captain and the lieutenant. 
 
 ** Where are you going ?" asked the captain, when 
 he saw the man in uniform. 
 
 " I am going to try if I can find the princesses," 
 answered the soldier. 
 
 " So are we," said the captain, " and since your 
 
^*2Li22 " * - .gsrv ... .:-*i &ss&-fii^ (f. IK ..^gagr^a.^ 
 
 The Princesses begged and entreated the sentinel to let them down into the 
 wxlen, Page 186. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 187 
 
 errand is the same you may keep company with us, 
 for if we don t find them you are not likely to find 
 them either, my lad," said he. 
 
 When they had gone awhile the soldier left the 
 highroad, and took a path into the forest. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the captain ; " it is 
 best to follow the highroad." 
 
 " That may be," said the soldier, " but this is my 
 way." 
 
 He kept to the path, and when the others saw 
 this they turned round and followed him. Away 
 they went further and further, far across big moors 
 and along narrow valleys. 
 
 At last it became lighter, and when they had got 
 out of the forest altogether they came to a long 
 bridge, which they had to cross. But on that 
 bridge a bear stood on guard. He rose on his hind 
 legs and came toward them, as if he wanted to eat 
 them. 
 
 " What shall we do now ?" said the captain. 
 
 " They say that the bear is fond of meat," said the 
 soldier, and then he threw a fore-quarter to him, 
 and so they got past. But when they reached 
 the other end of the bridge, they saw a lion which 
 came roaring toward them with open jaws as if he 
 wanted to swallow them. 
 
 " I think we had better turn to right-about we 
 shall never be able to get past him alive," said the 
 captain. 
 
 " Oh, I don t think he is so very dangerous," said 
 the soldier ; " I have heard that lions are very fond 
 
188 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 of bacon, and I have half a pig in, my wallet ;" and 
 then he threw a ham to the lion, ^who began eating 
 and knawing, and thus they got past him also. 
 
 In the evening they came to a fine big house. 
 Each room was more gorgeous than the other ; all 
 was glitter and splendor wherever they looked ; 
 but that did not satisfy their hunger. The captain 
 and the lieutenant went round rattling their money, 
 and wanted to buy some food; but they saw no 
 people nor could they find a crumb of anything in 
 
 the house, so the soldier offered them some food 
 from his wallet which they were not too proud to 
 accept, nor did they want any pressing. They 
 helped themselves of what he had as if they had 
 never tasted food before. 
 
 The next day the captain said they would have 
 to go out shooting and try to g$t something to live 
 upon. Close to the house was a large forest where 
 there were plenty of hares and birds. The lieuten 
 ant was to remain at home and cook the remainder 
 of the food in the soldier s wallet. In the mean 
 time the captain and the soldier shot so much game 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 189 
 
 that they were hardly able to carry it home. When 
 they came to the door they found the lieutenant in 
 such a terrible plight that he was scarcely able to 
 open the door to them. 
 
 " What is the matter with you ?" said the captain. 
 The lieutenant then told them that as soon as they 
 were gone, a tiny little man with a long beard, 
 who went on crutches, came in and asked so plaint 
 ively for a penny ; but no sooner had he got it than 
 he let it fall on the floor, and for all he raked and 
 scraped with his crutch he was not able to get hold 
 of it, so stiff and stark was he. 
 
 " I pitied the poor old body," said the lieutenant, 
 " and so I bent down to pick up the penny, but then 
 he was neither stiff nor stark any longer. He 
 began to belabor me with his crutches till very soon 
 I was unable to move a limb." 
 
 " You ought to be ashamed of yourself ! you, one 
 of the king s officers, to let an old cripple give you 
 a thrashing, and then tell people of it into the bar 
 gain !" said the captain. " Pshaw ! to-morrow I ll 
 stop at home and then you ll hear another 
 story." 
 
 The next day the lieutenant and the soldier went 
 out shooting and the captain remained at home to 
 do the cooking and look after the house. But if he 
 fared no worse, he certainly fared no better than the 
 lieutenant. In a little while the old man came in 
 and asked for a penny. He let it fall as soon as he 
 got it ; gone it was and could not be found. So he 
 asked the captain to help him to find it, and the 
 
190 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 captain, without giving a thought, bent down to 
 look for it. But no sooner was he on his knees than 
 the cripple began belaboring him with his crutches, 
 and every time the captain tried to rise he got a 
 blow which sent him reeling. When the others 
 came home in the evening he still lay on the same 
 spot and could neither see nor speak. 
 
 The third day the soldier was to remain at home, 
 while the other two went out shooting. The captain 
 said he must take care of himself, " for the old fel 
 low will soon put an end to you, my lad," said he. 
 
 " Oh, there can t be much life in one if such an 
 old crook can take it," said the soldier. 
 
 They were no sooner outside the door than the 
 old man came in and asked for a penny again. 
 
 " Money I have never owned," said the soldier, 
 " but food I ll give you as soon as it is ready," said 
 he, " but if we are to get it cooked, you must go and 
 cut the wood." 
 
 " That I can t," said the old man. 
 
 " If you can t you must learn," said the soldier. 
 " I will soon show you. Come along with me down 
 to the woodshed." There he dragged out a heavy 
 log and cut a cleft in it and drove in a wedge till the 
 cleft deepened. 
 
 " Now you must lie down and look right along 
 the cleft and you ll soon learn how to cut wood," 
 said the soldier. " In the meantime I ll show you 
 how to use the ax." 
 
 The old man was not sufficiently cunning and did 
 as he was told; he lay down and looked steadily 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 191 
 
 along the log. When the soldier saw that the old 
 man s beard had got well into the cleft he struck out 
 the wedge ; the cleft closed and the old man was 
 caught by the beard. The soldier began to beat him 
 with the ax handle, and then swung the ax round 
 his head and vowed that he would split his skull if 
 he did not tell him, there and then, where the 
 princesses were. 
 
 " Spare my life, spare my life, and I ll tell you !" 
 said the old man. " To the east of the house there 
 is a big mound ; on top of the mound you must dig 
 out a square piece of turf and then you will see a 
 big stone slab. Under that there is a deep hole 
 through which you must let yourself down and you ll 
 then come to another world where you will find 
 the princesses. But the way is long and dark and it 
 goes both through fire and water." . 
 
 When the soldier got to know this he released the 
 old man, who was not long in making off. 
 
 When the captain and lieutenant came home they 
 were surprised to find the soldier alive. He told 
 them what had happened from first to last, where 
 the princesses were, and how they should find them. 
 They became as pleased as if they had already 
 found them, and when they had had some food they 
 took with them a basket and as much rope as they 
 could find, and all three set off to the mound. There 
 thev first dug out the turf just as the old man had 
 told them, and underneath they found a big stone 
 slab, which it took all their strength to turn over. 
 They then began to measure how deep it was ; they 
 
192 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 joined on ropes both two and three times, but they 
 were no nearer the bottom the- last time than the 
 first. At last they had to join all the ropes they had, 
 both the coarse and fine, and then they found it 
 reached the bottom. 
 
 The captain was, of course, the first who wanted 
 to descend. " But when I tug at the rope you must 
 make haste to drag me up again," he said. He found 
 the way both dark and unpleasant, but he thought 
 he would go on as long as it became no worse. But 
 all at once he felt ice-cold water spouting about his 
 ears ; he became frightened to death and began tug 
 ging at the rope. 
 
 The lieutenant was the next to try, but it fared 
 no better with him. No sooner had he got through 
 the flood of water than he saw a blazing fire yawn 
 ing beneath him, which so frightened him that he 
 also turned back. 
 
 The soldier then got into the bucket, and down 
 he went through fire and water, right on till he 
 came to the bottom, where it was so pitch dark that 
 he could not see his hand before him. He dared 
 not let go the basket, but went round in a circle, 
 feeling and fumbling about him. At last he dis 
 covered a gleam of light far, far away like the 
 dawn of day, and he went on in that direction. 
 
 When he had gone a bit it began to grow light 
 around him, and before long he saw a golden sun 
 rising in the sky and everything around him became 
 as bright and beautiful as if in a fairy world. 
 
 First he came to some cattle, which were so fat 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 193 
 
 that their hides glistened a long way off, and when 
 he had got past them he came to a fine big palace. 
 He walked through many rooms without meeting 
 anybody. At last he heard the hum of a spinning 
 wheel, and when he entered the room he found the 
 eldest princess sitting there spinning copper yarn ; 
 the room and everything in it was of brightly 
 polished copper. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear ! what are Christian people 
 doing here ?" said the princess. " Heaven preserve 
 you ! what do you want?" 
 
 " I want to set you free and get you out of the 
 mountain," said the soldier. 
 
 " Pray do not stay. If the troll comes home he 
 will put an end to you at once ; he has three 
 heads," said she. 
 
 "I do not care if he has four," said the soldier. 
 " I am here, and here I shall remain." 
 
 " Well, if you will be so headstrong, I must see if 
 I can help you," said Jthe princess. 
 
 She then told him to creep behind the big 
 brewing-vat which stood in the front hall ; mean 
 while she would receive the troll and scratch his 
 heads till he went to sleep. 
 
 And when I go out and call the hens you must 
 make haste and come in," she said. " But you must 
 first try if you can swing the sword which is lying 
 on the table." No, it was too heavy, he could not 
 even move it. He had then to take a strengthening 
 draught from the horn, which hung behind the door ; 
 after that he was just able to stir it, so he took 
 
194 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 another draught and then he could lift it. At last 
 he took a right big draught and he could swing the 
 sword as easily as anything. 
 
 All at once the troll came home ; he walked so 
 heavily that the palace shook. 
 
 " Ugh, ugh ! I smell Christian flesh and blood 
 in my house," said he. 
 
 " Yes," answered this princess, " a raven flew past 
 here just now and in his beak he had a human bone, 
 which he dropped down the chimney ; I threw it 
 out and swept and cleaned up after it, but I 
 suppose it still smells." 
 
 " So it does," said the troll. 
 
 " But come and lie down and I ll scratch your 
 heads," said the princess ; " the smell will be gone 
 by the time you wake." 
 
 The troll was quite willing, and before long he 
 fell asleep and began snoring. When she saw he 
 was sleeping soundly she placed some stools and 
 cushions under his heads and went to call the hens. 
 The soldier then stole into the room with the sword 
 and with one blow cut all the three heads off the 
 troll. 
 
 The princess was as pleased as a fiddler, and went 
 with the soldier to her sisters, so that he could also 
 set them free. First of all they went across a 
 courtyard and then through many long rooms till 
 they came to a big door. 
 
 " Here you must enter ; here she is," said the 
 princess. When he opened the door he found him 
 self in a large hall, where everything was of pure 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 195 
 
 silver ; there sat the second sister at a silver spin 
 ning-wheel. 
 
 " Oh, dear ; oh, dear !" she said. " What do you 
 want here ?" 
 
 " I want to set you free from the troll," said the 
 soldier. 
 
 " Pray do not stay, but go," said the princess. 
 " If he finds you here he will take your life on the 
 spot." 
 
 " That would be awkward that is if 1 don t take 
 his first," said the soldier. 
 
 " We ll, since you will stay," she said ; " you will 
 have to creep behind the big brewing- vat in the 
 front hall. But you must make haste and come as 
 soon as you hear me calling the hens." 
 
 First of all he had to try if he was able to swing 
 the troll s sword, which lay on the table ; it was 
 much larger and heavier than the first one ; he was 
 hardly able to move it. He then took three 
 draughts from the horn and he could then lift it, 
 and when he had taken three more he could handle 
 it as if were a rolling-pin. 
 
 Shortly afterward he heard a heavy, rumbling 
 noise that was quite terrible, and directly after 
 ward a troll with six heads came in. 
 
 " Ugh, ugh !" he said, as soon as he got his noses 
 inside the door. " I smell Christian blood and bone 
 in my house." 
 
 " Yes, just think ! A raven came flying past here 
 with a thigh-bone, which he dropped down the 
 ch: inney," said the princess. "I threw it out, but 
 
196 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 the raven brought it back again. At last I got rid 
 of it and made haste to clean the room, but I sup 
 pose the smell is not quite gone," she said. 
 
 "No, I can smell it well," said the troll; but he 
 was tired, and put his heads in the princess lap 
 and she went on scratching them till they all fell 
 a-snoring. Then she called the hens, and the soldier 
 came and cut off all the six heads as if they were 
 set on cabbage stalks. 
 
 She was no less glad than her eldest sister, as you 
 may imagine, and danced and sang ; but in the 
 midst of their joy they remembered their youngest 
 sister. They went with the soldier across a large 
 courtyard and after walking through many, many 
 rooms he came to the hall of gold, where the third 
 sister was. 
 
 She sat at a golden spinning-wheel spinning gold 
 yarn, and the room from ceiling to floor glistened 
 and glittered till it hurt one s eyes. 
 
 " Heaven preserve both you and me, what do you 
 want here?" said the princess. "Go, go, else the 
 troll will kill us both." 
 
 "Just as well two as one," answered the soldier. 
 The princess cried and wept ; but it was all of no 
 use, he must and would remain. Since there was 
 no help for it he would have to try if he could use 
 the troll s sword on the table in the front hall. 
 But he was only just able to move it ; it was still 
 larger and heavier than the other two swords. 
 
 He then had to take the horn down from the 
 wall and take three draughts from it, but was oily 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 197 
 
 just able to stir the sword. When he taken three 
 more draughts he could lift it, and when he had 
 taken another three he swung it as easily as if it 
 had been a feather. 
 
 The princess then settled with the soldier to do 
 the same as her sisters had done. As soon as the 
 troll was well asleep she would call the hens, and 
 he must then make haste and come in and put an 
 end to the troll. 
 
 All of a sudden they heard such a thundering, 
 rumbling noise, as if the walls and roof were 
 tumbling in. 
 
 " Ugh ! Ugh ! I smell Christian blood and bone 
 in my house," said the troll, sniffing with all his 
 nine noses. 
 
 " Yes, you never saw the like ! Just now a raven 
 flew past here and dropped a human bone down 
 the chimney. I threw it out, but the raven brought 
 it back and this went on for some time," said the 
 princess ; but she got it buried at last, she said, and 
 she had both swept and cleaned the place, but she 
 supposed it still smelled. 
 
 " Yes, I can smell it well," said the troll. 
 
 " Come here and lie down in my lap a-nd I will 
 scratch your heads," said the princess. " The smell 
 will be all gone when you awake." 
 
 He did so, and when he was snoring at his best 
 she put stools and cushions under the heads so that 
 she could get away to call the hens. The soldier 
 then came in in his stockinged feet and struck at 
 the troll, so that eight of the heads fell off at one 
 
198 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 blow. But the sword was too short and did not 
 reach far enough; the ninth head woke up and 
 began to roar. 
 
 "Ugh ! Ugh ! I smell a Christian." 
 
 " Yes, here he is," answered the soldier, and 
 before the troll could get up and seize hold of him 
 the soldier struck him another blow and the last 
 head rolled along the floor. 
 
 You can well imagine how glad the princesses be 
 came now that they no longer had to sit and scratch 
 the trolls heads ; they did not know how they could 
 do enough for him who had saved them. The 
 youngest princess took off her gold ring and knotted 
 it in his hair. They then took with them as much 
 gold and silver as they thought they could carry 
 and set off on their way home. 
 
 As soon as they tugged at the rope the captain 
 and the lieutenant pulled up the princesses, the one 
 after the other. But when they were safely up the 
 soldier thought it was foolish of him not to have 
 gone up before the princesses, for he had not very 
 much belief in his comrades. He thought he would 
 first try them, so he put a heavy lump of gold in 
 the basket and got out of the way. When the 
 basket was halfway up they cut the rope and the 
 lump of gold fell to the bottom with such a crash 
 that the pieces flew about his ears. 
 
 " Now we are rid of him," they said, and threat 
 ened the princesses with their life if they did not 
 say that it was they who had saved them from the 
 trolls. They were forced to agree to thisj much 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 199 
 
 against their will, and especially the youngest 
 princess ; but life was precious, and so the two who 
 were strongest had their way. 
 
 When the captain and lieutenant got home with 
 the princesses you may be sure there were great re 
 joicings at the palace. The king was so glad he 
 didn t know which leg to stand on ; he brought out 
 his best wine from his cupboard and wished the two 
 officers welcome. If they had never been honored 
 before they were honored now in full measure and 
 no mistake. They walked and strutted about the 
 whole of the day, as if they were the cocks of the 
 walk, since they were now going to have the king 
 for father-in-law. For it was understood they 
 should each have whichever of the princesses they 
 liked and half the kingdom between them. They 
 both wanted the youngest princess, but for all they 
 prayed and threatened her it was of no use; she 
 would not hear or listen to either. 
 
 They then asked the king if they might have 
 twelve men to watch over her ; she was so sad and 
 melancholy since she had been in the mountain 
 that they were afraid she might do something to 
 herself. 
 
 Yes, that they might have and the king himself 
 told the watch they must look well after her and 
 follow her wherever she went and stood. 
 
 They then began to prepare for the wedding of the 
 two eldest sisters ; it should be such a wedding as 
 never was heard or spoken of before, and there was 
 no end. to the brewing and the baking and the 
 slaughtering. 
 
200 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 In the meantime the soldier walked and strolled 
 about down in the other world. He thought it was 
 hard that he should see neither people nor daylight 
 any more ; but he would have to do something, he 
 thought, and so for many days he went about from 
 room to room and opened all the drawers and cup 
 boards and searched about on the shelves and looked 
 at all the fine things that were there. At last he 
 came to a drawer in a table, in which there lay a 
 golden key ; he tried this key to all the locks he 
 could find, but there was none it fitted till he came 
 to a little cupboard over the bed and in that he 
 found an old rusty whistle. " I wonder if there is 
 any sound in it," he thought, and put it to his 
 mouth. ~No sooner had he whistled than he heard 
 a whizzing and a whirring from all quarters, and 
 such a large flock of birds swept down that they 
 blackened all the field in which they settled. 
 
 " What does our master want to-day ?" they 
 asked. 
 
 If he were their master, the soldier said, he would 
 like to know if they could tell him how to get up to 
 the earth again. No, none of them knew anything 
 about that. " But our mother has not yet arrived," 
 they said ; " if she can t help you no one can." 
 
 So he whistled once more, and shortly heard 
 something flapping its wings far away, and then it 
 began to blow so hard that he was carried away 
 between the houses like a wisp of hay across the 
 courtyard, and if he had not caught hold of the 
 fence he would no doubt have been blown away 
 altogether. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 201 
 
 A big eagle bigger than you can imagine then 
 swooped down in front of him. 
 
 " You come rather sharply," said the soldier. 
 
 u As you whistle so I come," answered the eagle. 
 So he asked her if she knew any means by which 
 he could get get away from the world in which 
 they were. 
 
 " You can t get away from here unless you can 
 fly," said the eagle, " but if you will slaughter 
 twelve oxen for me, so that I can have a really good 
 meal, I will try and help you. Have you got a 
 knife?" 
 
 " No, but I have a. sword," he said. "When the 
 eagle had swallowed the twelve oxen she asked the 
 soldier to kill one more for victuals on the journey. 
 " Every time I gape you must be quick and fling a 
 piece into my mouth," she said, " else I shall not be 
 able to carry you up to earth." 
 
 He did as she asked him and hung two large bags 
 of meat round her neck and seated himself among 
 her feathers. The eagle then began to flap her 
 wings and off they went through the air like the 
 wind. It was as much as the soldier could do to 
 hold on, and it was with the greatest difficulty he 
 managed to throw the pieces of flesh into the eagle s 
 mouth every time she opened it. 
 
 At last the day began to dawn, and the eagle was 
 then almost exhausted and began flapping with 
 her wings, but the soldier was prepared and seized 
 the hist hind-quarter and flung it to her. Then she 
 gained strength and brought him up to earth. 
 
202 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 When she had sat and rested awhile at the top of 
 a large pine tree, she set off with him again at such 
 a pace that flashes of lightning were seen both by 
 sea and land wherever they went. 
 
 Close to the palace the soldier got off and the 
 eagle flew home again, but first she told him that 
 if he at any time should want her he need only 
 blow the whistle and she would be there at once. 
 
 In the meantime everything was ready at the 
 palace, and the time approached when the captain 
 and lieutenant were to be married with the two 
 eldest princesses, who, however, were not much 
 happier than their youngest sister ; scarcely a day 
 passed without weeping and mourning, and the 
 nearer the wedding day approached the more 
 sorrowful did they become. 
 
 At last the king asked what was the matter with 
 them ; he thought it was very strange that they 
 were not merry and happy now that they were 
 saved and had been set free and were going to be 
 married. They had to give some answer, and so 
 the eldest sister said they never would be happy 
 any more unless they could get such checkers as 
 they had played with in the blue mountain. 
 
 That, thought the king, could be easily managed, 
 and so he sent word to all the best and cleverest 
 goldsmiths in the country that they should make 
 these checkers for the princesses. For all they 
 tried there was no one who could make them. At 
 last all the goldsmiths had been to the palace except 
 one, and he was an old, infirm man who had not 
 
The old goldsmith went to the palace and told the king he would undertake to 
 make the checkers for the princesses.-Page 203. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 203 
 
 done any work for many years except odd jobs, by 
 which he was just able to keep himself alive. To 
 him the soldier went and asked to be apprenticed. 
 The old man was so glad to get him, for he had not 
 had an apprentice for many a day, that he brought 
 out a flask from his chest and sat down to drink 
 with the soldier. Before long the drink got into 
 his head, and when the soldier saw this he per 
 suaded him to go up to the palace and tell the king 
 that he would undertake to make the checkers for 
 the princesses. 
 
 He was ready to do that on the spot ; he had 
 made finer and grander things in his day, he said. 
 When the king heard there was some one outside 
 who could make the checkers he was not long in 
 coming out. 
 
 " Is it true what you say, that you can make such 
 checkers as my daughters want ?" he asked. 
 
 " Yes, it is no lie," said the goldsmith ; that he 
 would answer for. 
 
 " That s well !" said the king. "Here is the gold 
 to make them with ; but if you do not succeed you 
 will lose your life, since you have come and offered 
 yourself, and they must be finished in three days." 
 
 The next morning when the goldsmith had slept 
 off the effects of the drink he was not quite so con 
 fident about the job. He Availed and wept and blew 
 up his apprentice, who had got him into such a 
 scrape while he was drunk. The best thing would 
 be to make short work of himself at once, he said, 
 for there could be no hope for his life ; when the 
 
204- FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 best and grandest goldsmiths could not make such 
 checkers was it likely that he could do it ? 
 
 "Don t fret on that account," said the soldier, 
 " but let me have the gold and I ll get the checkers 
 ready in time ; but I must have a room to myself to 
 work in," he said. This he got and thanks into the 
 bargain. 
 
 The time wore on and the soldier did nothing but 
 lounge about and the goldsmith began to grumble 
 because he would not begin with the work. 
 
 " Don t worry yourself about it," said the soldier, 
 " there is plenty of time ! If you are not satisfied 
 with what I have promised you had better make 
 them yourself." The same thing went on both that 
 day and the next, and when the smith heard neither 
 hammer nor file from the soldier s room the whole 
 of the last day, he quite gave himself up for lost ; it 
 was now no use to think any longer about saving 
 his life, he thought. 
 
 But when the night came on the soldier opened 
 the window and blew his whistle. The eagle then 
 came and asked what he wanted. 
 
 " Those gold checkers which the princesses had in 
 the blue mountain," said the soldier ; " but you ll 
 want something to eat first, I suppose ? I have two 
 ox carcases lying ready for you in the hayloft 
 yonder ; you had better finish them," he said. When 
 the eagle had done she did not tarry, and long 
 before the sun rose she was back again with the 
 checkers. The soldier then put them under his bed 
 and lay down to sleep. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 205 
 
 Early next morning the goldsmith came and 
 knocked at his door. 
 
 "What are you after now again?" asked the 
 soldier. " You rush about enough in the day, good 
 ness knows ! If one cannot have peace when one is 
 in bed, whoever would be an apprentice here?" 
 said he. 
 
 Neither praying nor begging helped that time ; 
 the goldsmith must and would come in, and at last 
 he was let in. 
 
 And then you may be sure there was soon an end 
 to his wailing. 
 
 But still more glad than the goldsmith were the 
 princesses when he came up to the palace with the 
 checkers, and gladdest of all was the youngest 
 princess. 
 
 " Have you made them yourself ?" she asked. 
 
 " No, if I must speak the truth, it is not I," he said, 
 "but my apprentice, who has made them." 
 
 " I should like to see that apprentice," said the 
 princess. In fact, all three wanted to see him, and 
 if he valued his life he would have to come. 
 
 He was not afraid, either of women folk or grand 
 folk, said the soldier, and if it could be any amuse 
 ment to them to look at his rags they should soon 
 have that pleasure. 
 
 The youngest princess recognized him at once ; 
 she pushed the soldiers aside and ran up to him, 
 gave him her hand and said : 
 
 "Good-day, and many thanks for all you have 
 done for us. It is he who freed us from the trolls 
 
J506 
 
 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 in the mountain," she said to the king. "He is the 
 one I will have !" and then she pulled off his cap and 
 showed them the rin she had tied in his hair. 
 
 It soon came out how the captain and lieutenant 
 had behaved, and so they had to pay the penalty of 
 their treachery with their lives, and that was the 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 207 
 
 end of their grandeur. But the soldier got the 
 golden crown and half the kingdom and married 
 the youngest princess. 
 
 At the wedding they drank and feasted both well 
 and long; for feast they all could, even if they 
 could not find the princesses, and if they have not 
 yet done feasting and drinking they must be at it 
 still. 
 
THE WOELD S KEWAED. 
 
 THEEE was once a man who went into the wood 
 to- cut trees for hurdles. But he did not find any 
 which were as long and straight as he wanted them 
 to be, till he got to a rocky place, where he heard 
 groans and moans, as of some one in the pangs of 
 death. So he went to see who it was that wanted 
 help. He found that the groans came from under 
 a big slab among the bowlders. It was so heavy 
 that it would take many men to lift it. But the 
 man went into the wood and cut down a tree, 
 which he used as a lever to lift the slab with. From 
 under it there called a dragon, who then wanted to 
 eat the man. But the man said he had saved the 
 dragon s life, and it was base ingratitude to want 
 to eat him. 
 
 " May be !" said the dragon. " But you can 
 easily understand that 1 am hungry, having lain 
 here a, hundred years and tasted no food ; beside, 
 that is the reward one gets in the world." 
 
 The man begged and prayed for his life, and so 
 they agreed that the first being they met should 
 decide between them. If he was of a different 
 opinion to the dragon the man should not lose his 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 209 
 
 life, but if he thought the same as the dragon, the 
 dragon should eat the man. 
 
 The first they met was an old dog, who was 
 walking along the road under the hillside. They 
 spoke to him and asked him to be their judge. 
 
 " Goodness only knows ! I have served my 
 master faithfully since I was a pup," said the dog ; 
 " I have watched many a night and many a time 
 while he has been sound asleep, and I have saved 
 the house and chattels from fire and thieves more 
 than once ; but now, when I can neither see nor 
 hear any longer, he wants to shoot me ; so I ran 
 away, and I knock about from place to place, 
 sniffing and begging my way iill one day I shall 
 die of hunger. No, that is the reward one gets in 
 this world/ said the dog. 
 
 " Then I ll eat you !" said the dragon, and was 
 going to swallow the man ; but the man spoke so 
 well for himself, and begged so hard for K;s life, 
 that the dragon agreed that the next being they 
 met should decide between them ; and if he said 
 the same as the dragon and the dog, the dragon 
 should eat him, and have a good meal of human 
 flesh, but if not, the man should get off with his 
 life. 
 
 An old horse then came dragging himself along 
 the road just under the hillside. They spoke to 
 him, and asked him to judge between them. Yes, 
 that he would. 
 
 "Well, I have served my master as long as I was 
 tble to draw and carry," said the horse. "I have 
 
210 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 slaved and worked for him till the sweat streamed 
 from every hair, and I have worked faithfully till I 
 have become stiff and stark, and worn out with 
 work and age ; now I am fit for nothing, and am 
 not worth my keep, and so I am to have a bullet, 
 says my master. No, that is the reward one gets 
 in this world," said the horse. 
 
 " Then I ll eat you !" said the dragon, and opened 
 its jaws wide to swallow the man. He again begged 
 and prayed hard for his life, but the dragon said he 
 wanted a mouthful of human flesh and was so 
 hungry that he could not wait any longer. 
 
 " Look, there is some one coming, just as if he 
 were sent to be our judge," said the man, as 
 Reynard came slinking toward them between the 
 bowlders. " Good things come in threes," said the 
 man ; " let us ask him also, and if he judges like the 
 others, you shall eat me on the spot." 
 
 " Very well," said the dragon. He had also heard 
 that all good things came in threes, and so he would 
 agree to that. The man spoke to the fox as he had 
 done to the others. 
 
 " Yes, yes," said the fox ; but he took the man 
 aside. 
 
 " What will you give me, if I free you from the 
 dragon?" he whispered in the man s ear. 
 
 a You shall come home with me and be lord and 
 master over my fowls and geese every Thursday 
 night," said the man. 
 
 " This is a case which can only be settled on the 
 spot itself, my dear dragon," said the fox. " I can- 
 
This is a case which can only be settled on the spot itself, my dear dragon, 
 said the fox. Page 210. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 211 
 
 not get into my head how such a large and mighty 
 animal as yourself could find room under that slab." 
 
 " Well, I was lying up here sunning myself," said 
 the dragon, " when an avalanche came down the 
 mountain and turned the slab over me." 
 
 " That is very possible," said Keynard ; " but I 
 cannot understand it, nor will I believe it till I see 
 it," said he. 
 
 So the man said they had better try it, and the 
 dragon slipped into the hole again, and just at that 
 moment the man pulled away the lever, and the 
 slab shut down the dragon again with a bang. 
 
 " You may now lie there till doomsday," said the 
 fox, " since you had no pity on the man who saved 
 you." The dragon yelled and groaned and prayed 
 for himself, but the other two went their way. 
 
 The next Thursday evening the fox set out for 
 the farm to help himself from the hen-roost, and 
 hid himself behind a heap of poles, which were 
 standing there. "When the girl went to give the 
 fowls their food, Keynard sneaked in, so that she 
 did not notice him ; and no sooner was she gone 
 than he killed enough for eight days, and ate till he 
 could not move. When the girl came back in the 
 morning, the fox lay sleeping and snoring in the 
 morning sunshine, with all his four legs stretched 
 out ; he was as sleek and round as a big sausage. 
 
 The girl ran to fetch her mistress, and she and all 
 the others came back with sticks and poles, and 
 began thrashing Re\ r nard till they almost killed 
 him ; but at last when they thought they had done 
 
212 FAIRY TALES- FROM ; *THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 for him, Reynard found a hole in the floor, through 
 which he slipped out and set off limping toward the 
 wood. 
 
 " Oh, dear, oh, dear !" said Reynard ; " but I sup 
 pose that is the reward one gets in this world 1" 
 
THE COMPANION. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a peasant lad, who 
 dreamed he was going to marry a princess far away 
 in a strange country, and she was as red and white 
 as milk and blood, and so rich that there was no 
 end to her riches. When he awoke he thought she 
 still stop(j^dive before him, and she was so sweet 
 and beautiful that he felt he could not exist if ho 
 did not get her ; so he sold what he had and set out 
 in the world to find her. 
 
 He went far and further than far, and in the 
 winter he came to a country where &11 the high 
 roads were straight and had no turnings. When 
 he had walked straight on for a quarter of a year, 
 he came to a town, and outside the church door 
 there lay a large block of ice in which stood a dead 
 body; and all the people who were on their way to 
 church spat on it as they passed it. The lad won- 
 dere\l;at this, and when the parson came out of the 
 church, he asked him what it all meant. 
 
 "He was a great evil-doer," said the parson, 
 "and was punished for his ungodliness, and has 
 been set up there to be mocked and scoffed at." 
 
 "What did he do ?" asked the lad. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " When he was alive, he was a vintner," said the 
 parson, "and he mixed his wine with water." The 
 lad did not think this a very wicked deed ; "and 
 when he has paid for it with his life," said he, 
 " they might as well let him lie in Christian ground 
 and leave him in peace after death." But the par 
 son said that could not be permitted on any account, 
 for they would have to get people to break him out 
 of the ice; and money would be wanted to buy 
 burial ground from the church ; the grave-digger 
 would want payment for the grave, the owner of 
 the church for the bells, the clerk for the singing, 
 and the parson for casting earth on the coffin. 
 
 "Do you think there is anybody who will pay 
 all this for an executed sinner?" he asked. 
 
 " Yes," said the lad. If he could only get him 
 underground, he would pay all the funeral expenses 
 out of the little he had. 
 
 The parson was still unwilling to bury him ; but 
 when the lad came with two men, and asked him in 
 their presence to perform the ceremony, he an 
 swered that he dared not refuse. So they broke 
 the vintner out of his block of ice and put him in 
 Christian ground ; they tolled the bells, and sang 
 over him, and the parson cast the earth upon the 
 coffin, and they drank of the funeral ale till they 
 both cried and laughed. When the lad had paid 
 all the expenses he had not many pennies left in his 
 pocket. 
 
 He set out on the road again. ,But he had not 
 gone far, before a man came after him and asked 
 
-ml 
 
 .. When the Parson came out of the Church, the lad asked him what it all 
 meant Page 213. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 215 
 
 him if he did not think it was lonely to be traveling 
 by himself. 
 
 No, the lad did not find it lonely for he had 
 always something to think about, he said. 
 
 The man then asked if he did not want a servant. 
 
 " No," said the lad, " I am accustomed to be my 
 own servant, and therefore I do not want any ; but 
 if I wanted one ever so much, I could not afford to 
 have one, for I have no money to pay for his food 
 
 or wages." 
 
 " You want a servant ; that I know better than 
 you." said the man, "and you will want one you 
 can rely upon in life and death. If you will not 
 have me as your servant you can take me as a com 
 panion. I promise you that you will find me use 
 ful and it shall not cost you a penny. I ll pay my 
 own way, and food and clothing you need not 
 trouble about." 
 
 Well, on those terms he would willingly have him 
 for a companion, and after that they traveled to 
 gether, the man mostly going on in front and 
 showing him the way. When they had traveled 
 a long way over hills and dales through many 
 countries they came to a mountain that lay across 
 the road. 
 
 There the companion knocked and asked them to 
 open. The rock opened for them, and when they 
 came far into the mountain a troll woman came 
 and offered them a stool. 
 
 " Won t you take a seat ? You must be tired," 
 she said. 
 
216 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "Take a seat yourself ?" said the man. So she 
 had to sit down ; but when she had done so, she 
 stuck fast to the stool, for it was such that it did 
 not let go anything that came near it. In the 
 meantime they walked about inside the mountain 
 and the companion looked around him till he saw a 
 sword which hung over the door. 
 
 He wanted this very much, and if he could have 
 it he promised the troll woman that he would let 
 her loose. 
 
 "No," she cried, "ask me for anything else! 
 You can have everything but that, for it is my 
 Three-Sis ter-S word !" There were three sisters 
 who owned it together. 
 
 " Well, then you must sit here till the end of the 
 world," said the man ; but when she heard this she 
 said that he could have it if he would set her free. 
 So he took the sword and went away with it, but 
 he left her sitting on the stool all the same. 
 
 When they had gone far across some bare moun 
 tains and broad hills, they came to another mountain 
 that lay across the road. There the companion 
 knocked and asked them to open. It happened as 
 before ; the rock opened for them and when they 
 got far into the mountain there came a troll woman 
 with a stool and asked them to sit down ; they 
 might be tired, she said. 
 
 " Sit down yourself," said the companion ; and 
 she fared just as her sister had fared. When she 
 sat down on the stool, she stuck fast to it. In the 
 meantime the lad and the companion walked about 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 217 
 
 inside the mountain, and the companion opened all 
 the cupboards and drawers till he found what he 
 searched for. It was a ball of gold yarn. He 
 wanted this very much, and he promised the troll 
 woman that if she would give it him he would let 
 her loose. She said he could have all she pos 
 sessed, but he would not part with that for it was 
 her Three-Sister-Ball. But when she heard that 
 she would have to sit there till the day of judgment 
 if he did not get it, she said he might take it after 
 all if only she would set her free. The companion 
 took the ball, but he let her sit where she was. 
 
 So they went for many days over hills and 
 through forests, till they came to a mountain that 
 lay across the road. The same thing happened as 
 before ; the companion knocked, the rock opened, 
 and inside the mountain a troll woman came with a 
 stool and asked them to sit down, for they might 
 be tired. 
 
 But the companion said, " Sit down yourself !" 
 and there she sat. They had not gone through 
 many rooms before the companion saw an old hat, 
 which hung on a peg behind the door. He wanted 
 that very much, but the troll woman did not want 
 to part with it, for it was her Three- Sister-Hat, 
 and if she gave it a way she would be most unhappy. 
 But when she heard that she would have to sit 
 there till the end of the world if he did not get it, 
 she said he might take it if he only let her loose. 
 No sooner had the companion got the hat than he 
 told her to remain sitting where she was, just like 
 her sisters. 
 
218 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 After a long time they came to a fiord. Then 
 the companion took the ball of gold yarn, and threw 
 it so hard against the mountain on the other side of 
 the fiord that it came back to him again ; and when 
 he had thrown it across a few times it became a 
 bridge. They went across the fiord on this bridge, 
 and when they got to the other side the man asked 
 the lad to wind up the yarn again as fast as he 
 could. " For if we do not wind it up quickly the 
 troll women will be upon us and tear us to pieces. 7 
 The lad wound up the yarn as quickly as he could, 
 and just as he got to the end the troll women came 
 rushing along. They dashed into the water so that 
 the foam surged round them, and tried to snatch the 
 end ; but they could not manage to get hold of it, 
 and so they were drowned in the fiord. 
 
 When they had walked on for some days the 
 companion said : 
 
 " We shall soon come to the castle where the 
 princess lives about whom you dreamed, and when 
 we get there you must go in and tell the king your 
 dream, and whom it is you seek." 
 
 When they got there the lad did so, and he was 
 well received by the king. He got a room for him 
 self and one for his companion, and when the time 
 for dinner came he was invited to the king s own 
 table. When he saw the princess he recognized her 
 at once, and saw that she was the one about whom 
 he had dreamed, and whom he should have. He 
 told her his errand, and she answered she liked him 
 and would willingly have him, but first he must go 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 219 
 
 through three trials. So when they had dined she 
 gave him a pair of gold scissors, and said : 
 
 " The first trial is that you take these and keep 
 taera, and give me them back to-morrow at dinner 
 time. It is not a difficult trial, I should think," she 
 said, with a grin, " but if you cannot do that you 
 Avill lose your life. That is the law here, and you 
 will be broken on the wheel and your head stuck 
 on a stake, just like the suitors whose skulls you see 
 outside the windows," for there hung human skulls 
 round about the palace like crows on the fences in 
 the autumn. 
 
 " There s not much difficulty in that," thought 
 the lad. But the princess was so merry and bois 
 terous and romped so much with him that he for 
 got both the scissors and himself ; and while they 
 were in the midst of the romping she stole the 
 scissors from him without his knowing it. When 
 he got up to his room in the evening and told his 
 companion what had happened, and what the 
 princess had said about the scissors which she gave 
 him to keep, the companion said : 
 
 " Of course, you have the scissors she gave you ?" 
 
 He felt in all his pockets, but there were no 
 scissors, and the lad became greatly troubled when 
 he found they were gone. 
 
 " Well^ well, you must be patient and I ll try and 
 get them back for you," said the companion. He 
 then went down to the stable, where there was a 
 big, fat goat which belonged to the princess, and 
 which could fly many times more quickly through 
 the air than it could run over the ground. 
 
220 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 Then he took the Three-Sister-Sword and gave 
 the goat a blow between the horns with it and said : 
 
 " "When does the princess ride to her sweetheart 
 to-night ?" 
 
 The goat bleated and said he dared not tell, but 
 when he got another blow he said the princess would 
 be there at eleven o clock. The companion put on 
 the Three-Sister-Hat and became invisible and then 
 waited till she came. The princess took some salve 
 
 aich she had in a big horn and rubbed the goat 
 
 th it and said : 
 
 " Through air, through air, over roofs and spires, 
 over land, over water, over hills, over dales, to my 
 sweetheart, who awaits me in the mountain to 
 night !" 
 
 Just as the goat set off, the companion jumped up 
 behind, and away they went like the wind through 
 the air. They were not long on the way. All of a 
 sudden they came to a mountain ; there she knocked 
 and in they rushed to the troll, who was her sweet 
 heart. 
 
 " Another suitor has arrived and wants to marry 
 me, my dear. He is young and handsome, but I 
 will have none other than you," she said, making up 
 to the troll. " So I put him on trial and here are 
 the scissors he was to look after. Now you must 
 take care of them," she said. Then they laughed 
 heartily, as if they already had the lad on wheel 
 and stake. 
 
 " Yes, I shall mind them and look after them, and 
 I shall sleep in the arms of my bride when the raven 
 is picking the bones of the lad," said the troll. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 221 
 
 Then he placed the scissors in an iron chest with 
 three locks to it ; but just as he dropped the scissors 
 into the chest the companion took them. No one 
 could see him, for he had on the Three-Sister-Hat, 
 and the troll thus locked the chest on nothing. The 
 keys he hid in the hole of one of his back teeth, in 
 which he had the toothache. It would be a difficult 
 job to find them there, he thought. 
 
 Soon after midnight the princess set out for the 
 palace again. The companion sat behind her on th 
 goat and they were not long in getting home. 
 
 Next day the lad was asked to dinner at the king 
 table, but the princess gave herself such mincing 
 airs, and was so stuck up and proud, she would 
 scarcely look at the lad. When they had dined she 
 put on her Sunday expression and said with a 
 simper : 
 
 " I suppose you have the scissors I gave you to 
 keep yesterday ?" 
 
 " Yes, I have ! Here they are !" said the lad, tak 
 ing them out and banging them on the table so that 
 it bounded from the floor. 
 
 The princess could not have been more angry had 
 he struck her in the face with them ; but notwith 
 standing this she made herself pleasant and gentle 
 and said : 
 
 " Since you have looked after the scissors so well, 
 it will not be difficult for you to keep my ball of 
 gold yarn. You can give it me back to-morrow at 
 dinner-time ; but if you haven t got it you will lose 
 your life. That is the law here." 
 
222 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " There s not much difficulty about that," thought 
 the lad, and took the ball and put it in his pocket. 
 But she began again to romp and play with him, so 
 that he forgot both himself and the ball ; and when 
 
 they were in the midst of the romping she stole it 
 
 from him and let him go. 
 
 "When he got up to his room and told all they had 
 
 said and done the companion said : 
 
 " Of course you have the ball she gave you ?" 
 " Yes, that I have," said the lad, and felt in his 
 
 pocket ; but no, he had no ball, and he became so 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 223 
 
 troubled again that he did not know what to do with 
 himself. 
 
 " Well, be patient ! I must try and get it for 
 you," said the companion. He then took the sword 
 and the hat and set off to a smith and got a hun 
 dred weight of iron welded on to the sword. When 
 he came to the stable he gave the goat such a blow 
 between the horns that it staggered, and then he 
 asked it when the princess would ride to her sweet 
 heart that night. 
 
 " At twelve o clock," bleated the goat. 
 
 The companion put on the Three-Sister-Hat again 
 and waited till she came rushing in with the horn 
 and rubbed the goat with the salve. She then said 
 the same as the first time. 
 
 " Through air, through air, over roofs and spires, 
 over land, over water, over hills, over dales, to my 
 sweetheart, who awaits me in the mountain 
 to-night." 
 
 Sust as they set off the companion jumped up 
 behind on the goat and away they went like the 
 wind through the air. 
 
 As soon as they came to the troll mountain she 
 knocked three times, and in they rushed to the troll, 
 who was her sweetheart. 
 
 " Wherever did you put the scissors I gave you 
 yesterday, my dear ?" said the princess ; " my suitor 
 had got them back and gave them to me again." 
 
 "That can t be possible," said the troll, for he 
 had locked the chest with three locks and hidden 
 the keys in the hole in his back tooth. But when 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 they unlocked the chest they saw the troll had no 
 scissors there. The princess then told him she had 
 given the suitor her ball of gold yarn. 
 
 " Here it is," she said, " for I took it from him 
 again without his knowing it. But what had we 
 better think of since he can do such tricks ?" 
 
 The troll did not quite know, but when they had 
 thought it over a bit they decided to make a big 
 fire and burn the ball; they would then be sure he 
 would not get it. Just as she threw the ball into 
 the fire the companion stood ready and caught it. 
 Neither of them saw it, for he had the Three-Sister- 
 Hat on. When the princess had been with the troll 
 awhile and the day began to dawn she set off to 
 the palace again ; the companion sat behind her on 
 the goat and they got home both quickly and well. 
 
 "When the lad was asked to Dinner the companion 
 gave him the ball. The pririuess was still more 
 stuck up and proud than on the day before, and 
 when they had finished she pouted and said : 
 
 " I suppose I may have back my ball which I 
 gave you to k^e^ vesterday ?" 
 
 u Yes," sa^ . .^d, "that you may. Here it 
 is !" and he threw it down with such force that the 
 table gave a jump and the king leaped into the air. 
 
 The princess turned as white as a ghost, but she 
 soon recovered herself and said that was well done ; 
 and now there was only one little trial left. 
 
 "If you are so clever that you can bring me 
 to-morrow at dinner-time what I am now thinking 
 about you shall have me and keep me," she said. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 225 
 
 The lad felt as if he had been condemned to death, 
 for he thought it was impossible to know what she 
 was thinking about and still more impossible to get 
 it. When he came to his room he was so excited he 
 could not keep still. The companion said if he would 
 be quiet he would find a way out of the difficulty as 
 he had done before, and at last the lad was pacified 
 and lay down to sleep. 
 
 In the meantime the companion rushed off to the 
 smith and had two hundredweight of iron welded 
 to the sword ; when that was done he went to the 
 stable and struck the goat between the horns with 
 it so that it staggered from wall to wall. 
 
 " When is the princess going to her sweetheart 
 to-night?" said he. 
 
 " At one o clock," bleated the goat. 
 
 When the time came fl e companion stood in the 
 stable with the Three-Sister-Hat on, and when the 
 princess had rubbed the goat with the salve and 
 uttered the same words as before that they should 
 fly to her sweetheart, who was waiting for her in the 
 mountain, she set off through the air and \wnd with 
 the companion again behind her. But this time he 
 was not so gentle with the princess, for every now 
 and then he thumped her so that he almost maimed 
 ler. When they came to the mountain she knocked 
 tt the gate, which opened and they rushed in to her 
 Sweetheart. 
 
 When she got there she began to moan and groan 
 JIIH! said she did not know if the weather could 
 have been so bad, but both she and the goat had 
 
226 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 been beaten by some one and she was sure she musl 
 be black and blue all over, so badly had she farec 
 on the way. She then told him how her suitor hac 
 given her back the ball also, but neither she nor the 
 troll could make out how it had happened. 
 
 " But do you know what I have thought of now ? 
 she said. 
 
 No, that the troll could not tell. 
 
 " Well, I have told him to bring me by dinner 
 time to-morrow that which I was thinking of anc 
 that was your head ! Do you think he can get that 
 my dear ?" said the princess, and began fondling the 
 troll. 
 
 " I don t think he can," said the troll ; that he 
 would take his oath on ; so he laughed and roarec 
 worse than a bogie; and both the troll and the 
 princess thought the lad was more likely to adorr 
 the wheel and stake, with the ravens to peck his eyes 
 out, than to get hold of the troll s head. 
 
 When it got toward morning she began to gel 
 ready to set out for the palace ; but she was afraid 
 she said. She thought there was some one after hei 
 and she dared not go home alone ; the troll must gc 
 with her. Yes, he would, so he brought out his 
 goat, for he had one just like the princess and he 
 rubbed it well between the horns with the salve, 
 When he had seated himself the companion got up 
 behind him and off they went through the air to the 
 palace ; but on the way the companion struck the 
 troll and the goat time after time, and gave them 
 blow after blow with his sword, till at last they sank 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 227 
 
 lower and lower and at last they nearly sank into 
 the ocean across which they were passing. When 
 the troll saw that things were going so badly he 
 hastened on to the palace with the princess, but 
 stopped to see that she got in well and safely. But 
 just as she shut the door behind her the companion 
 cut off the troll s head and ran up to the lad s room 
 with it. 
 
 "Here is that which the princess thought of," 
 said he. 
 
 The lad was, as you can imagine, in high spirits, 
 and when he was asked down to dinner next day and 
 they had finished eating^ the princess became as 
 blithe as a lark. 
 
 " I suppose you have that which I thought of," 
 said she. 
 
 " Indeed, I have," said the lad, and pulled out the 
 head from under the tail of his coat and struck the 
 table with it, so that the table and everything on it 
 fell over. 
 
 The princess became as pale as a corpse, but she 
 could not deny that that was what she had thought 
 of, and now he might have her for his wife as she 
 had promised. 
 
 The wedding was then kept and there was great 
 rejoicing over the whole kingdom. The companion 
 took the lad aside and told him that he must shut 
 his eyes and pretend to sleep on the wedding night, 
 but if he valued his life and would obey him, he must 
 not have a wink of sleep before he had rid the prin 
 cess of the troll-skin with which she was covered. 
 
22S FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH; 
 
 He would have to flog it off her with a rod made of 
 nine new birch besoms and strip her of it in three 
 tubs of milk. First he was to scrub her in a tub of 
 last year s whey, then he was to rub her in sour 
 milk and then rinse her in a tub of new milk. The 
 besoms lay under the bed and the tubs he had 
 placed in the corner, so everything was ready for 
 him. 
 
 " Yes, the lad promised that he would obey him, 
 and do what he had said. When they went to bed 
 in the evening the lad pretended to sleep. The 
 princess raised herself on her elbow and tickled him 
 under the nose to see if he slept, but the lad seemed 
 to sleep soundly. She then pulled him by his hair 
 and beard, but he slept like a log, as she thought. 
 Then she dragged out from under her pillow a large 
 butcher s knife, and was going to cut his head off, 
 when the lad sprang up, struck the knife out of her 
 hand, and seized hold of her by the hair. He 
 flogged her with the birch-rods till they were worn 
 out and there was not a twig left of them. "When 
 this was done, he threw her into the tub of whey, 
 and then he saw what sort of a creature she was. 
 She was as black as a raven all over her body, but 
 when he had scrubbed her in the whey and rubbed 
 her with the sour milk, and rinsed her in the new 
 milk, the troll-skin was gone and she was as gentle 
 and beautiful as she had never been before. 
 
 The next day the companion said they must set 
 off home. The lad was* quite willing and the 
 princess also, for her dowry had been ready a long 
 
44 Now they must part forever," said the companion. Page 229. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 229 
 
 time. During the night the companion had 
 brought all the gold and silver and valuables, which 
 had belonged to the troll in the mountain, to the 
 palace; and when they were ready to set out the 
 next day, they found the courtyard so full of things 
 they could hardly move. That dowry was worth 
 more than the king s realm, and they could not tell 
 how they were to take it with them. But the com 7 
 panion knew a way, out of every difficulty ; there 
 were six goats belonging to the troll, which could 
 all fly through the air; and these they loaded so 
 heavily with gold and silver that they had to walk 
 along the ground, as they were unable to rise in the 
 air and fly, and what the goats could not carry they 
 had to leave behind at the palace. 
 
 So they traveled far and further than far, till the 
 goats at last became so tired and worn out that they 
 were unable to go any further. The lad and the 
 princess did not know what to do, but when 
 the companion saw they could not get on, he took 
 the whole dowry on his back and the goats on the 
 top and carried them all till there was only a mile 
 left to the lad s home. Then the companion said : 
 " Is"ow I must leave you, I cannot remain with you 
 any longer/ But the lad would not part with him ; 
 he would not lose him for little or much. So he 
 went with them another half-mile, but further he 
 could not go, and when the lad begged and prayed 
 him to stop with him, or at least be present at the 
 home-coming at his father s, the companion said no, 
 that he could not. The lad then asked him what he 
 
230 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 owed him for all his help and assistance. If it was 
 to be anything, it must be the half of everything 
 he got during the next five years, said the com 
 panion. 
 
 Yes, that he should have. 
 
 When he was gone the lad left all his riches 
 behind him and went home enjpty-handed. 
 
 They then had such a home-coming festival that 
 it was heard and spoken of over seven kingdoms, and 
 when it was at an end the winter had set in ; and 
 then they began to cart home all the gold and silver, 
 both with the goats and the twelve horses which 
 his father had. 
 
 In five years the companion came back for his 
 share. The man had then everything divided into 
 two equal parts. 
 
 "But there is one thing which you have not 
 divided," said the companion. 
 
 " What is that ?" said the man. " I thought I had 
 divided everything." 
 
 " You have a child," said the companion ; " you 
 must divide that also in two." 
 
 " Yes, that was true enough. So he took the 
 sword ; but just as he lifted it to cleave the child in 
 two, the companion seized the point of the sword 
 from behind, so that he could not strike. 
 
 " Are you not glad that I stopped you from 
 striking that blow ?" he said. 
 
 " Yes, I have never been so glad," said the man. 
 
 " Well, I was just as glad when you lifted me 
 out of the block of ice. Keep everything you have ! 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 231 
 
 I do not want anything, for I am a floating spirit." 
 He was the vintner who had stood in the block of 
 ice outside the church door, and whom all had spat 
 upon ; and he had been his companion and helped 
 him because he had given all he had to provide him 
 peace and get him buried in Christian soil. He had 
 been allowed to follow him for a year, and that was 
 over when they parted the last time. But he had 
 been allowed to see him again> and now they must 
 part forever, for he heard the bells of heaven ring 
 ing for him. 
 
</ 
 
 NANNY WHO 
 
 WOULDN T GO 
 HOME TO 
 
 SUPPER 
 
 THERE was once upon a 
 time a woman who had a 
 son and a goat. The son 
 was called Espen and the 
 goat they called Nanny. 
 But they were not good 
 friends, and did not get 
 on together, for the goat 
 was perverse and way- 
 U ward, as goats will be, and 
 
 >^V she would never go home 
 *.. at the right time for her 
 supper. So it happened 
 one evening that Espen 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 233 
 
 went out to fetch her home, and when he had been 
 looking for her awhile he saw Nanny high, high up 
 on a crag : 
 
 " My dear Nanny, you must not stay any longer 
 up there; you must come home now, it is just 
 supper time. I am so hungry and want my supper." 
 
 " No, I shan t," said Nanny, " not before I have 
 finished the grass on this tussock, and that tussock 
 and this and that tussock." 
 
 " Then I ll go and tell mother," said the lad. 
 
 " That you may, and then I shall be left to eat in 
 peace," said Nanny. 
 
 So Espen went and told his mother. 
 
 " Go to the fox and ask him to bite Nanny," said 
 his mother. 
 
 The lad went to the fox. " My dear fox, bite 
 Nanny, for Nanny won t come home in time. I am 
 so hungry, and I want my supper," said Espen. 
 
 "No, I don t want to spoil my snout on pig s 
 bristles and goat s beard," said the fox. 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " AY ell, go to the wolf," said his mother. 
 
 The lad went to the wolf : " My dear wolf, tear 
 the fox, for the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny 
 won t come home in time. I am so hungry, and I 
 want my supper." 
 
 " No," said the wolf, " I won t wear out my paws 
 and teeth on a skinny fox." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 Well, go to the bear and ask him to slay the 
 wolf," said the mother. 
 
234 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 The lad went to the bear. " My dear bear, slay 
 the wolf, for the wolf won t tear the fox, and the 
 fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny won t come 
 home in time. I am so hungry and want my 
 supper." 
 
 " No, that I won t," said the bear ; " I don t want 
 to wear out rny claws for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the Finn and ask him to shoot the 
 bear." 
 
 The lad went to the Finn. " My dear Finn, shoot 
 the bear, for the bear won t slay the wolf, the wolf 
 won t tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, and 
 Nanny won t come home in time. I am so hungry 
 and want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the Finn ; " I am not going 
 to shoot away my bullets for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told,his mother. 
 
 "Well, go to the fir," said his mother, "and ask 
 it to crush the Finn." 
 
 "The lad went to the fir tree: "My dear fir, 
 crush the Finn, for the Finn won t shoot the bear, 
 the bear won t slay the wolf, the wolf won t tear 
 the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny 
 won t come home in time. I am so hungry and 
 want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the fir; " I am not going to 
 break my boughs for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the fire," said his mother, " and ask 
 it to burn the fir." 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 The lad went to the fire : " My dear fire, burn t r e 
 fir, for the fir won t crush the Finn, the Finn won t 
 shoot the bear, the bear won t slay the wolf, the 
 wolf won t tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, 
 and Nanny won t come home in time. I am so 
 hungry and want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the fire; " I am not going 
 to burn myself out for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 "Well, go to the water, and ask it to quench the 
 fire," she said. 
 
 The lad went to the water. "My dear water, 
 quench the fire, for the fire won t burn the fir, the 
 fir won t crush t>~ Finn, the Finn won t shoot the 
 bear, the bear won t slay the wolf, the wolf won t 
 tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny 
 won t come home in time. I am so hungry and 
 want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the water; " I am not going 
 to waste myself for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother: 
 
 " Well, go to the ox," said she, " and ask him to 
 drink up the water." 
 
 The lad went to the ox: "My dear ox, drink up 
 the water, for the water won t quench the fire, the 
 fire won t burn the fir, the fir won t crush the Finn, 
 the Finn won t shoot the bear, the bear won t slay 
 the wolf, the wolf won t tear the fox, the fox won t 
 bite Nanny, and Nanny won t come home in time. 
 I am so hungry and want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the ox ; "I am not going 
 to burst myself for that." 
 
236 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the yoke," said she, " and ask it to 
 throttle the ox." 
 
 The lad went to the yoke. "My dear yoke, 
 throttle the ox, for the ox won t drink the water, 
 the water won t quench the fire, the fire won t burn 
 the fir, the fir won t crush the Finn, the Finn won t 
 shoot the bear, the bear won t slay the wolf, the 
 wolf won t tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, 
 and Nanny won t come home in time. I am so 
 hungry and want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the yoke; " I am not going 
 to break myself in two for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well go to the ax," said she, " and tell it to split 
 the yoke." 
 
 The lad went to the ax. " My dear ax, split the 
 yoke, for the yoke won t throttle the ox, the ox 
 won t drink the water, the water won t quench the 
 fire, the fire won t burn the fir, the fir won t crush 
 the Finn, the Finn won t shoot the bear, the bear 
 won t slay the wolf, the wolf won t tear the fox, 
 the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny won t come 
 home in time. I am so hungry and want my 
 supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the ax ; "I am not going 
 to blunt my edge for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the smith," said she, " and ask him 
 to hammer the ax." 
 
 The lad went to the smith. "My dear smith, 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 237 
 
 hammer the ax, for the ax won t split the yoke, the 
 yoke won t throttle the ox, the ox won t drink the 
 water, the water won t quench the fire, the fire 
 won t burn the fir, the fir won t crush the Finn, the 
 Finn won t shoot the bear, the bear won t slay the 
 wolf, the wolf won t tear the fox, the fox won t 
 bite Nanny, and Nanny won t come home in time. 
 I am so hungry and want my supper." 
 
 "]S T o, I will not," said the smith; "I ll not burn 
 my coals and wear out my sledge-hammers for 
 that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the rope," said she, " and ask it to 
 hang the smith." 
 
 The lad went to the rope. " My dear rope, hang 
 the smith, for the smith won t hammer the ax, the 
 ax won t split the yoke, the yoke won t throttle the 
 ox, the ox won t drink the water, the water won t 
 quench the fire, the fire won t burn the fir, the fir 
 won t crush the Finn, the Finn won t shoot the 
 bear, the bear won t slay the wolf, the wolf won t 
 tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny 
 won t come home in time. I am so hungry and 
 want my supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the rope; "I am not going 
 to break in two for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the mouse, said she, " and ask her to 
 gnaw the rope." 
 
 The lad went to the mouse. " My dear mouse, 
 gnaw the rope, for the rope won t hang the smith, 
 
238 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 the smith won t hammer the ax, the ax won t split 
 the yoke, the yoke won t throttle the ox, the ox 
 won t drink the water, the water won t quench the 
 fire, the fire won t burn the fir, the fir won t crush 
 the Finn, the Finn won t shoot the bear, the bear 
 won t slay the wolf, the wolf won t tear the fox, 
 the fox won t bite Nanny, and Nanny won t come 
 home in time. I am so hungry and want my 
 supper." 
 
 " No, I will not," said the mouse ; " I am not 
 going to wear out my teeth for that." 
 
 So the lad went and told his mother. 
 
 " Well, go to the cat," said she, " and ask her to 
 catch the mouse." 
 
 The lad went to the cat. " My dear cat, batch the 
 mouse, for the mouse won t gnaw the rope, the rope- 
 won t hang the smith, the smith won t hammer the 
 ax, the ax won t split . the yoke, the yoke won t 
 throttle the ox, the ox won t drink the water, the 
 water won t quench the fire, the fire won t burn the 
 fir, the fir won t crush the Finn, the Finn won t 
 shoot the bear, the bear won t slay the wolf, the 
 wolf won t tear the fox, the fox won t bite Nanny, 
 and Nanny won t come home in time. I am so 
 hungry and want my supper." 
 
 " Yes, but givd me a drop of milk for my kittens 
 and then " said the cat. 
 
 " Yes, that sha should have. So the cat caught 
 the mouse, and the mouse gnawed the ropq, and the 
 rope hanged the smith, and the smith hammered the 
 ax, and the ax split the yoke, and the yoke throttled 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 239 
 
 the ox, and the ox drank the water, and the water 
 quenched the fire, and the fire burned the fir, and 
 the fir crushed the Finn 5 and the Finn shot the bear, 
 
 and the bear slew the wolf, and the wolf tore the 
 fox, and the fox bit Nanny, and Nanny took to her 
 heels, scampered home, and ran against the barn 
 wall and broke one of her legs. 
 
240 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " M a h a h !" bleated the goat. There she 
 lay, and if she isn t dead she is still limping about on 
 three legs. But Espen said it served her right, be 
 cause she would not come home in time for supper 
 that day. 
 
THE LAD WITH THE BEER KEG. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a lad who had served 
 a long time with a man north of Dovrefjeld. This 
 man was a master at brewing beer, and it was so 
 wonderfully good that the like of it was not to be 
 found anywhere. When the lad was going to leave 
 and the man was to pay him the wages he had 
 earned he would not have anything but a keg of the 
 Christmas beer. That he got and off he went with 
 it, and he carried it both far and long. But the 
 longer he carried the keg the heavier it got, and so 
 he began to look round to see if any one were com 
 ing with whom he could drink, so that the beer 
 might get less and the keg lighter. 
 
 After a long time he met an old man with a long 
 beard. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the man. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the lad. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the man. 
 
 " I m looking for some one to drink with me, so 
 that 1 can get my keg lightened," said the lad. 
 
 " Can t you drink with me just as well as with any 
 one else," said the man. " I have traveled far and 
 wide, so I am both tired and thirsty." 
 
 " Well, why not ?" said the lad. " But where do 
 you come from and who are you ?" said he. 
 
242 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "I am the Lord and I come from heaven," said 
 the man. 
 
 " I will not drink with you," said the lad, " for 
 you make such a difference between people in this 
 world, and divide everything so unjustly, that some 
 become rich and some poor. No, I will not drink 
 with you," said he, and trudged off again with his 
 keg. 
 
 When he had gone a bit on the way the keg again 
 became so heavy that he could not carry it any 
 longer unless some one came to drink with him and 
 
 O 
 
 lessen the beer in the keg. lie then met an ugly, 
 bony man, who came rushing along. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the man. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the lad. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the man. 
 
 " Oh, I m looking for some one to drink with me, 
 so that I can lighten my keg," said the boy. 
 
 " Can t you drink just as well with me as with any 
 one else ?" said the man. " I have traveled far and 
 wide and a drop of beer will do an old body good," 
 said he. 
 
 " Yes, why not ?" said the lad, " but who are you 
 and where do you come from ?" he asked. 
 
 " I ? Oh, I am well known. I am the Devil and 
 I come from hell," said the man. 
 
 " No," said the lad, " you only torture and plague 
 people, and whenever there is a misfortune they 
 always say it is your fault. No, I will not drink 
 with you," said the lad. So he went far and further 
 than far with his beer keg, till he felt it growing so 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 243 
 
 heavy he could not carry it any further. He began 
 to look round again if some one were not coming 
 with whom he could drink and so lighten his keg. 
 
 After a long time there came a man who was so 
 thin and shriveled it was a wonder his bones could 
 hang together. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the man. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the lad. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said the man. 
 
 " I m looking to see if I can find some one to drink 
 with me," said the lad, " so as to lighten my keg a 
 little ; it is getting so heavy to carry," said he. 
 
244 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Can t you just as well drink with me as with 
 any one else ?" said the man. 
 
 " Yes ; why not ?" said the lad ; " but who are 
 you ?" . 
 
 " They call me Death," said the man. 
 
 " I will drink with you," said the lad, and he put 
 down the keg and began to pour out the beer into 
 a bowl. "You are a trustworthy man, for you 
 treat all alike, both rich and poor." 
 
 So he drank his health, and Death thought it was 
 a splendid drink ; and as the lad did not begrudge 
 him, they drank in turn, so the beer got less and 
 the keg lighter. At last Death said : 
 
 " I have never known drink which tasted better 
 and did me so much good as the beer you have given 
 me. I feel as if I had been born anew. I don t 
 know what good I can do you in return." When 
 he had bethought himself awhile he said that the 
 keg should never get empty, no matter how much 
 they drank of it ; and the beer that was in it should 
 become a healing draught, so that the lad should 
 cure the sick better than any doctor. Death also 
 said that when the lad came into a sick-room he 
 would always be there and show himself to him, 
 and it should be a sure sign to him that when Death 
 sat at the foot of the bed he would be able to cure 
 the sick with a draught from the keg, but if he sat 
 at the head there was no help or cure for the sick 
 person. 
 
 The lad soon became renowned, and was sent for 
 far and wide, and he helped many to health again 
 for whom there had been no hope. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 245 
 
 When he came into a room and saw Death beside 
 the sick he foretold either life or death, and he was 
 always right in his prediction. He became a rich 
 and mighty man, and one day he was fetched to a 
 princess far away in another land. She was so 
 dangerously ill that the doctors thought they could 
 do no more for her, so they promised him anything 
 he might wish for if he only saved her life. 
 
 When he came into the princess room he found 
 Death sitting at the head of the bed, but he sat 
 dozing and nodding, and while he sat thus the 
 princess felt better. 
 
 " This is a case of life or death," said the doctor, 
 " and there is no hope, if I see rightly," he said ; 
 but they told him he must save her if it should cost 
 even the whole kingdom. He then looked at 
 Death, and while he was sitting dozing he made a 
 sign to the servants that they should make haste 
 and turn the bed. So Death was left sitting at the 
 foot of it, and as soon as that was done he gave the 
 princess the healing draught, and she was saved. 
 
 i; ]S"ow you ve cheated me," said Death, "and we 
 are quits." 
 
 " I was obliged to do it if I were to win the king 
 dom," said the doctor. 
 
 " That will not help you much," said Death ; 
 "your time is up, and now you belong to 
 me." 
 
 " Let that be as it may," said the doctor ; " but I 
 suppose you ll first give me leave to read the Lord s 
 Prayer to the end," said he. 
 
246 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 Yes, that he would; but the doctor took great 
 care not to read the Lord s Prayer. He read every 
 thing else, but the Lord s Prayer never crossed his 
 lips. At last he thought he had cheated Death for 
 good ; but when Death thought this had gone on 
 too long, he went to the doctor s room one night 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. HI 
 
 and hung up a large tablet opposite his bed with 
 the Lord s Prayer on it. 
 
 When the doctor awoke he began reading it, and 
 did not bethink himself of what he was doing till 
 he came to " Amen." But then it was too late. 
 
LITTLE FEED AND HIS FIDDLE. 
 
 I 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a cottager who had 
 an only son, and this lad was rather weak and 
 always ailing, so he was not able to 1 go out to work. 
 His name was Fred, but being rather small for his 
 age he was generally called Little Fred. At home 
 there wasn t much to bite or to munch either, so 
 his father went about the parish to get a place for 
 him as a cowboy or an errand boy. 
 
 But nobody wanted a lad until he came to the 
 bailiff of the parish ; he would take him as he had 
 just turned away his errand boy, and there was no 
 one who cared to go to him, because every one said 
 he was a stingy old miser. " Something is better 
 than nothing," thought the father ; in any case he 
 would get his food, for that was all he was going to 
 have from the bailiff. There wasn t a word said 
 about clothes or wages. 
 
 But when the lad had been there three years he 
 wanted to leave, and so the bailiff paid him his 
 wages for the time he had been with him. He was 
 to have a penny a year. " It couldn t very well be 
 less," said the bailiff, so he paid the lad three pen 
 nies altogether. Little Fred, however, thought it 
 was a lot of money, because he had never owned so 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 249 
 
 much before ; but he asked if he wasn t going to 
 have some more, for all that. 
 
 " You have got more than you ought to have/ 
 said the bailiff. 
 
 " Shan t I have anything for clothes, then ?" said 
 Little Fred. " Those I had on when I came here are 
 now all in rags, and I haven t had any new ones 
 from you. I have only rags and tatters flapping 
 and dangling about me," said he. 
 
 " When you have got what we agreed upon, and 
 the three pennies besides, I have nothing more to 
 do with you," said the bailiff. But he might go 
 out into the kitchen and get a little food in his 
 knapsack, and then he started off along the road to 
 town to buy clothes. He was both merry and glad, 
 because he had never seen a penny before, and he 
 couldn t help feeling in his pocket now and then to 
 see if they were all three there. 
 
 So when he had gone far, and further than far, 
 he came to a narrow valley with high mountains on 
 all sides ; so he didn t know which way to get on, 
 and he began to wonder what there could be on the 
 other side of the mountains and how he should get 
 over them. But get over them he must, and so he 
 started. He wasn t very strong, and had to rest 
 now and then, and he would then count over his 
 money to see how much he had. 
 
 When he got to the top of the mountain he found 
 there was nothing but a great big moor. There he 
 sat down, and was just going to see if had his pen 
 nies all right when a beggar came up to him before 
 
250 FAIRY *TALES FROM HE FAR NORTH. 
 
 he knew a thing about it ; but the beggar was so 
 tall and big that the lad began to scream when he 
 really saw what a big and long fellow he 
 was. 
 
 " Don t you be afraid of me," said the beggar ; 
 " I shan t hurt you. I only beg for a penny in 
 heaven s name." 
 
 " God help me," said the lad ; " I have only three 
 pennies, and I was just going to town to buy some 
 clothes with them." 
 
 " It is worse with me than with you," said the 
 beggar ; " I haven t got a penny, and I am still 
 more ragged than you." 
 
 " Well, I suppose you must have it, then," said 
 the lad. 
 
 When he had walked on a bit he became tired 
 and sat down to take another rest. When he 
 looked up there was a beggar again, but this one 
 was much bigger and uglier than the first, and 
 when the lad saw how big and ugly he was he began 
 to scream. 
 
 "Don t be afraid of me; I shan t hurt you. I 
 only beg for a penny in heaven s name," said the 
 beggar. 
 
 "Well, God help me !" said the lad, " as true as I 
 am here, I have only got two pennies, and I was 
 just going to town to buy some clothes with them. 
 If only I had met you sooner, I " 
 
 " It is worse with me than with you," said the 
 beggar. " I haven t got a penny, and I have a much 
 bigger body and less clothes. 
 
Don t you be afraid of me," said the beggar. Page 250. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 251 
 
 " Well, I suppose you must have it then !" said the 
 lad. 
 
 When he got a bit further he became tired and 
 sat down to rest ; but he had no sooner sat down 
 than another beggar came to him ; and he was so 
 tall and big and ugly that when the lad was going 
 to look up at him he had to look up to the sky, and 
 then he could really see what a very big, ugly, 
 ragged fellow he was. And the lad began scream 
 ing and shouting. 
 
 " Don t you be afraid of me, my lad," said the 
 beggar ; " I shan t hurt you, for I am only a poor 
 beggar, who begs a penny in heaven s name." 
 
 " Well, God help me !" said the lad, " as true as I 
 am here, I have only one penny left, and I was just 
 going to town to buy some clothes with it. If I had 
 only met you sooner, I 
 
 " Well, I haven t got a penny and I have a bigger 
 body and less clothes, so it is worse with me than 
 with you," said the beggar. 
 
 " Well, I suppose you must have the penny, then," 
 said Little Fred. There was no help for it ; now 
 they had all had one each and he had none. 
 
 " Now since you have such a good heart and have 
 given away all you had," said the beggar, " I will 
 give you a wish for each penny." It was the same 
 beggar who had got all the three pennies ; he had 
 only changed each time, so that the lad should not 
 know him again. 
 
 ."I have always been wishing to hear the fiddle 
 playing, and see people so merry and happy that 
 
252 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 they had to dance," said the lad ; " so if I may wish 
 what I like I wish I had such a fiddle as would 
 make everything that is alive dance to its tune. 
 
 " That you ma} r have," said the beggar ; " but it 
 is a poor wish. You must wish something better 
 for the other pennies." 
 
 " I have always been fond of hunting and shoot 
 ing," said Little Fred ; " so if I may wish what I 
 like, I wish I had a gun that would hit everything I 
 aim at, if it were ever so far off." 
 
 " That you may have," said the beggar ; " but it 
 is a poor wish. You must wish something better 
 for the last penny." 
 
 " I have always liked to be in company with kind 
 and good people," said Little Fred ; " so if I may 
 wish what I like, I wish that no one can refuse me 
 the first thing I ask." 
 
 "That wasn t such a bad wish," said the beggar, 
 and strolled off among the hills till the lad couldn t 
 see him any more. So the lad lay down to sleep, 
 and the next day he came down from the mountains 
 with his fiddle and his gun. 
 
 First he went to the storekeeper and asked for 
 clothes, and at one farm he asked for a horse, and at 
 another for a sledge, and at one place he asked for a 
 fur coat, and no one could say " No " to him ; even 
 the most stingy people had to give him what he 
 asked for. At last he traveled through the parish 
 like a fine gentleman with his horse and sledge. 
 When he had gone some distance he met the bailiff 
 he had served. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 253 
 
 " Good-day, master !" said Little Fred, as he 
 stopped and took off his cap. 
 
 " Good-day !" said the bailiff ; " have I been your 
 master ?" 
 
 " Yes, don t you recollect that I served three years 
 with you for three pennies ?" said Little Fred. 
 
 " Dear me !" said the bailiff, " how you have got 
 on ! How is it you have become such a grand 
 fellow?" 
 
 " Ah, you think so, do you ?" said the youngster. 
 
 " And you seem to be so merry that you must 
 have a fiddle with you as well," said the bailiff. 
 
 " Yes, I always liked to see people dance," said 
 the lad; " but the finest thing I have is this gun of 
 mine. It hits everything I aim at, if it is ever so 
 far off. Do you see that magpie in the fir tree 
 yonder? What will you wager I don t hit it from 
 where we are now standing ?" 
 
 The bailiff would willingly have staked both his 
 horse anjl farm and a hundred dollars beside, that 
 he couldn t hit it. But as it was he would stake 
 all the money he had in his pocket, and wouldn t 
 mind fetching the magpie when it fell down, be 
 cause he never believed it was possible a gun could 
 reach so far. Off went the gun and down fell the 
 magpie right in the middle of a lot of brambles. 
 The bailiff ran right in among the brambles after 
 the magpie, picked it up and showed it to the lad. 
 But just at that moment Little Fred took his fiddle 
 out and began playing, and the bailiff began to 
 dance, and danced away while the thorns were tear- 
 
254 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 ing his clothes ; but the lad went on playing, and 
 the bailiff danced and cried and begged for himself 
 till the rags flew about him and till he had scarcely 
 a thread to his back. 
 
 " Well, now, I think you are almost as ragged as 
 I was when I left your service," said the lad, " so 
 now you may go." But first the bailiff had to pay 
 the wager He had lost, that the boy couldn t hit the 
 magpie. 
 
 When the lad came to town he went into an inn, 
 and began playing, and all who came there had to 
 dance. And he lived on merrily and well, for he 
 had no cares, since no one could say " No " to him 
 when he asked for anything. 
 
 But just as they were in the middle of the fun 
 the watchman came to take the lad up before the 
 magistrate, for the bailiff had complained about 
 him and charged him with having waylaid and 
 robbed him and nearly taken his life ; and now the 
 lad was going to be hanged there was no he]p for 
 it. 
 
 But Little Fred had the means of getting out of 
 all trouble, and that was the fiddle. He began to 
 play on it, and then you should have seen how the 
 watchmen danced away, till they fell down and 
 gasped for breath. 
 
 So they sent soldiers and the guard, but it fared 
 no better with them than the watchmen. When 
 Little Fred took out his fiddle, they had to dance 
 as long as he was able to play on it, but they were 
 done for long before he was tired. At last they 
 
Every one that was there began dancing; they danced and screamed the 
 one louder than the other. Page 255. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 255 
 
 came unawares upon him and took him while he 
 was asleep at night, and when he was brought up 
 he was sentenced to be hanged at once, and away 
 they all went to the gallows. There was such a 
 crowd of people to see this wonderful lad, and the 
 bailiff was there too ; he was so pleased, because he 
 was to get amends both for his money and his skin, 
 and see the lad hanged into the bargain ; but it , 
 took a long time before they came to the gallows, 
 because Little Fred was always weak on his legs, 
 and now he made himself still worse. He had 
 brought with him his fiddle and his gun, as they 
 could not get him to part with them, and when he 
 came to the gallows and was going to mount the 
 ladder, he halted and rested himself on each step. 
 When he got to the top of the ladder he sat down 
 and asked if they would not grant him one thing ; 
 he had such a wish to play a tune just a little bit 
 of a tune on his fiddle before he was hanged. 
 " Well," they said, " it were both sin and shame to 
 deny him that ;" for you see they could not say 
 " No" to what he asked for. But the bailiff asked 
 in heaven s name that they would not let him touch 
 a string, or else there would not be much left of any 
 of them. If the lad was to play the bailiff wanted 
 to be tied up to a birch tree that stood there. But 
 Little Fred was not long about getting out his 
 fiddle and playing on it, and then all that were there 
 began dancing, both those that went on two legs 
 and those that went on four, both the deacon and 
 the parson, the judge and the sheriff, men and 
 
256 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 women, dogs and swine ; they danced and screamed 
 the one louder than the other. Some danced till 
 they dropped down dead, some danced till they fell 
 down in fits. All had a terrible time of it, but 
 worst of all the poor bailiff who was tied up to the 
 birch tree, and was dancing away till he scraped 
 great bits of skin off his back. There was no one 
 who thought of doing anything to Little Fred after 
 that, and they let him go with his gun and his fiddle 
 where he liked. He lived happy all his days, for 
 there was no one who could say " No" to the first 
 thing he asked for. 
 
THE STOEEHOUSE KEY IN THE 
 DISTAFF. 
 
 THERE was once a rich farmer s son who went out 
 to woo. He had heard of a lass who was fair and 
 gentle, and who was both clever in the house and 
 good at cooking. 
 
 Thither he went, for it -was just such a wife he 
 ted. The people on the farm knew, of course, 
 
 
258 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 on what errand he came, so they asked him to take 
 a seat near to them, and they talked and chatted 
 with him, as the custom is, and beside offered him 
 
 a drink and asked him to stop to dinner. They 
 went in and out of the room, so the lad had time to 
 look about him, and over in a corner he saw a spin 
 ning wheel with the distaff full of flax. 
 
 " Whose spinning wheel is that ?" asked the lad. 
 
 " Oh, that s our daughter s," said the woman of 
 the house. 
 
 " There s a deal of flax on it," said the lad; "I 
 suppose she takes more than a day to spin that," 
 said he. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 259 
 
 "No, not at all," said the woman; "she does it 
 easily in one day and perhaps less than that." 
 
 That was more than he had ever heard of any one 
 being able to spin in such a short time. 
 
 When they were going to carry in the dinner they 
 all went out of the room and he was left alone. He 
 then saw an old key lying in the window, and this 
 he took and stowed well away among the flax on the 
 distaff. So they ate and drank and got on well 
 together, and when the lad thought he had been 
 there long enough he said good-by and went his way. 
 They asked him to come soon again, which he 
 promised, but he did not speak of the matter he had 
 at heart, although he liked the lass very well. 
 
 Some time after he came again to the farm, and 
 they received him still better than the first time. 
 But just as they were chatting at their best the 
 farmer s wife said : 
 
 " Last time you were here something very remark 
 able happened; our storehouse key disappeared 
 all at once and we have never been able to find it 
 since." 
 
 The lad went over to the spinning wheel, which 
 stood in the corner with just as much flax on it as 
 when last he was there. He put his hand in among 
 the flax and said : 
 
 " Here is the key ! Much cannot be made by the 
 spinning Avhen the spinning day lasts from Michael 
 mas to Easter." 
 
 So he said good-by, and did not speak of the mat 
 ter he had at heart that time either. 
 
THE LAD WHO WENT WOOING 
 THE DAUGHTER OF OLD 
 MOTHER CORNER. 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a woman 
 who had a son, and he was so lazy and 
 happy-go-lucky he would never do any 
 thing that was useful. His mind was 
 only bent on singing and dancing, and 
 this he did all day long and even far into 
 the night. The longer this went on the 
 harder it became for his mother; the 
 lad grew bigger and bigger, and he 
 wanted no end of food, and of clothes 
 he wanted more and more as he grew 
 u^; and they did not 
 last long, I can assure 
 you, for he danced and 
 r an about 
 both in the 
 .., woods and 
 the fields. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 261 
 
 At last the mother thought things were getting 
 too bad, so she told the lad one day he must begin 
 and go to work and make himself useful, else there 
 was nothing but starvation left for them both. But 
 the lad had no mind for that ; he said he would 
 rather go and woo the daughter of old Mother 
 Corner, for if he got her he could live happy and 
 contented ail his days, and sing and dance and never 
 trouble himself about work. When the mother 
 heard this she thought that was not a bad thing 
 after all ; he might try in any case, and so she 
 dressed up the lad as best she could, that he might 
 look a little tidy when he came to old Mother 
 Corner, and then he set out on his way. 
 
 When he came out of the house the sun was shin 
 ing warm and bright ; but it had rained during the 
 night, so the ground was soft and the moors were 
 filled with puddles. The lad took the shortest 
 way across the moors to old Mother Corner, and ran. 
 and sang as he always did, but just as he was run 
 ning and jumping along he came to a bridge of 
 logs across a marshy bit of the path, and from this 
 bridge he was going to make a jump across a puddle 
 on to a tussock, so as not to dirty his boots, but just 
 as he put his foot on the tussock plump! down he 
 went and did not stop till he found himself in a 
 nasty, dark hole. At first he could not see anything, 
 but when he had been there awhile he caught a 
 glimpse of a rat. widdling-waddling about with a 
 bunch of keys on her tail. 
 
 " Are you there, my dear ?" said the rat. " 1 am 
 
262 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 so glad you have come to see me. I have been 
 waiting a long time for you. I expect you have 
 come to woo me, and that you are in a great hurry ; 
 but you must be patient awhile yet, for I must have 
 a big dowry, and I am not ready for the wedding, 
 but I ll do my best so that it can come off soon." 
 
 When she had said this she brought out some 
 egg-shells with all kinds of dainties such as rats eat 
 and put before him and said : " You must make 
 yourself at home and have something to eat ; you 
 must be both tired and hungry." 
 
 But the lad did not much fancy such food. " I 
 wish I were well out of this and above ground 
 again," he thought ; but he said nothing. 
 
 " I suppose you want to be off home," said the rat. 
 " I know you are longing for the wedding, so I ll 
 make all the haste I can. You must take with you 
 this linen thread, and when you get up above ground 
 you must not look back, but go straight home ; and 
 on the road you must not say anything but Short 
 in front and long behind, " and so she put into his 
 hand a linen thread. 
 
 " Heaven be praised !" said the lad when he got 
 above ground ; " I shall never go down there again." 
 But he had the thread in his hand and he ran and 
 sang as usual. But although he did not think any 
 more about the rathole, the tune had got into his 
 head and he sang : 
 
 " Short in front and long behind! 
 Short in front and long behind!" 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 263 
 
 "When he got home to the door he turned round 
 and there lay many, many hundreds of yards of the 
 whitest linen, so fine that the cleverest weavers 
 could not weave it finer. 
 
 "Mother, mother! come out, come out!" he 
 shouted and cried. 
 
 The woman came running out and asked what was 
 the matter. When she saw the linen, which reached 
 as far as she could see and a bit further, she would 
 not believe her own eyes until the lad had told her 
 how it had happened ; and when she had heard it 
 all and felt the linen with her fingers she became so 
 glad that she too began to dance and sing. 
 
 She then took the linen and cut it up and made 
 shirts both for the son and herself. The rest she 
 went to the town with and sold and got money for. 
 Now they both lived happy and comfortable for 
 awhile. But when it all came to an end the woman 
 had no more food in the house, and so she said to 
 her son that now he must really begin and go to 
 work and make himself useful, else there was noth 
 ing left but starvation for both of them. 
 
 But the lad had a greater mind to go to old 
 Mother Corner s and woo her daughter. "Well, the 
 woman thought that was a good thing, for he was 
 now better dressed and did not look so bad after all. 
 So she dressed and tidied him the best she could, 
 and he brought out his new shoes and polished them 
 until they were so bright that he could see himself 
 in them. After that he set out and it all happened 
 as before. 
 
2G4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 When he came outside the sun shone so warm 
 and bright, but it had rained during the night and 
 the ground was soft and muddy, and the moors 
 were filled with puddles. 
 
 The lad took the shortest way across the moors 
 to old Mother Corner, and ran and sang as he 
 always did. He went by a different path this time ; 
 but just as he was running and jumping along he 
 came to the bridge of logs across the marshy bit of 
 the path, and from this bridge he was going to 
 jump across a puddle on to a tussock, so as not to 
 dirty his boots. But just as he put his foot on the 
 tussock plump ! down he went, and did not stop 
 till he found himself in a nast}^, dark hole. At first 
 he saw nothing, but when he had been there awhile 
 he caught sight of a rat, who widdled-waddled 
 about with a bunch of keys on her tail. 
 
 "Are you there, my dear?" said the rat. "Wel 
 come again ! It was kind of you to come and see 
 me so soon. I know you are quite impatient, but 
 you must really wait awhile ; for there is some 
 thing still wanting for my dowry. But when you 
 come again next time everything shall be ready." 
 
 When she had said this, she brought out many 
 kinds of dainty bits in egg-shells, such as rats like 
 to eat ; but the lad thought they looked like 
 leavings, and he said he had no appetite. " I only 
 wish I were well out of this," he thought, but he 
 said nothing. 
 
 After awhile the rat said : 
 
 " I suppose you want to be off home again ! I ll 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 265 
 
 hurry on with the wedding as quickly as I can, but 
 this time you must take this woolen yarn with you, 
 and when you get above ground you must not look 
 back, but go straight home ; and on the way you 
 must not say anything but c Short in front and long 
 behind. And then she gave the woolen yarn into 
 his hand. 
 
 " Heaven be praised that I am out of it !" said 
 the lad to himself; "I shall never go there again." 
 And so he sang and leaped as usual. He did not 
 think any more about the rathole, but the tune 
 had got into his head, and he went on singing : 
 
 " Short in front and long behind! 
 Short in front and long behind!" 
 
 And this he kept up all the way home. When he 
 got outside the door he happened to look round, 
 and there lay the finest cloth, many hundreds of 
 yards long, nearly a mile in all, and so fine that the 
 smartest man in town did not have finer cloth in 
 his coat. 
 
 " Mother, mother ! come out, come out !" cried 
 the lad. 
 
 The woman came to the door, held up her hands 
 in astonishment, and nearly fainted with joy when 
 she saw all the beautiful cloth. He then had to 
 tell her how he had got it, and how it had happened 
 from first to last. 
 
 They were then well off, as you may imagine. 
 The boy got fine new clothes and the woman went 
 
2GG FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 to town and sold the cloth, piece by piece, and got 
 a lot of money. So she smartened up the house 
 and became so grand in her old days that she might 
 have been a great dame. They were both happy 
 and comfortable, but at last that money also came 
 to an end, and one day when the woman had no 
 more food in the house, she said to her son that he 
 would now really have to go to work to make him 
 self useful, else it would come to starvation with 
 both of them. 
 
 But the lad thought it would be better to go to 
 old Mother Corner s and woo her daughter. The 
 woman thought the same, for the lad had now fine, 
 new clothes and looked so well that she thought it 
 quite impossible such a fine lad should get " no." 
 
 So she dressed him and tidied him as well as she 
 could and he brought out his new boots and polished 
 them till he could see himself in them, and after 
 that he set out. 
 
 This time he did not take the shortest cut, but 
 went a long way round, for he did not want to get 
 down to the rat any more, he was so tired of all the 
 widdling-waddling and the eternal talk about the 
 wedding. The weather and the roads were just the 
 same as on the first and second occasion. The sun 
 shone and the water glistened in the puddles and 
 the lad ran and sang, as he always did ; but as he 
 was running and jumping along he found himself 
 all at once on the same bridge on the moor again. 
 From this he jumped across a puddle on to a tus 
 sock so as not to soil his boots plump ! and down 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 267 
 
 the lad went and he did not stop till he found him 
 self in the same nasty, dark hole again. At first 
 he was glad, for he did not see anything, but when 
 he had been there awhile he caught a glimpse of 
 the ugly rat the nasty thing with a bunch of 
 keys on her tail. 
 
 " Good-day, my dear !" said the rat ; " welcome 
 again ! I see you cannot live long without me ! 
 I m glad of that ! But everything is now ready for 
 the wedding and we will set out for church at 
 once." 
 
 We ll see about that, thought the lad, but he said 
 nothing. The rat then gave a squeak and a swarm 
 of rats and mice came rushing in from all corners, 
 and six big rats came harnessed to a frying-pan ; 
 two mice got up behind as footmen and two sat in 
 front driving. Some of them got into the pan, 
 while the rat with the bunch of keys took her place 
 in the middle of them. She then said to the lad : 
 
 u The road is a little narrow here, so you had 
 better walk by the side of the carriage, my dear, 
 till the road becomes wider, and then you can sit 
 up beside me." 
 
 " How grand we want to be !" thought the lad. 
 " I only wish I was well out of this, and I would 
 run away from the whole crew," he thought; but 
 he said nothing. He followed as best he could. 
 Sometimes he had to creep and sometimes he had 
 to stoop, for the passage was often very low and 
 narrow ; but when it became broader he went on 
 in front and looked around to see how he could 
 best manage to give them the slip. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 All at once he heard a, clear and beautiful voice 
 behind him : 
 
 " Now the road is good ! Come, my dear, and 
 get into the carriage !" 
 
 The lad turned quickly round and nearly lost his 
 wits, for there stood the most splendid carriage 
 with six white horses; and in the carriage sat a 
 maiden as fair and beautiful as the sun, and around 
 her sat other damsels as handsome and bright as 
 the stars. It was a princess and her playmates who 
 had been enchanted. But now they were freed, 
 because he had gone down to them and never gain 
 said them in anything. 
 
 " Come now," said the princess, and the lad then 
 stepped into the carriage and drove to church with 
 her. On their way from church the princess said ; 
 
 "We will now drive to my place first and then 
 we will send for your mother." 
 
 " That was all very well," thought the lad ; he 
 said nothing this time either, but he thought it 
 would be better to go home to his mother than 
 down in the nasty rathole. But all at once they 
 came to a grand castle, where they drove in ; and 
 that was their home. A splendid carriage with six 
 horses was then sent to fetch the lad s mother, and 
 when it came back the wedding festivities began. 
 They lasted fourteen days, and perhaps they are 
 still going on. If we make haste we may also be 
 in time to drink with the bridegroom and to dance 
 with the bride. 
 
THE PK1NCESS WHOM NOBODY COULD 
 SILENCE. 
 
 THERE was once upon a time a king, and he had 
 a daughter who would always have the last word ; 
 she was so perverse and contrary in her speech that 
 no one could silence her. So the king therefore 
 promised that he who could outwit her should have 
 the princess in marriage and half the kingdom 
 besides. There were plenty of those who wanted 
 to try, I can assure you ; for it isn t every day that 
 a princess and half a kingdom are to be had. 
 
 The gate to the palace hardly ever stood, still. 
 The suitors came in swarins and flocks from east 
 and west, both riding and walking. But there was 
 no one who could silence the princess. At last the 
 king announced that those who tried and did not 
 succeed should be branded on both ears with a 
 large iron ; he would not have all this running about 
 the palace for nothing. 
 
 So there were three brothers who had also heard 
 about the princess, and as they were rather badly 
 off at home, they thought they would try their luck 
 and see if they could win the princess and half the 
 kingdom. They were good friends and so they 
 agreed to set out together. 
 
 When they had got a bit on the way, AshiepattJ.e 
 found a dead magpie. 
 
f 
 
 270 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " I have found something ! I have found some 
 thing !" cried he. 
 
 " What have you found ?" asked the brothers. 
 
 " I Lave found a dead magpie," said he. 
 
 " Faugh ! throw it away ; what can you do with 
 that ?" said the other two, who always believed they 
 were the wisest. 
 
 " Oh, I ve nothing else to do. I can easily carry 
 it," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 When they had gone on a bit further Ashiepattle 
 found an old willow twig, which he picked up. 
 
 " I have found something ! I have found some 
 thing !" he cried. 
 
 "What have you found now ?" ^id the brothers. 
 
 " I have found a willow twig," said he. 
 
 " Pooh ! what are you going to do with that ? 
 Throw it away," said the two. 
 
 " I have nothing else to do, I can easily carry it 
 with me," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 When they had gone still further he found a 
 broken saucer, which he also picked up. 
 
 " Here lads, I have found something ! I have 
 found something !" said he. 
 
 " Well, what have you found POW ?" asked the 
 brothers. 
 
 " ^ broken saucer," said he,. 
 
 " Pshaw ! Is it worth while dragging that along 
 with you too ? Throw it away !" said the brothers. 
 
 " Oh, I ve nothing else to do, I can easily carry it 
 with me," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 When they had gone a little bit further he found 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 271 
 
 a crooked goat-horn and soon after he found the 
 fellow to it. 
 
 " I have found something ! I have found some 
 thing, lads!" said he. 
 
 " What have you found now ?" said the others. 
 
 "Two goat-horns," answered Ashiepattle. 
 
 " Ugh ! Throw them away ! What are you 
 going to do with them ?" said they. 
 
 " Oh, I have nothing else to do. I can easily 
 carry them with me," said Ashiepattle. - t 
 
 In a little while he found a wedge. 
 
 " I say, lads, I have found something ! I have 
 found something !" he cried. 
 
 " You are t . ^rlastingly finding something ! What 
 have you found now ?" asked the two eldest. 
 
 " I have found a wedge," he answered. 
 
 " Oh, throw it away ! What are you going to do 
 with it?" said they. 
 
 " Oh, 1 have nothing else to do. I can easily 
 carry it with me," said Ashiepattle. 
 
 As he went across the king s fields, which had 
 keen freshly manured, he stooped down and took 
 up an old boot-sole. 
 
 " Hullc, lads ! I have found something, I have 
 found something !" said he. 
 
 u Heaven grant you may find a little sense before 
 you get to the palace !" said the two. " What is it 
 you have found now ?" 
 
 " An old boot-sole," said he. 
 
 " Is that anything worth picking up ? Throw it 
 away ! What are you going to do with it ?" said 
 the brothers. 
 
272 FAIRY. TALES FROM THF FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Oh, I have nothing else to do. I can easily 
 carry it with me, and who knows? it "may help 
 me to win the princess and half the kingdom," said 
 Ashiepattle. 
 
 " Yes, you look a likely one, don t you ?" said the 
 other two. So they went in to the princess, the 
 eldest first. 
 
 " Good-day !" said he. 
 
 "Good-day to you!" answered she, with a shrug. 
 
 " It s terribly hot here," said he. 
 
 " It s hotter in the fie^," said the princess. The 
 branding iron was lying waiting in the fire. 
 
 When he saw this he was struck speechless^ and 
 so it was all. over with him. 
 
 The second brother fared no better. 
 
 " Good-day !" said he. 
 
 " Good-day to you," said she, with a wriggle. 
 
 " It s terribly hot here !" said he. 
 
 " It s hotter in the fire," said she. With that he 
 lost both speech and wits, and so the iron had to be 
 brought out. 
 
 Then came Ashiepattle s turn. 
 
 " Good-day !" said he. 
 
 " Good-day to you !" said she, with a shrug and a 
 wriggle. 
 
 "It is very nice and warm here!" said Ashie 
 pattle. 
 
 "It s warmer- in the fire/ she answered. She 
 was in no better humor now she pra bl e third 
 suitor. 
 
 "Then there s a chance for me to roasi ; ly mag 
 pie on it," said he, bringing it out. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 273 
 
 " I m afraid it will sputter," said the princess. 
 
 " No fear of that ! I ll tie this willow twig round 
 it," said the lad. 
 
 " You can t tie it tight enough," said she. 
 
 Then I ll drive in a wedge," said the lad, and 
 brought out the wedge. 
 
 "The fat will be running off it," said the princess. 
 
 " Then I ll hold this under it," said the lad, and 
 showed her the broken saucer. 
 
 " You are so crooked in your speech," said the 
 princess. 
 
 " No, I am not crooked," answered the lad ; " but 
 this is crooked ;" and he brought out one of the 
 goat-horns. 
 
 " Well, I ve never seen the like !" cried the prin 
 cess. 
 
 " Here you see the like," said he, and brought 
 out the other horn. 
 
 " It seems you have come here to wear out my 
 soul !" she said. 
 
 " No, I have not come here to wear out your 
 soul, for I have one here which is already worn out," 
 answered the lad, and brought out the old boot-sole. 
 
 The princess was so dumfounded at this that 
 she was completely silenced. 
 
 " Now you are mine !" said Ashiepattle, and so he 
 got her and half the kingdom into the bargain. 
 
FAEMEE WEATHEEBEAED. 
 
 THERE were once upon a time a man and a woman, 
 who had an only son, and he was called Hans. The 
 woman thought that he ought to go out and look 
 for work, and told her husband to go with him. 
 " You must find him such a good place that he can 
 become master of all masters," she said, and so she 
 put some food and a roll of tobacco in a bag for 
 them. 
 
 "Well, they went to many masters, but all replied 
 that they might make the lad as clever as they were 
 themselves, but they could not make him cleverer. 
 When the man came home to his wife with this 
 answer she said : " Well, I don t care what you do 
 with him, but this I tell you, that you will have to 
 make him master over all masters." So she put 
 some food and a roll of tobacco in a bag, and the 
 man and the son had to set out again. 
 
 When they had gone a bit on the way they came 
 out) upon the ice, where they met a man who* was 
 driving a black horse. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" said he. 
 
 " I m going to get my son apprenticed to some 
 one who can teach him well ; for my wife comes of 
 such good people that she wants him to become 
 master of all masters." 
 

 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 275 
 
 " That s lucky," said the man who was driving ; 
 " I am the very man for that, and I am just looking 
 for such an apprentice. Get up behind," he said to 
 the boy, and off they went through the air. 
 
 " Wait a bit !" shouted the lad s father. " I ought 
 to know what s your name and where you live," 
 said he. 
 
 " Oh, I m at home both North and South and 
 East and West, and I am called Farmer Weather- 
 beard," said the master. " In a year you can come 
 back again and I will tell you if he s good for any 
 thing," And off they went, and were lost to sight. 
 
 When the year was out the man came to hear 
 about his son. " You can t finish him in a year, you 
 know," said the master. " As yet he has only found 
 his legs, so to speak." They then agreed that 
 Farmer Weatherbeard should keep him another 
 year, and teach him everything, and then the man 
 was to come back for him. When the year was 
 over they met again at the same place. 
 
 " Have you finished with him now ?" asked the 
 father. 
 
 " Yes, he s my master now, but you will never 
 see him again," said Farmer Weatherbeard ; and 
 before the man knew what had become of them 
 they were gone, both the farmer and the lad. 
 
 When the man caAe home the woman asked if 
 the son was not with him, or what had become of 
 him. 
 
 " Oh, goodness knows what became of him," said 
 the man; "he went off through the air." And so 
 
- 
 
 
 276 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 he told her what had happened. When the woman 
 heard that her husband did not know where her son 
 was she sent him off again. 
 
 " You must find the lad, even if you have to go to" 
 Old Nick for him !" said she, and gave him a bag of/ 
 food and a roll of tobacco. 
 
 " When he had got a bit on the way he came to a 
 large forest, and it took him the whole of the day to 
 get through it ; and as it grew dark he saw a brig at 
 light and went toward it. After a long while^ne 
 came to a little cottage under a cliff, ajnd outside it 
 a woman was standing, drawing water from the 
 well with her nose, it was so long. 
 
 " Good-evening, mother !" 
 
 " Good-evening to you," said the \> oman ; " no one 
 has called me mother for a hundred years." 
 
 " Can I get lodgings here to-night ?" said the man. 
 
 "!N"o," said the woman. But then the man 
 brought out the roll of tobacco, dried a little of it 
 and made some snuff, which he gave the woman. 
 She was so glad that she began to dance, and then 
 she said that he might stop the night. 
 
 All at once he asked after Farmer Weatherbeard. 
 She knew nothing about him, she said, but she ruled 
 over all four-footed animals, and perhaps some of 
 them might know something about him. She then 
 called them together with a whistle and questioned 
 them, but there was not one who knew anything 
 about Farmer Weatherbeard. 
 
 " Well, we are three sisters," said the woman ; 
 " perhaps one of the other two knows where he is. 
 

 The woman was raking the fire with her nose, it was so long.Page 277. 
 

FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 277 
 
 I ll lend you my carriage so that you can get there 
 to-night, but it is three hundred miles to the nearest 
 of them." 
 
 The man set out and got there in the evening. 
 When he arrived there also was a woman standing 
 drawing water from the well with her nose. 
 
 " Good-evening, mother !" said the man. 
 
 "Good-evening to you," said the woman; "no 
 one has called me mother for a hundred years," said 
 she. 
 
 " Can I get lodgings here to-night ?" said the man. 
 
 " No," said the woman. 
 
 But then the man brought out the roll of tobacco, 
 dried a little of it and made some snuff, which he 
 gave the woman on the back of her hand. She was 
 so pleased at this that she began to dance, and then 
 she said he might stop there the night. 
 
 All at once he asked about Farmer Weatherbeard. 
 She did not know anything about him, but she ruled 
 over all the fishes, she said, and perhaps some of 
 them might know something about him. She then 
 called them together with a whistle she had, and 
 questioned them all, but there was not one who 
 knew anything about Farmer Weatherbeard. 
 
 " Well, I have another sister ; perhaps she may 
 know something about him ; she lives six hundred 
 miles from here, but you can have my carriage and 
 get there before night sets in." 
 
 The man set out and got there in the evening, and 
 found a woman raking the fire with her nose, it was 
 so long. 
 
278 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 " Good-evening, mother !" 
 
 "Good-evening to you," said the woman; "no 
 one has called me mother for a hundred years." 
 
 " Can I get lodgings here to-night ?" said the man. 
 
 "No," said the woman. 
 
 But then the man brought out the tobacco roll 
 again and began to make some snuff. He gave the 
 woman so much that it covered the whole of the 
 back of her hand. She was so pleased at this that 
 she began to dance, and then she said he might stop 
 the night. 
 
 All at once he asked about Farmer "Weather beard. 
 She did not know anything about him, she said ; 
 but she ruled over all the birds and called them all 
 together with her whistle. When she had ques 
 tioned them all she missed the eagle, but in a little 
 while he came; and when she asked him he said he 
 had come straight from Farmer Weatherboard. The 
 woman then told him that he must show the man 
 the way there. But first the eagle wanted some 
 thing to eat, and next he wanted to rest till the fol 
 lowing day, for he was so tired after the long way 
 he had come that he could scarcely rise from the 
 ground. | 
 
 When the eagle had finished his meal and taken 
 a rest the woman plucked a feather from his tail and 
 put the man in its place, and away flew the eagle 
 with him ; but they did not get to Farmer Weather- 
 beard before midnight. When they arrived there 
 the eagle said : 
 
 " There are bones and carcasses lying about out- 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 279 
 
 side the door, but you must not mind them. All the 
 people in the house sleep so soundly that they are 
 hard to wake ; you must go straight to the table 
 drawer and take three bits of bread out of it, and if 
 you hear some one snoring you must pull three 
 feathers out of his head ; that won t wake him up." 
 
 The man did as he was told, and when he had got 
 the bits of bread he pulled out first one feather. 
 
 " Oh !" cried Farmer Weatherbeard. 
 
 Then the man pulled out one more and Farmer 
 Weatherbeard shouted " Oh" again ; but when he 
 he pulled out the third one, Farmer Weatherbeard 
 shrieked so loudly that the man thought both the 
 walls and the roof would have burst asunder, but 
 the farmer went on sleeping just the same. The 
 eagle then told the man what he was to do next ; so 
 he went to the door of the cowhouse, and there he 
 stumbled against a big stone, which he took with 
 him, and under the stone lay three chips of wood, 
 which he also took with him. He then knocked at 
 the door of the cowhouse and it opened at once. 
 He dropped the three bits of bread, and a hare 
 came running out and ate them. He then caught 
 the hare and took it with him. 
 
 The eagle asked him to pluck three feathers out 
 of his tail and place the hare, the stone, the chips 
 of wood and himself instead, and he would then fly 
 home with them. When the eagle had flown a longj 
 long way, he settled down on a stone. 
 . " Do you see anything ?" said he. 
 
 "Yes, I see a flock of crows flying toward us/ 
 i aid the man. 
 
280 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 "We had better get on a bit then," said the 
 eagle, and on he flew. In a while he asked again : 
 
 " Do you see anything now ?" 
 
 " Yes, the crows are close upon us again," said 
 the man. 
 
 " Drop the three feathers you plucked from his 
 head," said the eagle. 
 
 The man did so, and the moment he dropped 
 them the feathers became a fl6ck of ravens, which 
 chased the crows home again. The eagle then flew 
 far away with the man. At last it settled down on 
 a stone to rest. 
 
 " Do you see anything?" he said. 
 
 "I m not sure," said the man, "but I think I see 
 something coming far away." 
 
 " We had better get on a bit then," said the eagle. 
 
 "Do you see an} T thing now?" he said in a while. 
 
 " Yes, now he is close upon us," said the man. 
 
 " You must drop the chips which you took from 
 under the stone near the cowhouse door," said the 
 eagle. 
 
 The man did so, and the same moment he dropped 
 them there grew up a great, thick forest ; so Farmer 
 Weatherboard had to go home for axes to cut his 
 way through. 
 
 The eagle then flew on again a long way, till he 
 became tired arid settled down in a fir tree. 
 
 " Do you see anything?" said he. 
 
 " Well, I m not sure about it," said the man, " but 
 I think I catch a glimpse of something far away." 
 
 " We had better get on a bit then," said the 
 eagle ; and so he flew on again. 
 
You must drop the stone you took from the cow-house door," said the eagle. 
 Page 281. 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 281 
 
 " Do you see anything now ?" he said in a while, 
 
 " Yes, now he is close upon us." 
 
 " You must drop the stone you took from the 
 cowhouse door," said the eagle. 
 
 The man did so, and it became a big, lofty moun- 
 lain, which Farmer Weatherbeard had to break 
 jhis way through. But when he had got halfway 
 through the mountain he broke one of his legs, so 
 that he had to go home and get it healed. 
 
 In the meantime the eagle flew home with the 
 man and the hare, and when they got there the man 
 went to the churchyard and put some consecrated 
 soil on the hare, and it changed into Hans, his own 
 fcon. 
 
 When the time came round for the fair, the lad 
 turned himself into a cream-colored horse, and 
 asked his father to take him with him to the fair. 
 
 " If some one comes up to you and wants to buy 
 pe, you must say you want a hundred dollars for 
 me ; but you must not forget to take off the halter, 
 Otherwise I shall never be able to get away from 
 Farmer Weatherbeard ; for it is he who will come 
 ^nd want to buy me," said the lad. 
 
 And so it turned out. A horse dealer carne up 
 and wanted to buy the horse and the man got his 
 hundred dollars for it. But when the bargain was 
 made and Hans father had got the money, the 
 horse-dealer wanted to keep the halter also. 
 
 " No, there was nothing about that in our agree 
 ment," said the man. " You cannot have the halter, 
 pr I have more horses to bring to town." 
 

 282 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 
 
 So they went each his way. But they had not 
 got far before Hans resumed his own shape, and 
 when the man came home he found the son sitting 
 by the stove. 
 
 The second day he turned himself into a brown 
 horse and told his father to take him with him to 
 the fair. 
 
 " If some one comes up to you and wants to buy 
 me, you must say you want two hundred dollars for 
 me ; for he will pay you that and give you a drink 
 besides ; but whatever you drink or whatever you 
 do you must not forget to take the halter off me, 
 else you will not see me again," said Hans. 
 
 It turned out just as before. The man got two 
 hundred dollars for the horse and a drink into the 
 bargain ; and when they parted it was as much as 
 the man could do to remember to take off the 
 halter. But they had not got far on the road before 
 the lad resumed his own shape, and when the man 
 came home Hans was already sitting by the stove. 
 
 The third day the same thing happened again. 
 The lad turned himself into a big, black horse and 
 told his father that some one would come up to him 
 and offer him three hundred dollars and treat him 
 freely to drink ; but whatever he did or however 
 much he drank he must not forget to take off the 
 halter, otherwise he would never get away from 
 Farmer Weatherboard in his life. 
 
 No, he would not forget that, said the man. 
 "When he came to the fair he got the three hundred 
 dollars, but Farmer Weatherbeard treated him to so 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 283 
 
 much drink that he forgot to take off the halter and 
 Farmer Weatherbeard set off with the horse. 
 
 When he had got a bit on the way he went into a 
 place to get some more drink, and so he put a barrel 
 of red-hot nails under the horse s nose and a trough 
 of oats under his tail, hung the halter across a 
 hurdle and went in to the innkeeper. The horse 
 stood there stamping and kicking and snorting and 
 scenting the air. A girl then came by, who took 
 pity on him. 
 
 " Poor creature ! What sort of a master have you 
 got, who can treat you in this way ?" said she, and 
 pushed the halter off the hurdle so that the horse 
 could turn round and eat the oats. 
 
 "I am his master!" shouted Farmer Weather- 
 beard, who came rushing out through the door. But 
 the horse had already shaken off the halter and 
 thrown himself into the horse pond, where he 
 changed himself into a little fish. 
 
 Farmer Weatherbeard rushed after him and 
 changed himself into a big pike. Hans then turned 
 himself into a pigeon and Farmer Weatherbeard 
 changed into a hawk and set off after the pigeon 
 At that moment a princess was standing at a win 
 dow in the palace and watched this struggle. 
 
 " If you knew as much as I do you would come in 
 through the window to me," said the princess to the 
 pigeon. 
 
 The pigeon flew in through the window and then 
 changed into Hans, who told her what had hap 
 pened. 
 
284 FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH, 
 
 " Change yourself into a gold ring and put your ! 
 self on my finger," said she. 
 
 "No, that is no use," said Hans, "for Farmer 
 Weatherboard will then make the king ill; and 
 there is no one who can make him well till Farmer 
 Weatherboard comes to cure him, and he will ask 
 for the gold ring as payment. 
 
 " I will say it is my mother s and that I will not 
 part with it for anything," said the princess. 
 
 So Hans changed himself into a gold ring and 
 placed himself on the princess finger, and there 
 Farmer Weatherboard could not get hold of him. 
 
 But it happened just as the lad had said. The 
 king became ill and there was no doctor who could 
 cure him till Farmer Weatherboard came, and he 
 wanted the ring on the princess finger for his fee. 
 
 The king then sent to the princess for the ring, 
 but she would not part with it, she said, for it had 
 been left her by her mother. When the king heard 
 this he became angry and said he would have the 
 ring, no matter who had left it her, 
 
 " Well, it is no use getting angry," said the prin 
 cess, " for I cannot get it off my finger. If you want 
 the ring you must take the finger as well." 
 
 " I will help you and I shall soon get the ring off," 
 said Farmer Weatherboard. 
 
 " No, thank you ! I will try myself," said the 
 princess, and went to the hearth and put some ashes 
 on it. The ring then slipped off and was lost in the 
 ashes. 
 
 Farmer Weatherboard then turned himself into a 
 
FAIRY TALES FROM THE FAR NORTH. 285 
 
 cock, which scratched and rooted about in the 
 hearth after the ring so that the ashes flew about 
 their ears. But Hans changed into a fox and bit the 
 cock s head off, and if the evil one was in Farmer 
 "Weatherbeard, it was now all over^ with him ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
v y 
 
 s 
 
 CO 
 
 CN 
 ^t 
 O 
 
 IU 
 
 U- 
 
 o< 
 
 CD 
 
 -O 
 
 & 
 
 <! 
 3^ 
 
 KSu 
 
 UCN 
 
 It 
 
 ff 
 
 
GENERAL LIBRARY - U.C. BERKELEY 
 
 
 
 s