SCANDINAVIAN FOLKTALES

Transcription

1 SCANDINAVIAN FOLKTALES Translated and edited by JACQUELINE SIMPSON PENGUIN BOOKS

2 CONTENTS Acknowledgements xi General Introduction i Abbreviated References 9 PART ONE LEGENDS OF THE LANDSCAPE II Introduction 13 A Tale about St Olav 19 Hag's Rock 20 The Hag's Bed 21 A Turf to Tread On 21 Tisso Lake 22 The Lake That Has No Trout 23 The Twin Steers 24 The Floating Logs 24 Midsummer Snow 25 Hadderup Church 25 The Bloodstained Church 26 Church Guardians 26 Our Lady's Tower in Copenhagen 27 The Church-Building Troll 28 Ribe Cathedral 29 The Church at Erritso ' 30 Hcddal: The Church in the Woods 3 1 The Bellmakcr's Apprentice 32 Lost Bells 33 The Milk-Fed Steers 34 Hclga's Hillock 34 The Guardian of Brusi's Mound 35 Queen Margrethc's Treasure - 36 The Miser and His Son 37 The Blood of Seven Brothers 37 The Old Troll Tricked 38 The Lindorm and the Glazier 39 A Flying Dragon 40 Water Serpents in Norway 40

3 The Water-Snake of Lagarfljot The Monster in Vesturhop Lake lISTORICAL LEGENDS Introduction The Plague Children The Black Death Talcs of the Black Death Earth on the Bread and Butter Survivors of the Plague Dyste Drum The Sleeping Horsemen in Alleberg The Battle at the Danevirke The Underground Folk Defend Bornholm The Twelve Robbers Thyrc Battlcaxe Jens Long-Knife Ram's Mound The Servant and the Freemasons PART THREE MORALITY: FATES AND PUNISHMENTS Introduction The Man Who Drowned in a Washbasin What Will Be, Will Be Twelve Children on a Platter The Girl Who Kept Vigil on Christmas Eve The Destined Husband's Knife The Dance in Hruni Church The Sunken Castle The Parson Who Could Sec Where Souls Go The Girl's Ford The Evil One as a Magpie The Devil Plays Cards The Christmas Goat A Painting in Halstcd Church The Greedy Priest The Roadside Cairn '

4 PART FOUR THE DEAD 85 Introduction 87 'Isn't It Fun in the Dark!' 93 The Dead Woman's Plait 93 The Sailor's Buttons 94 Burning the Coffins 95 'Are My Eyes Red?' 95 The Corpse Washed Ashore 97 The Corpse That Would Not Rot 98 'Mother Mine, Don't Weep, Weep' 98 Sucked to Death 99 Karl Ersson's Burden 100 The Lapp Who Baptized a Baby's Ghost 100 The Boundary Stone 102 The Dead Man and the Money Chest 102 Lady Ingebjorg of Voergard 104 A Clever Woman 106 'Grey is My Skull, Garun, Garun!' 107 The Mass of the Dead 109 How to Raise the Dead 110 The Neckbone on the Knife 112 The Sending in a Bottle 113 Skotta, the Myvatn Ghost 114 Mori, the Solheim Ghost 115 PART FIVE MAGICIANS, WITCHES, SHAPECHANGERS 119 Introduction 121 Sacmund at the Black School 129 The Magic Whistle 130 Old Nick Builds a Bridge 131 Saemund on His Deathbed 131 The Rev. Petter Dass 132 Doctor Kongsted of Ballerup 134 The Book of Cyprianus 135 How Eirik Learned His Arts at School 136 The Spiritus Hatched from a Cock's Egg 138 Fishing for a Spiritus 138 Lappish Breeches 139 The White Snake 140 Seeing the Ships Come In 141

5 A Lawsuit against Rats 142 Driving Out Rats from Ringkobing 143 The Lindorm of Hcilskov 144 The Man Who Summoned a Roebuck 145 The Coachman Who Stole the Oxen's Strength 145 'Hacked Today, Whole Tomorrow' 146 The Parson's Wife Turned into a Horse 147 Stealing Cream 148 Milking a Garter 149 The Carrier 150 The Guts of the Milk-Hare 152 Red Woodpeckers 153 The Witch and the Huntsman 154 Lapp Wizards 154 The Werewolf of Borregard 156 A Mutton Bone for a Werewolf 157 The Nightmare 158 The Man Who Married a Nightmare 159 Speaking Too Soon 159 Scythes on the Horse's Back 160 PART SIX FAIRIES ROUND THE HOMESTEAD 163 Introduction 165 The Origin of Elves 171 Nisscs 171 The Tomte's Favourite Cow 173 The Tomte Hates the New Horse 174 The Tomte Carries One Straw 174 The Heavy Burden 175 The Nisse's Revenge 176 New Clothes 177 Trouble with Nisscs 178 Moving House 178 The Church Nisse at Besser 179 The Ship's Guardian 179 The Ship Gnome (Klaboltermand) 180 A Grateful Elf-Woman 181 A Helpful Elf-Woman 181 Moving the Cow-House 182 Plomgards Mound 183

6 The Fire at Stadarfell 183 Gona Pool 184 The Birch Tree 185 The Troll in the Chimney 185 Christmas Eve 186 The Cat on the Dovrefjcll 187 Announcing a Death 188 'Kasserikus is Dead!' 189 The Troll from Brondhoj 190 The Husband's Garter 191 The Changeling and the Colt 192 The Changeling in the Oven 193 Keeping the Changeling 193 The Changeling Speaks on the Way to Church 194 The Changeling and the Eggshells 195 PART SEVEN FAIRIES OF MOUNTAINS, FORESTS AND WATER 197 Introduction 199 The Old Bride 207 The Stolen Child 207 The Girl Whom the Elves Lured Away 209 The Man Who Loved a Huldre 210 The Elf-Woman Brings Her Baby for Baptism 211 Midwife to a Fairy 212 The Chalice in Flakkebjerg Church 213 The Solunna Hag 214 Trolls as Blacksmiths 215 Good Neighbours 216 Bad Neighbours 217 The Bridal Crown 218 Anne Rykhus 219 Shooting a Dog and a Cat 220 A ^Reward for Making Love 221 The Widows 221 The Bishop and the Cliff-Trolls 222 The Troll's Fingers 224 Hunters' Tales 225 Huntsmen See Odcn's Hunt 226 Odcn was a Sunday Hunter 227 The Flying Huntsman 227

7 The Green Giant 229 The Nokk 230 The Nack's Fiddle 231 The Dancers Who Could Not Stop 231 The Nack Longs for Salvation 232 The Waterfall Grim and the Mill Growler 233 The River Horse and the Little Girls 234 The Merwoman and Her Cattle 235 The Wise Merman 236 The Merman's Sock 238 The Forsaken Merman 239 The Merman at Nissum 240 The Magic Islands 240 'Better the Skin than the Child' 241