A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Z

Popular Tales from the Norse

S >> Sir George Webbe Dasent >> Popular Tales from the Norse




'Thank you heartily!' said his wife; 'I never thought you could be so
kind.'

Well, when the man reached home, who had got the six hundred dollars
and the cart-load of clothes and money, he saw that all his fields
were ploughed and sown, and the first thing he asked his wife was,
where she had got the seed-corn from.

'Oh', she said, 'I have always heard that what a man sows he shall
reap, so I sowed the salt which our friends the north-country men
laid up here with us, and if we only have rain I fancy it will come
up nicely.'

'Silly you are', said her husband, 'and silly you will be so long as
you live; but that is all one now, for the rest are not a bit wiser
than you. There is not a pin to choose between you.'




ONE'S OWN CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS PRETTIEST

A sportsman went out once into a wood to shoot, and he met a Snipe.

'Dear friend', said the Snipe, 'don't shoot my children!'

'How shall I know your children?' asked the Sportsman; 'what are they
like?'

'Oh!' said the Snipe, 'mine are the prettiest children in all the
wood.'

'Very well', said the Sportsman, 'I'll not shoot them; don't be
afraid.'

But for all that, when he came back, there he had a whole string of
young snipes in his hand which he had shot.

'Oh, oh!' said the Snipe, 'why did you shoot my children after all?'

'What! these your children!' said the Sportsman; 'why, I shot the
ugliest I could find, that I did!'

'Woe is me!' said the Snipe; 'don't you know that each one thinks his
own children the prettiest in the world?'




THE THREE PRINCESSES OF WHITELAND

Once on a time there was a fisherman who lived close by a palace, and
fished for the king's table. One day when he was out fishing he just
caught nothing. Do what he would--however he tried with bait and
angle--there was never a sprat on his hook. But when the day was far
spent a head bobbed up out of the water, and said:

'If I may have what your wife bears under her girdle, you shall catch
fish enough.'

So the man answered boldly, 'Yes'; for he did not know that his wife
was going to have a child. After that, as was like enough, he caught
plenty of fish of all kinds. But when he got home at night and told
his story, how he had got all that fish, his wife fell a-weeping and
moaning, and was beside herself for the promise which her husband had
made, for she said, 'I bear a babe under my girdle.'

Well, the story soon spread, and came up to the castle; and when the
king heard the woman's grief and its cause, he sent down to say he
would take care of the child, and see if he couldn't save it.

So the months went on and on, and when her time came the fisher's
wife had a boy; so the king took it at once, and brought it up as his
own son, until the lad grew up. Then he begged leave one day to go
out fishing with his father; he had such a mind to go, he said. At
first the king wouldn't hear of it, but at last the lad had his way,
and went. So he and his father were out the whole day, and all went
right and well till they landed at night. Then the lad remembered he
had left his handkerchief, and went to look for it; but as soon as
ever he got into the boat, it began to move off with him at such
speed that the water roared under the bow, and all the lad could do
in rowing against it with the oars was no use; so he went and went
the whole night, and at last he came to a white strand, far far away.

There he went ashore, and when he had walked about a bit, an old, old
man met him, with a long white beard.

'What's the name of this land?' asked the lad.

'Whiteland', said the man, who went on to ask the lad whence he came,
and what he was going to do. So the lad told him all.

'Aye, aye!' said the man; 'now when you have walked a little farther
along the strand here, you'll come to three Princesses, whom you will
see standing in the earth up to their necks, with only their heads
out. Then the first--she is the eldest--will call out and beg you so
prettily to come and help her; and the second will do the same; to
neither of these shall you go; make haste past them, as if you
neither saw nor heard anything. But the third you shall go to, and do
what she asks. If you do this, you'll have good luck--that's all.'

When the lad came to the first Princess, she called out to him, and
begged him so prettily to come to her, but he passed on as though he
saw her not. In the same way he passed by the second; but to the
third he went straight up.

'If you'll do what I bid you', she said, 'you may have which of us
you please.'

'Yes'; he was willing enough; so she told him how three Trolls had
set them down in the earth there; but before they had lived in the
castle up among the trees.

'Now', she said, 'you must go into that castle, and let the Trolls
whip you each one night for each of us. If you can bear that, you'll
set us free.'

Well, the lad said he was ready to try.

'When you go in', the Princess went on to say, 'you'll see two lions
standing at the gate; but if you'll only go right in the middle
between them they'll do you no harm. Then go straight on into a
little dark room, and make your bed. Then the Troll will come to whip
you; but if you take the flask which hangs on the wall, and rub
yourself with the ointment that's in it, wherever his lash falls,
you'll be as sound as ever. Then grasp the sword that hangs by the
side of the flask and strike the Troll dead.'

Yes, he did as the Princess told him; he passed in the midst between
the lions, as if he hadn't seen them, and went straight into the
little room, and there he lay down to sleep. The first night there
came a Troll with three heads and three rods, and whipped the lad
soundly; but he stood it till the Troll was done; then he took the
flask and rubbed himself, and grasped the sword and slew the Troll.

So, when he went out next morning, the Princesses stood out of the
earth up to their waists.

The next night 'twas the same story over again, only this time the
Troll had six heads and six rods, and he whipped him far worse than
the first; but when he went out next morning, the Princesses stood
out of the earth as far as the knee. The third night there came a
Troll that had nine heads and nine rods, and he whipped and flogged
the lad so long that he fainted away; then the Troll took him up and
dashed him against the wall; but the shock brought down the flask,
which fell on the lad, burst, and spilled the ointment all over him,
and so he became as strong and sound as ever again. Then he wasn't
slow; he grasped the sword and slew the Troll; and next morning when
he went out of the castle the Princesses stood before him with all
their bodies out of the earth. So he took the youngest for his Queen,
and lived well and happily with her for some time.

At last he began to long to go home for a little to see his parents.
His Queen did not like this; but at last his heart was so set on it,
and he longed and longed so much, there was no holding him back, so
she said,

'One thing you must promise me. This--Only to do what your father
begs you to do, and not what your mother wishes'; and that he
promised.

Then she gave him a ring, which was of that kind that any one who
wore it might wish two wishes. So he wished himself home, and when he
got home his parents could not wonder enough what a grand man their
son had become.

Now, when he had been at home some days, his mother wished him to go
up to the palace and show the king what a fine fellow he had come to
be. But his father said:

'No! don't let him do that; if he does, we shan't have any more joy
of him this time.'

But it was no good, the mother begged and prayed so long, that at
last he went. So when he got up to the palace, he was far braver,
both in clothes and array, than the other king, who didn't quite like
this, and at last he said:

'All very fine; but here you can see my queen, what like she is, but
I can't see yours, that I can't. Do you know, I scarce think she's so
good-looking as mine.'

'Would to Heaven', said the young king, 'she were standing here, then
you'd see what she was like.' And that instant there she stood before
them.

But she was very woeful, and said to him:

'Why did you not mind what I told you; and why did you not listen to
what your father said? Now, I must away home, and as for you, you
have had both your wishes.'

With that she knitted a ring among his hair with her name on it, and
wished herself home, and was off.

Then the young king was cut to the heart, and went, day out day in,
thinking and thinking how he should get back to his queen. 'I'll just
try', he thought, 'if I can't learn where Whiteland lies'; and so he
went out into the world to ask. So when he had gone a good way, he
came to a high hill, and there he met one who was lord over all the
beasts of the wood, for they all came home to him when he blew his
horn; so the king asked if he knew where Whiteland was?

'No, I don't', said he, 'but I'll ask my beasts.' Then he blew his
horn and called them, and asked if any of them knew where Whiteland
lay? but there was no beast that knew.

So the man gave him a pair of snow-shoes.

'When you get on these', he said, 'you'll come to my brother, who
lives hundreds of miles off; he is lord over all the birds of the
air. Ask him. When you reach his house, just turn the shoes, so that
the toes point this way, and they'll come home of themselves.' So
when the king reached the house, he turned the shoes as the lord of
the beasts had said, and away they went home of themselves.

So he asked again after Whiteland, and the man called all the birds
with a blast of his horn, and asked if any of them knew where
Whiteland lay; but none of the birds knew. Now, long, long after the
rest of the birds, came an old eagle, which had been away ten round
years, but he couldn't tell any more than the rest.

'Well! well!' said the man, 'I'll lend you a pair of snow-shoes, and
when you get them on, they'll carry you to my brother, who lives
hundreds of miles off; he's lord of all the fish in the sea; you'd
better ask him. But don't forget to turn the toes of the shoes this
way.'

The king was full of thanks, got on the shoes, and when he came to
the man who was lord over the fish of the sea, he turned the toes
round, and so off they went home like the other pair. After that, he
asked again after Whiteland.

So the man called the fish with a blast, but no fish could tell where
it lay. At last came an old pike, which they had great work to call
home, he was such a way off. So when they asked him he said:

'Know it! I should think I did. I've been cook there ten years, and
to-morrow I'm going there again; for now, the queen of Whiteland,
whose king is away, is going to wed another husband.'

'Well!' said the man, 'as this is so, I'll give you a bit of advice.
Hereabouts, on a moor, stand three brothers, and here they have stood
these hundred years, fighting about a hat, a cloak, and a pair of
boots. If any one has these three things he can make himself
invisible, and wish himself any where he pleases. You can tell them
you wish to try the things, and after that, you'll pass judgment
between them, whose they shall be.'

Yes! the king thanked the man, and went and did as he told him.

'What's all this?' he said to the brothers. 'Why do you stand here
fighting for ever and a day? Just let me try these things, and I'll
give judgment whose they shall be.'

They were very willing to do this; but as soon as he had got the hat,
cloak, and boots, he said:

'When we meet next time, I'll tell you my judgment', and with these
words he wished himself away.

So as he went along up in the air, he came up with the North Wind.

'Whither away?' roared the North Wind.

'To Whiteland', said the king; and then he told him all that had
befallen him.

'Ah', said the North Wind, 'you go faster than I--you do; for you can
go straight, while I have to puff and blow round every turn and
corner. But when you get there, just place yourself on the stairs by
the side of the door, and then I'll come storming in, as though I
were going to blow down the whole castle. And then when the prince,
who is to have your queen, comes out to see what's the matter, just
you take him by the collar and pitch him out of doors; then I'll look
after him, and see if I can't carry him off.'

Well--the king did as the North Wind said. He took his stand on the
stairs, and when the North Wind came, storming and roaring, and took
hold of the castle wall, so that it shook again, the prince came out
to see what was the matter. But as soon as ever he came, the king
caught him by the collar and pitched him out of doors, and then the
North Wind caught him up and carried him off. So when there was an
end of him, the king went into the castle, and at first his queen
didn't know him, he was so wan and thin, through wandering so far and
being so woeful; but when he shewed her the ring, she was as glad as
glad could be; and so the rightful wedding was held, and the fame of
it spread far and wide.




THE LASSIE AND HER GODMOTHER

Once on a time a poor couple lived far, far away in a great wood. The
wife was brought to bed, and had a pretty girl, but they were so poor
they did not know how to get the babe christened, for they had no
money to pay the parson's fees. So one day the father went out to see
if he could find any one who was willing to stand for the child and
pay the fees; but though he walked about the whole day from one house
to another, and though all said they were willing enough to stand, no
one thought himself bound to pay the fees. Now, when he was going
home again, a lovely lady met him, dressed so fine, and who looked so
thoroughly good and kind; she offered to get the babe christened, but
after that, she said, she must keep it for her own. The husband
answered, he must first ask his wife what she wished to do; but when
he got home and told his story, the wife said, right out, 'No!'

Next day the man went out again, but no one would stand if they had
to pay the fees; and though he begged and prayed, he could get no
help. And again as he went home, towards evening the same lovely lady
met him, who looked so sweet and good, and she made him the same
offer. So he told his wife again how he had fared, and this time she
said, if he couldn't get any one to stand for his babe next day, they
must just let the lady have her way, since she seemed so kind and
good.

The third day, the man went about, but he couldn't get any one to
stand; and so when, towards evening, he met the kind lady again, he
gave his word she should have the babe if she would only get it
christened at the font. So next morning she came to the place where
the man lived, followed by two men to stand godfathers, took the babe
and carried it to church, and there it was christened. After that she
took it to her own house, and there the little girl lived with her
several years, and her foster-mother was always kind and friendly to
her.

Now, when the lassie had grown to be big enough to know right and
wrong, her foster-mother got ready to go on a journey. 'You have my
leave', she said, 'to go all over the house, except those rooms which
I shew you'; and when she had said that, away she went.

But the lassie could not forbear just to open one of the doors a
little bit, when--POP! out flew a Star.

When her foster-mother came back, she was very vexed to find that the
star had flown out, and she got very angry with her foster-daughter,
and threatened to send her away; but the child cried and begged so
hard that she got leave to stay.

Now, after a while, the foster-mother had to go on another journey;
and, before she went, she forbade the lassie to go into those two
rooms into which she had never been. She promised to beware; but when
she was left alone, she began to think and to wonder what there could
be in the second room, and at last she could not help setting the
door a little ajar, just to peep in, when--POP! out flew the Moon.

When her foster-mother came home and found the Moon let out, she was
very downcast, and said to the lassie she must go away, she could not
stay with her any longer. But the lassie wept so bitterly, and prayed
so heartily for forgiveness, that this time, too, she got leave to
stay.

Some time after, the foster-mother had to go away again, and she
charged the lassie, who by this time was half grown up, most
earnestly that she mustn't try to go into, or to peep into, the third
room. But when her foster-mother had been gone some time, and the
lassie was weary of walking about alone, all at once she thought,
'Dear me, what fun it would be just to peep a little into that third
room.' Then she thought she mustn't do it for her foster-mother's
sake; but when the bad thought came the second time she could hold
out no longer; come what might, she must and would look into the
room; so she just opened the door a tiny bit, when--POP! out flew the
Sun.

But when her foster-mother came back and saw that the sun had flown
away, she was cut to the heart, and said, 'Now, there was no help for
it, the lassie must and should go away; she couldn't hear of her
staying any longer.' Now the lassie cried her eyes out, and begged
and prayed so prettily; but it was all no good.

'Nay! but I must punish you!' said her foster-mother; 'but you may
have your choice, either to be the loveliest woman in the world, and
not to be able to speak, or to keep your speech, and be the ugliest
of all women; but away from me you must go.'

And the lassie said, 'I would sooner be lovely.' So she became all at
once wondrous fair; but from that day forth she was dumb.

So, when she went away from her foster-mother, she walked and
wandered through a great, great wood; but the farther she went, the
farther off the end seemed to be. So, when the evening came on, she
clomb up into a tall tree, which grew over a spring, and there she
made herself up to sleep that night. Close by lay a castle, and from
that castle came early every morning a maid to draw water to make the
Prince's tea, from the spring over which the lassie was sitting. So
the maid looked down into the spring, saw the lovely face in the
water, and thought it was her own; then she flung away the pitcher,
and ran home; and, when she got there, she tossed up her head and
said, 'If I'm so pretty, I'm far too good to go and fetch water.'

So another maid had to go for the water, but the same thing happened
to her; she went back and said she was far too pretty and too good to
fetch water from the spring for the Prince. Then the Prince went
himself, for he had a mind to see what all this could mean. So, when
he reached the spring, he too saw the image in the water; but he
looked up at once, and became aware of the lovely lassie who sate
there up in the tree. Then he coaxed her down and took her home; and
at last made up his mind to have her for his queen, because she was
so lovely; but his mother, who was still alive, was against it.

'She can't speak', she said, 'and maybe she's a wicked witch.'

But the Prince could not be content till he got her. So after they
had lived together a while, the lassie was to have a child, and when
the child came to be born, the Prince set a strong watch round her;
but at the birth one and all fell into a deep sleep, and her foster-
mother came, cut the babe on its little finger, and smeared the
queen's mouth with the blood; and said:

'Now you shall be as grieved as I was when you let out the star'; and
with these words she carried off the babe.

But when those who were on the watch woke, they thought the queen had
eaten her own child, and the old queen was all for burning her alive,
but the Prince was so fond of her that at last he begged her off, but
he had hard work to set her free.

So the next time the young queen was to have a child, twice as strong
a watch was set as the first time, but the same thing happened over
again, only this time her foster-mother said:

'Now you shall be as grieved as I was when you let the moon out.'

And the queen begged and prayed, and wept; for when her foster-mother
was there, she could speak--but it was all no good.

And now the old queen said she must be burnt, but the Prince found
means to beg her off. But when the third child was to be born, a
watch was set three times as strong as the first, but just the same
thing happened. Her foster-mother came while the watch slept, took
the babe, and cut its little finger, and smeared the queen's mouth
with the blood, telling her now she should be as grieved as she had
been when the lassie let out the sun.

And now the Prince could not save her any longer. She must and should
be burnt. But just as they were leading her to the stake, all at once
they saw her foster-mother, who came with all three children--two she
led by the hand, and the third she had on her arm; and so she went up
to the young queen and said:

'Here are your children; now you shall have them again. I am the
Virgin Mary, and so grieved as you have been, so grieved was I when
you let out sun, and moon, and star. Now you have been punished for
what you did, and henceforth you shall have your speech.'

How glad the Queen and Prince now were, all may easily think, but no
one can tell. After that they were always happy; and from that day
even the Prince's mother was very fond of the young queen.




THE THREE AUNTS

Once on a time there was a poor man who lived in a hut far away in
the wood, and got his living by shooting. He had an only daughter who
was very pretty, and as she had lost her mother when she was a child,
and was now half grown up, she said she would go out into the world
and earn her bread.

'Well, lassie!' said the father, 'true enough you have learnt nothing
here but how to pluck birds and roast them, but still you may as well
try to earn your bread.'

So the girl went off to seek a place, and when she had gone a little
while, she came to a palace. There she stayed and got a place, and
the queen liked her so well, that all the other maids got envious of
her. So they made up their minds to tell the queen how the lassie
said she was good to spin a pound of flax in four and twenty hours,
for you must know the queen was a great housewife, and thought much
of good work.

'Have you said this? then you shall do it', said the queen; 'but you
may have a little longer time if you choose.'

Now, the poor lassie dared not say she had never spun in all her
life, but she only begged for a room to herself. That she got, and
the wheel and the flax were brought up to her. There she sat sad and
weeping, and knew not how to help herself. She pulled the wheel this
way and that, and twisted and turned it about, but she made a poor
hand of it, for she had never even seen a spinning-wheel in her life.

But all at once, as she sat there, in came an old woman to her.

'What ails you, child?' she said.

'Ah!' said the lassie, with a deep sigh, 'it's no good to tell you,
for you'll never be able to help me.'

'Who knows?' said the old wife. 'May be I know how to help you after
all.'

Well, thought the lassie to herself, I may as well tell her, and so
she told her how her fellow-servants had given out that she was good
to spin a pound of flax in four and twenty hours.

'And here am I, wretch that I am, shut up to spin all that heap in a
day and a night, when I have never even seen a spinning-wheel in all
my born days.'

'Well, never mind, child', said the old woman. 'If you'll call me
Aunt on the happiest day of your life, I'll spin this flax for you,
and so you may just go away and lie down to sleep.'

Yes, the lassie was willing enough, and off she went and lay down to
sleep.

Next morning when she awoke, there lay all the flax spun on the
table, and that so clean and fine, no one had ever seen such even and
pretty yarn. The queen was very glad to get such nice yarn, and she
set greater store by the lassie than ever. But the rest were still
more envious, and agreed to tell the queen how the lassie had said
she was good to weave the yarn she had spun in four and twenty hours.
So the queen said again, as she had said it she must do it; but if
she couldn't quite finish it in four and twenty hours, she wouldn't
be too hard upon her, she might have a little more time. This time,
too, the lassie dared not say No, but begged for a room to herself,
and then she would try. There she sat again, sobbing and crying, and
not knowing which way to turn, when another old woman came in and
asked:

'What ails you, child?'

At first the lassie wouldn't say, but at last she told her the whole
story of her grief.

'Well, well!' said the old wife, 'never mind. If you'll call me Aunt
on the happiest day of your life, I'll weave this yarn for you, and
so you may just be off, and lie down to sleep.'

Yes, the lassie was willing enough; so she went away and lay down to
sleep. When she awoke, there lay the piece of linen on the table,
woven so neat and close, no woof could be better. So the lassie took
the piece and ran down to the queen, who was very glad to get such
beautiful linen, and set greater store than ever by the lassie. But
as for the others, they grew still more bitter against her, and
thought of nothing but how to find out something to tell about her.

Copyright (c) 2007. famouswriterz.com. All rights reserved.