These Norwegian tales of elemental mountain, forest and sea spirits, handed down by hinds and huntsmen, woodchoppers and fisherfolk, men who led a hard and lonely life amid primitive surroundings are, perhaps, among the most fascinating the Scandinavian countries have to offer. Nor are they only meant to delight the child, though this they cannot fail to do. “Grown-ups” also, who take pleasure in a good story, well told, will enjoy the original “Peer Gynt” legend, as it existed before Ibsen gave it more symbolic meanings; and that glowing, beautiful picture of an Avalon of the Northern seas shown in “The Island of Udröst.” What could be more human and moving than the tragic “The Player on the Jew’s-Harp,” or more genuinely entertaining than “The King’s Hares”? “The Master-Girl” is a Candida of fairy-land, and the thrill and glamor of black magic and mystery run through such stories as “The Secret Church,” “The Comrade,” and “Lucky Andrew.” In “The Honest Four-Shilling Piece” we have the adventures of a Norse Dick Whittington. “Storm Magic” is one of the most thrilling sea tales, bar none, ever written, and every story included in the volume seems to bring with it the breath of the Norse mountains or the tang of the spindrift on[vi] Northern seas. Much of the charm of the stories lies in the directness and simplicity of their telling; and this quality, which adds so much to their appeal, the translator has endeavored to preserve in its integrity. He cannot but feel that “The Norwegian Fairy Book” has an appeal for one and all, since it is a book in which the mirror of fairy-tale reflects human yearnings and aspirations, human loves, ambitions and disillusionments, in an imaginatively glamored, yet not distorted form.
Contents
Per Gynt
The Isle Of Udröst
The Three Lemons
The Neighbor Underground
The Secret Church
The Comrade
Aspenclog
The Troll Wedding
The Hat Of The Huldres
The Child Of Mary
Storm Magic
The Four-shilling Piece
The Magic Apples
Self Did It
The Master Girl
Anent The Giant Who Did Not Have His Heart About Him
The Three Princesses In Whiteland
Trouble And Care
Kari Woodencoat
Ola Storbaekkjen
The Cat Who Could Eat So Much
East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon
Murmur Goose-egg
The Troll-wife
The King’s Hares
Helge-hal In The Blue Hill
The Lord Of The Hill And John Blessom
The Young Fellow And The Devil
Farther South Than South, And Farther North Than North, And In The Great Hill Of Gold
Lucky Andrew
The Pastor And The Sexton
The Skipper And Sir Urian
The Youth Who Was To Serve Three Years Without Pay
The Youth Who Wanted To Win The Daughter Of The Mother In The Corner
The Chronicle Of The Pancake
Soria-moria Castle
The Player On The Jew’s-harp