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THIS
IS
AWESOME.
Interactive Icelandic folklore map, gogogo!
Also, because it was some time ago, I translated a Swedish folk tale. From northern Scania this time; I was kind of thumbing through the book looking for something short to work with for an hour or two, and so the story didn't end up being... Particularly unique or exciting. The language is also older and more advanced than what I'm used to and drawing from the medieval storytelling method, it having been recorded during the Romantic movement, and therefore really tricky to translate. Actually, there's a certain verse in it which rhymes in the original, but I was completely unable to convey the meaning in English without ruining the poetic influence.
It's also late now and I'm tired, so there might be some mistakes in the text. Feel free to point them out in that case.
The typical tale of princesses, good helpers, impossible tasks and enchanted items, it is called "Guldäpplen med Silverblad".
Golden Apples with Silver Leaves.
Once upon a time there was a king who had one daughter only, fair and beautiful. But then she got terribly sick, and the king feared bitterly that she would die. He brought together all the wise and learned men in the entire country to find a cure, but nothing they knew and could made the princess better.
Finally an old woman came to the king’s court, who knew the art of divination.
“What may be the matter here?” said the old woman. “Everybody are sad like great need is to come.”
She soon found out how things were with the princess.
“Isn’t it something else,” said the fortune-teller, “so set out and get the princess a golden apple with silver leaves, and she’ll be fine!”
The king sent his people in all directions to fetch golden apples with silver leaves, but all returned with unaccomplished errands. In his woe the king then let spread a decree in his country and kingdom, that the one who could get hold of a golden apple with silver leaves would receive the princess as reward.
At the same time it so fared that far east of the forest on a high mountain there was an enchanted apple tree that never bore any fruit. Close to the mountain lay an old cottage, where an old woman lived with her three sons, who all were brisk young lads and their mother’s only support in this world.
One night when the sons came home, they told their mother what they’d heard of the princess and the promised reward. In the morning when they woke up, something glistened in the old enchanted tree.
“What does that mean?” said the oldest of the brothers. “Don’t I see a golden apple with silver leaves!”
Immediately the desire to own the princess awoke within the three brothers.
“Merely one of you can have her”, said the old one. “You shan’t dispute, but in good order try your luck and make yourself worthy of the promised price!”
The oldest son then ran out to the old apple tree with a wicker on his arm and picked golden apples with silver leaves, and set out to the king’s castle once he had covered the wicker. With quick steps and beating heart he hurried all the way forth with his princess on his mind. The way went through and old forest, and when he entered it he met an old ugly hag.
“Good day!” said the hag, “What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?”
“Swine bristle and horsehair”, said the boy.
“May that be”, the hag replied.
The boy continued on his way and came to the king’s castle.
“What do you want, boy?” the guard at the gate asked.
“I’ve got golden apples with silver leaves in my basket, and want to see the princess and cure her.”
“Well that wasn’t bad.” said the guard.
But first they wanted to examine the content of the wicker. The boy handed it over, and the guard lift the lid. Out of the wicker welled swine bristle and horsehair in great bundles.
Ashamed the boy returned home, and the second brother set out with a new wicker of golden apples with silver leaves. Misfortune lead also him to meet with a hag, seven travels uglier than the last one.
“What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?” she asked the youngster.
“Nuts that no one can crack”, he answered and hurried forth.
“May that be!” the hag called after him.
He came to the guard at the gate and asked to see the princess with his golden apples. But when the guard for safety’s sake lift off the lid to examine, the wicker contained naught but hard nuts that no one could crack, and the boy had to return home with his shame.
Now the youngest brother finally set out to try his luck. He filled the wicker with fruits from the old apple tree and travelled to the king’s castle. When he’d come a bit through the forest, the same witch that his brothers had encountered before met him.
“What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?” the hag asked.
“Golden apples with silver leaves”, the merry and high spirited youngster replied.
“May that be”, the hag answered.
“Can old mother show me the way to the king’s castle?” the youngster asked.
In the same instant he heard a voice singing deep in the forest:
When you come to the king’s field,
Crossways a paper fence is raised.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When you come to the king’s way
Two white bears will stand there.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When you come to the king’s garden,
There plays a hind, a roe there dances.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
The benches are of rocks cut,
The table of whitest ivory carved.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
The oven is made from reddest gold,
The tablecloths of softest wool.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
A rose in the hall grows from the ground,
Both misters and maidens dance around.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When the Forest Lady’s voice had died down, the hag said to him:
“Since you told you the truth I shall give you a good advice. If you meet someone on the road that you can help, then do so! They will be able to return the favour. Take this pipe! All whom you wish to call upon, obey its sound.”
The young man hadn’t been on the road for long until he saw two anthills fighting each other. He separated the fighting ants, and continued on his way.
A bit further forth he reached a lake glistening like silver between tall pines, mirrored in the water. He went down to the shore, and there encountered a fish who had been thrown upon land and could not return to the water again. The boy carefully took the fish in his hands and released it back in the lake.
The same instant a dove hunted by the hawk landed beside him. He scared the hawk away and fed the dove with half the sandwich he had got for his packed lunch.
Further forth he became aware of two ravens fighting for each of their lives. He separated the quarrelling ravens and continued on his way.
And so he finally arrived at the king’s castle. He handed over his wicker to the guard by the gate, and to everybody’s surprise it contained golden apples with silver leaves. The boy was allowed to enter the princess’ chamber, and in the king and the entire court’s presence she ate one of his apples. Soon the princess was well and healthy like never before.
The joy was overwhelming amongst all the inhabitants of the castle. But the king’s face darkened.
“Shall my daughter have a crofter’s son?” he asked himself. “Harder tasks he’ll have to undergo, before he can have her and half the kingdom.”
The king told the crofter boy to sort out a barrel of mixed grain the following night, so the barley lay for itself and the rye for itself. When the evening arrived, the boy poured the grain on the ground in the courtyard, thought of the anthills and blew in his pipe.
Soon thousands of ants came and separated the barley from the rye.
Early in the morning the king stepped out on the stairs to see how the boy had managed his task. After he’d examined both piles of grain closely, and not found one grain of one kind mixed with the other, he was once again dissatisfied.
The king now told the remarkable youth to before the other night fetch a valuable ring, which he had once lost in the lake, when he’d travelled over it in his royal vessel. When the evening arrived the boy went down to the shore and thought of the fish, which he’d saved from dying on land the day before. When he blew his pipe something splashed out in the dark water, and one moment later he saw the fish’s head floating above the surface.
“Oh, was it you, my friend”, said the fish. “What can I do for you?”
“Can you help me find the ring that the king once lost in this lake?” the boy asked.
With a slap of the tail the fish dived down in the deep; soon it once again put its head above the surface, now holding a ring in its mouth, precious jewels glistening in the moonlight.
When the king the next morning got his ring back, he thought long and hard about what kind of task to give the crofter boy this time, the more impossible the better. In the end he called for the youth and ordered him to fetch an olive twig from Paradise.
The boy now thought of the dove he’d saved from the hawk, and blew his pipe. In the same moment the dove was with him. She dearly wanted to help him fetch an olive twig from Paradise, and immediately flew all the way there. It didn’t take long, until she was back with the twig in her beak.
Now the king was beside himself with rage, and demanded an ember from Hell.
Once again the boy’s pipe sounded, strong wings soughed in the wind and one of the two ravens landed next to him. The boy asked the bird to fetch an ember from Hell.
“Gladly!” said the raven, and immediately went on his way to the abyss.
A short while later the raven dropped the ember from Hell on the king’s courtyard. Then there was a great crash and rumble, and the castle shook in its very foundation. All were horrified, and the king himself paled.
“Now you’ve mocked me long enough,” the crofter boy said to the king. “Give me the princess now, like you promised, else I’ll return home and this ember shall burn on your courtyard for incessant times.”
The terror in the castle was great and mighty, and the king didn’t consider this for long.
“Here you have my hand,” he said. “The princess is yours, and yours is half my kingdom, if you can but remove this abomination.”
The boy blew his pipe. The second raven was there at once, and returned the ember from whence it came.
The youngster was dressed in purple and gold, the wedding was prepared, and in the bride’s crown the silver leaves of the enchanted apple tree were braided.
Soon the old king died and left the entire kingdom to the boy from the crofter. Joy and good health spread through the country.
And there the two of them sit and rule to this day, if this tale be true.
THIS
IS
AWESOME.
Interactive Icelandic folklore map, gogogo!
Also, because it was some time ago, I translated a Swedish folk tale. From northern Scania this time; I was kind of thumbing through the book looking for something short to work with for an hour or two, and so the story didn't end up being... Particularly unique or exciting. The language is also older and more advanced than what I'm used to and drawing from the medieval storytelling method, it having been recorded during the Romantic movement, and therefore really tricky to translate. Actually, there's a certain verse in it which rhymes in the original, but I was completely unable to convey the meaning in English without ruining the poetic influence.
It's also late now and I'm tired, so there might be some mistakes in the text. Feel free to point them out in that case.
The typical tale of princesses, good helpers, impossible tasks and enchanted items, it is called "Guldäpplen med Silverblad".
Golden Apples with Silver Leaves.
Once upon a time there was a king who had one daughter only, fair and beautiful. But then she got terribly sick, and the king feared bitterly that she would die. He brought together all the wise and learned men in the entire country to find a cure, but nothing they knew and could made the princess better.
Finally an old woman came to the king’s court, who knew the art of divination.
“What may be the matter here?” said the old woman. “Everybody are sad like great need is to come.”
She soon found out how things were with the princess.
“Isn’t it something else,” said the fortune-teller, “so set out and get the princess a golden apple with silver leaves, and she’ll be fine!”
The king sent his people in all directions to fetch golden apples with silver leaves, but all returned with unaccomplished errands. In his woe the king then let spread a decree in his country and kingdom, that the one who could get hold of a golden apple with silver leaves would receive the princess as reward.
At the same time it so fared that far east of the forest on a high mountain there was an enchanted apple tree that never bore any fruit. Close to the mountain lay an old cottage, where an old woman lived with her three sons, who all were brisk young lads and their mother’s only support in this world.
One night when the sons came home, they told their mother what they’d heard of the princess and the promised reward. In the morning when they woke up, something glistened in the old enchanted tree.
“What does that mean?” said the oldest of the brothers. “Don’t I see a golden apple with silver leaves!”
Immediately the desire to own the princess awoke within the three brothers.
“Merely one of you can have her”, said the old one. “You shan’t dispute, but in good order try your luck and make yourself worthy of the promised price!”
The oldest son then ran out to the old apple tree with a wicker on his arm and picked golden apples with silver leaves, and set out to the king’s castle once he had covered the wicker. With quick steps and beating heart he hurried all the way forth with his princess on his mind. The way went through and old forest, and when he entered it he met an old ugly hag.
“Good day!” said the hag, “What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?”
“Swine bristle and horsehair”, said the boy.
“May that be”, the hag replied.
The boy continued on his way and came to the king’s castle.
“What do you want, boy?” the guard at the gate asked.
“I’ve got golden apples with silver leaves in my basket, and want to see the princess and cure her.”
“Well that wasn’t bad.” said the guard.
But first they wanted to examine the content of the wicker. The boy handed it over, and the guard lift the lid. Out of the wicker welled swine bristle and horsehair in great bundles.
Ashamed the boy returned home, and the second brother set out with a new wicker of golden apples with silver leaves. Misfortune lead also him to meet with a hag, seven travels uglier than the last one.
“What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?” she asked the youngster.
“Nuts that no one can crack”, he answered and hurried forth.
“May that be!” the hag called after him.
He came to the guard at the gate and asked to see the princess with his golden apples. But when the guard for safety’s sake lift off the lid to examine, the wicker contained naught but hard nuts that no one could crack, and the boy had to return home with his shame.
Now the youngest brother finally set out to try his luck. He filled the wicker with fruits from the old apple tree and travelled to the king’s castle. When he’d come a bit through the forest, the same witch that his brothers had encountered before met him.
“What do you have in your wicker, I wonder?” the hag asked.
“Golden apples with silver leaves”, the merry and high spirited youngster replied.
“May that be”, the hag answered.
“Can old mother show me the way to the king’s castle?” the youngster asked.
In the same instant he heard a voice singing deep in the forest:
When you come to the king’s field,
Crossways a paper fence is raised.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When you come to the king’s way
Two white bears will stand there.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When you come to the king’s garden,
There plays a hind, a roe there dances.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
The benches are of rocks cut,
The table of whitest ivory carved.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
The oven is made from reddest gold,
The tablecloths of softest wool.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
A rose in the hall grows from the ground,
Both misters and maidens dance around.
So delightfully, so delightfully.
When the Forest Lady’s voice had died down, the hag said to him:
“Since you told you the truth I shall give you a good advice. If you meet someone on the road that you can help, then do so! They will be able to return the favour. Take this pipe! All whom you wish to call upon, obey its sound.”
The young man hadn’t been on the road for long until he saw two anthills fighting each other. He separated the fighting ants, and continued on his way.
A bit further forth he reached a lake glistening like silver between tall pines, mirrored in the water. He went down to the shore, and there encountered a fish who had been thrown upon land and could not return to the water again. The boy carefully took the fish in his hands and released it back in the lake.
The same instant a dove hunted by the hawk landed beside him. He scared the hawk away and fed the dove with half the sandwich he had got for his packed lunch.
Further forth he became aware of two ravens fighting for each of their lives. He separated the quarrelling ravens and continued on his way.
And so he finally arrived at the king’s castle. He handed over his wicker to the guard by the gate, and to everybody’s surprise it contained golden apples with silver leaves. The boy was allowed to enter the princess’ chamber, and in the king and the entire court’s presence she ate one of his apples. Soon the princess was well and healthy like never before.
The joy was overwhelming amongst all the inhabitants of the castle. But the king’s face darkened.
“Shall my daughter have a crofter’s son?” he asked himself. “Harder tasks he’ll have to undergo, before he can have her and half the kingdom.”
The king told the crofter boy to sort out a barrel of mixed grain the following night, so the barley lay for itself and the rye for itself. When the evening arrived, the boy poured the grain on the ground in the courtyard, thought of the anthills and blew in his pipe.
Soon thousands of ants came and separated the barley from the rye.
Early in the morning the king stepped out on the stairs to see how the boy had managed his task. After he’d examined both piles of grain closely, and not found one grain of one kind mixed with the other, he was once again dissatisfied.
The king now told the remarkable youth to before the other night fetch a valuable ring, which he had once lost in the lake, when he’d travelled over it in his royal vessel. When the evening arrived the boy went down to the shore and thought of the fish, which he’d saved from dying on land the day before. When he blew his pipe something splashed out in the dark water, and one moment later he saw the fish’s head floating above the surface.
“Oh, was it you, my friend”, said the fish. “What can I do for you?”
“Can you help me find the ring that the king once lost in this lake?” the boy asked.
With a slap of the tail the fish dived down in the deep; soon it once again put its head above the surface, now holding a ring in its mouth, precious jewels glistening in the moonlight.
When the king the next morning got his ring back, he thought long and hard about what kind of task to give the crofter boy this time, the more impossible the better. In the end he called for the youth and ordered him to fetch an olive twig from Paradise.
The boy now thought of the dove he’d saved from the hawk, and blew his pipe. In the same moment the dove was with him. She dearly wanted to help him fetch an olive twig from Paradise, and immediately flew all the way there. It didn’t take long, until she was back with the twig in her beak.
Now the king was beside himself with rage, and demanded an ember from Hell.
Once again the boy’s pipe sounded, strong wings soughed in the wind and one of the two ravens landed next to him. The boy asked the bird to fetch an ember from Hell.
“Gladly!” said the raven, and immediately went on his way to the abyss.
A short while later the raven dropped the ember from Hell on the king’s courtyard. Then there was a great crash and rumble, and the castle shook in its very foundation. All were horrified, and the king himself paled.
“Now you’ve mocked me long enough,” the crofter boy said to the king. “Give me the princess now, like you promised, else I’ll return home and this ember shall burn on your courtyard for incessant times.”
The terror in the castle was great and mighty, and the king didn’t consider this for long.
“Here you have my hand,” he said. “The princess is yours, and yours is half my kingdom, if you can but remove this abomination.”
The boy blew his pipe. The second raven was there at once, and returned the ember from whence it came.
The youngster was dressed in purple and gold, the wedding was prepared, and in the bride’s crown the silver leaves of the enchanted apple tree were braided.
Soon the old king died and left the entire kingdom to the boy from the crofter. Joy and good health spread through the country.
And there the two of them sit and rule to this day, if this tale be true.
