Swedish Fairy Tales — Herman Hofberg
Swedish Fairy Tales You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : Swedish fairy tales Author : Herman Hofberg Translator : Willard Henry Myers Release date : March 3, 2024 [eBook #73093] Language : English Original publication : Chicago: Belford-Clarke Co., 1888 Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73093 Credits : Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) *** START OF TRANSLATED BY W. H. MYERS. CHICAGO: BELFORD-CLARKE CO. 1890. [ 2 ] [ Contents ] COPYRIGHT BY BELFORD, CLARKE & CO. 1888. [ 3 ] [ Contents ] Author’s Preface. It is probably known to most readers that there is a distinction between Tradition and Saga. Tradition has, or at least seems to have, to do with facts, usually designating some particular spot or region where the incident is said to have taken place, often even giving the names of actors, while the Saga is entirely free in its scope, equally as regards incident, and the time and place of its happening. Not infrequently the traditions of a people are founded upon actual historical occurrences, which, often repeated in the naïve manner of the peasantry, become, finally, folk-lore. A great many are, however, drawn from ancient myths, which, in time, become clad in historical garb, and are located in some particular place. We already possess various collections of traditions drawn from the rich treasury of our peasantry, but up to the present there has been no attempt at a formulated compilation of Swedish folk-lore. As I now put into the hands of the public such a collection, I ought to state that I have thought it better to select the most typical of our traditions than to gather everything that I might in this line, much of which has already been written, and which would require a many times larger volume, and occasion a repetition of the same matter when occurring, as many do, in different localities. Instead, I have accompanied each tale with a historical and ethnographical note in which I have so stated if the tradition is found in different places. The illustrations are the product of several among our best artists. Without doubt, the book has thereby been added to greatly, not only in outer adornment, but even in national and intrinsic value. [ 4 ] [ Contents ] Translator’s Preface. An interest in the Swedish people, their language, their literature and history; the important part the traditions of a people play in their history, character and domestic life, and that the traditions of the world play in its history and that of mankind, and that I would, if possible, add to the growing interest in that far-away, beautiful country, and that generous, hospitable people, have been the incentives to the labor involved in this translation; a labor not unmixed with pleasure, and not a little of that pleasure coming from the encouragement of my Swedish acquaintances . No embellishment and not more than a faithful reproduction of the author’s ideas have been attempted, and I shall be happy, indeed, if I have done so excellent a writer as Mr. Hofberg, approximate justice in this regard. I have taken the liberty to leave out a number of the author’s notes as unimportant, and not likely to interest the general reader, also to follow the stories with their notes instead of grouping them in the back of the book as in the original. [ 5 ] [ Contents ] Contents. PAGE. AUTHOR’S PREFACE , 3 TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE , 4 SKÅNE. LJUNGBY HORN AND PIPE , 31 STOMPE PILT , 15 THE GHOST AT FJELKINGE , 28 THE GIANT FINN AND LUND’S CATHEDRAL , 17 THE LORD OF ROSENDAL , 20 THE MASTER OF UGERUP , 23 THE SURE SHOT , 11 BLEKINGE. THE KNIGHT OF ELLENHOLM , 39 THE SWAN MAIDEN , 35 SMÅLAND. DAME SOÅSAN , 47 EBBE SKAMELSON , 60 JOHAN AND THE TROLLS , 65 KATRINEHOLM MANOR , 55 KETTIL RUNSKE , 45 THE GIANT PUKE , 52 THE LOST TREASURE , 69 THE TROLLS OF SKURUGATA , 42 GÖTLAND. THE BYSE , 77 THE SEA NYMPH , 75 THE TEN FAIRY SERVANTS , 71 ÖLAND. [ 6 ] THE BRIDGE OVER KALMARSOUND , 78 HALLAND. ELSTORPS WOODS , 84 THE FREEBOOTER’S GRAVE , 89 THE PIGMY OF FOLKARED’S CLIFF , 86 THE YOUNG LADY OF HELLERUP , 80 BOHUSLÄN. GLOSHED’S ALTAR , 95 HÅLDE-HAT , 99 KING RANE AND QUEEN HUDTA , 107 THE BRIDAL PRESENT , 97 THE CHILD PHANTOM , 105 THE GIANT MAIDEN IN BORÅSERÖD MOUNTAIN , 91 THE GOLDEN CRADLE , 102 VESTERGÖTLAND. BISHOP SVEDBERG AND THE DEVIL , 117 THE COUNTESS OF HÖJENTORP , 111 THE GIANT OF SKALUNDA , 113 THE KNIGHTS OF ÅLLABERG , 109 THE TREASURE IN SÄBY CREEK , 119 THE TROLLS IN RESSLARED , 115 ÖSTERGÖTLAND. LADY BARBRO OF BROKIND , 129 THE CAT OF NORRHULT , 126 THE TOMTS , 122 THE TROLL SHOES , 134 THE URKO OF NORTH WIJ , 131 DAL. BURIED ALIVE , 140 THE MOUNTAIN KITCHEN , 138 THE WOOD AND THE SEA NYMPHS , 136 VERMANLAND. [ 7 ] JONAS SPITS , 141 LADY RANGELA OF EDSHOLM , 143 SAXE OF SAXEHOLM , 145 THE HARVESTERS , 149 THE POLITE COAL BURNER , 147 NÄRIKE . KATE OF YSÄTTER , 155 RUGGA BRIDGE , 153 THE ELVES’ DANCE , 159 THE FIDDLER AND THE SEA NYMPH , 162 THE ULFGRYT STONES , 150 VESTERMANLAND. BOLSTRE CASTLE , 174 THE COAL BURNER AND THE TROLL , 169 THE SNIPE , 164 TIBBLE CASTLE AND KLINTA SPRING , 166 SÖDERMANLAND. LAKE GOLDRING , 184 THE CHANGELINGS , 176 THE LADY OF PINTORP , 179 THE TROLL GARDEN AT STALLSBACKE , 187 UPLAND. HERR MELKER OF VECKHOLM , 189 THE OLD MAN OF LOGGA , 192 DALARNE. BÖLSBJÖRN , 197 THE LAPP IN MAGPIE FORM , 200 THE PLAGUE , 203 THE TREASURE SEEKERS , 198 THE WATER NYMPH , 194 GESTRIKLAND. THE VÄTTERS , 205 HELSINGLAND. FORSSA CHURCH , 208 MEDELPAD. STARKAD AND BALE , 209 ÅNGERMANLAND. [ 8 ] THE BELL IN SJÄLEVAD , 212 HERJEDALEN. THE VÄTTS STOREHO