The Norwegian Fairy Book. Klara Stroebe

of whey, and then he saw what sort of creature she really was, for her whole body was coal-black. But when he had scrubbed her in the whey, and rubbed her in the sour milk, and sponged her in the sweet milk, the troll-skin had altogether disappeared, and she was lovelier than she had ever been before.

      On the following day the comrade said that now they must get on their way. The youth was ready to set forth, and the princess, too, for her dower had long since been made ready. During the night the comrade had brought all the gold and silver, and all the valuables which the troll had left in the hill to the castle, and when they wanted to start in the morning, the castle court-yard was so full they could scarcely get through. The dower supplied by the troll was worth more than the king’s whole country, and they did not know how they were to take it home. But the comrade found a way out of the difficulty. The troll had also left six goats who could fly through the air. These he loaded so heavily with gold and silver that they had to walk on the ground, and were not strong enough to rise into the air; and what the goats could not carry, had to be left at the castle. Thus they traveled for a long time, but at last the goats grew so weary and wretched that they could go no further. The youth and the princess did not know what to do; but when the comrade saw that they could not move from the spot, he took the whole treasure on his back, topped it with the goats, and carried it all until they were no more than half a mile from the youth’s home. Then the comrade said: “Now I must part from you, for I can stay with you no longer.” But the youth would not hear of parting, and would not let him go at any price.

      So he went along another half mile, but further than that he could not go, and when the youth pressed him, and insisted that he come home with him, and stay there; or that he at least celebrate their home-coming, he merely said no, he could not do so. Then the youth asked him what he wished in the way of payment for his company and aid. “If I am to wish for something, then I would like to have half of all that you may gain in the course of the next five years,” said his comrade. And this was promised him.

      Now when the comrade had gone, the youth hid all his treasure, and went straight home. And there they celebrated a home-coming feast that was talked about in seven kingdoms; and when that was over they spent the whole winter going back and forth with the goats, and his father’s twelve horses, bringing all the gold and silver home.

      After five years the comrade came again and asked for his share. Then the man divided all his possessions into two equal parts.

      “Yet there is one thing you have not divided,” said the comrade.

      “What could that be?” asked the man. “I thought I had divided everything.”

      “You have been blessed with a child,” said the comrade, “and that you must also divide into two equal parts.”

      Yes, such was really the case. Then he took up his sword, but when he raised it and was about to divide the child, his comrade seized the point of the sword so that he could not strike.

      “Are you not happy, since you need not strike?” said he.

      “Yes, indeed, I never was happier,” said the man.

      “That is how happy I was when you delivered me out of the block of ice,” said the comrade. “Keep all you have: I need nothing, for I am a disembodied spirit.” And he told him he was the wine-dealer who had lain in the block of ice before the church door, spat upon by all; and that he had become his comrade, and had aided him, because the youth had sacrificed all he had in order that he might have peace, and a burial in consecrated ground. He had been permitted to accompany him for the space of a year, and the time had run out when he had first parted with him. Now he had once more been allowed to visit him; yet on this occasion he would have to part for all time, for the bells of heaven were calling him.

      NOTE

      In no event originally Norse, but thousands of years old, current in many lands, and even recounted in the book of Tobias—though in other words—is the story of the grateful dead man, “The Comrade.” (Asbjörnsen, N.F.E., No. 100, p. 201. From Aadal, together with variants from Valders and Aamot.)

VII

       ASPENCLOG

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      Aspenclog’s mother was an aspen-tree. He slew the man who had chopped her down. Then he went to the king and asked whether he could give him work. He wanted no other pay than the right to give the king three good thumps on the back when there was no more work for him to do. The king agreed to this condition, for he thought he would always have enough work for him to do. Then he sent him to the forest to gather wood. But Aspenclog piled up such a tremendous load that two horses could not pull the wagon. So he took two polar bears, harnessed them to the wagon, drove it home, and left the bears in the stable, where they ate up all the king’s cattle.

      Then he was told to keep a mill grinding which the evil one often brought to a stop. No sooner had Aspenclog commenced to grind than, sure enough, the mill stopped. Aspenclog took a candle and made a search. No doubt of it, the evil one had wedged his leg between the mill-stones. No sooner had Aspenclog seen the leg, than he chopped it off with his club. Then the evil one came hobbling up on one leg, and begged fearfully and tearfully for the leg he had lost. No, he could not have it, said the youth, unless he gave him a bushel of money for it. But when the evil one had to pay Aspenclog the money, he thought to cheat him, and said that they would wager bushel against bushel, as to which of them could throw the highest. They argued a while about which was to throw first. At last Aspenclog had to begin. Now the evil one had a ball with which they were to throw. Aspenclog stood a long time looking at the moon. “Why do you do that?” asked the evil one. “Well, I would like to see whether I cannot throw the ball into the moon,” said Aspenclog. “Do you see those black spots? Those are the balls I have already thrown up into the moon.” Then the evil one was afraid of losing his ball, and he did not dare to let Aspenclog throw.

      So they wagered bushel against bushel as to which one of them could blow the highest note. “You may blow first,” said Aspenclog. “No, you!” Finally it was decided that Aspenclog should blow first. Then he went to a hill, took an enormous fir-tree and wound it around his horn like a reed. “Why do you do that?” asked the evil one. “Well, if I don’t, the horn will burst when I blow it,” was Aspenclog’s answer. Now the evil one began to get frightened, and Aspenclog came home with half a ton of money.

      But soon the king had no corn left to grind. And war broke out in the land. “Now he will have work enough to last him a lifetime,” thought the king. And he told Aspenclog to go out against the enemy. Aspenclog was quite ready to do so; but wanted to have plenty of provisions to take with him. Then he set forth, and when he saw the enemy he sat down to eat. The enemy shot at him as hard as they could, but their bullets did not touch him. When Aspenclog had satisfied his hunger, he stood up, tore out an enormous oak by the roots, and lay about him with it. Before very long he had hewn down all of the enemy. Then he went back home to the king.

      “Have you any more work for me?” he asked. “No, now I have no work left,” said the king. “Then I will give you three good thumps on the back,” said Aspenclog. The king begged permission to bolster himself up with pillows. “Yes, take as many as you want,” said Aspenclog. Then he thumped, and at his first thump the king burst into pieces.

      NOTE

      “Aspenclog” (Kristoffer Janson, Folkeeventyr, uppskrivene i Sandeherad, Christiania, 1878, No. 8, p. 29) is a giant related to Murmur Goose-Egg, of whom we have still to hear. The laconic account of his origin is one of the beliefs of primitive peoples: that the first human beings were descended from trees, and the Voluspa even calls the first two human beings Aspen and Elm (Ask and Embla). Aspenclog is one of these mysterious tree-people.

VIII

       THE TROLL WEDDING

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