True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales by Sigrid Undset

Author:Sigrid Undset
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Published: 2013-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

but the first thing you must do when you wake in the morning, will be to go to the barn and fetch four barrels of rye for me. I must fill my crop with them for breakfast, else I can’t do anything.”

When he woke up, sure enough there he saw an awfully big bird, which had a feather at the nape of his neck, as thick and long as a half-grown spruce-fir. So the King’s son went down to the barn to fetch four barrels of rye for the Big Bird Dan, and when he had crammed them into his crop he told the King’s son to hang the press with the gold crowns on one side of his neck, and as much gold and silver as would weigh it down on the other side, and after that to get on his back and hold fast by the feather in the nape of his neck. So away they went till the wind whistled after them, and so it wasn’t long before they outstripped the ship. The King’s son wanted to go on board for his sword, for he was afraid lest anyone should get sight of it, for the troll had told him that mustn’t be; but the Big Bird Dan said that mustn’t be either.

“The Red Knight will never see it, never fear; but if you go on board, he’ll try to take your life, for he has set his heart on having the youngest Princess. But make your mind quite easy about her, for she lays a naked sword by her side in bed every night.”

So after a long, long time, they came to the island where the troll Prince was; and there the King’s son was welcomed so heartily there was no end to it. The troll Prince didn’t know how to be good enough to him for having slain his Lord and Master, and so made him King of the trolls, and if the King’s son had been willing he might easily have got the troll King’s daughter, and half the kingdom. But he had so set his heart on the youngest of the twelve Princesses, he could take no rest, but was all for going after their ship time after time. So the troll King begged him to be quiet a little longer, and said they had still nearly seven years to sail before they got home. As for the Princess the troll said the same thing as the Big Bird Dan.

“You needn’t fret yourself about her, for she lays a naked sword by her side every night in bed. And now if you don’t believe what I say,” said the troll, “you can go on board when they sail by here, and see for yourself, and fetch the sword too, for I may just as well have it again.”

So when they sailed by, another great storm arose, and when the King’s son went on board they all slept, and each Princess lay beside her

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