Norwegian Folk Tales
By Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe
Published by The Viking Press, Inc. (1960)
Reading Level: Ages 9-12 years
Pages: 189
Genre: Folk Tales
Summary: "Butterball" is about a fat little boy and a troll-hag that wants to eat him. She ticks him to come with her several times but he gets away each time until the third time. The troll-hag asks her daughter to make Butterball into soup while she's gone. Butterball tricks the daughter and chops off her head and uses her body to make the soup. When the troll-hag comes back with friends, Butterball drops a giant rock on them all and they all die. Butterball takes the Troll-hag's treasure and becomes rich.
"The Companion" is about a man trying to find a princess he dreamed about. On the way he makes sure a dead criminal receives a proper Christian burial and then he meets a man that wants to be the mans companion. The companion helps the man get past trolls and get magical items from the troll. They make it to the castle where the princess lives and the princess gives him items to hide from her for a day and not lose them, then she would steal them and take them to a troll she was in love with. The companion would follow the princess and get the items. Finally the princess asks for the troll's head and so the companion cuts off the troll's head and the young man gets to marry the princess, but the princess tries to kill the man and so he bathes her in the way his companion told him to and she lost her troll hide and became sweeter and more beautiful. The companions leaves and comes back later for his reward and the man gives it to him and the companion gives it back because he is really an angel and was the dead criminal that the man had made sure received a proper burial.
"The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue" is about three princess that were not supposed to go outside until they were 16. They go out earlier and are kidnapped by a troll. A soldier joins a lieutenant and a captain in their search for the princesses. The soldier gets them past the animals on the bridge and then they come to an empty manor. When two go out hunting the other gets beat up by little old man with crutches. This happens to the lieutenant and the captain. When it's the soldier's turn to stay home he tricks the little man and finds out where there princesses are. He has to go down a hole and finds both princess who help him kills their troll captors. They take a bunch of money and after the princesses get out they leave the soldier in the hole. The captain and lieutenant make the princesses promise to say that they had saved them. The youngest refuses to marry them and the old ones agree. The soldier finds a whistle that calls ravens. The ravens help him get out of the hole. He apprentices himself to an old goldsmith. The princesses want a game like they had at the troll's place and a reward is promised to the person that can make one. The soldier has the raven bring him the original. It is given to the princesses and the duplicity of the captain and lieutenant are found out and they are put to death. The soldier marries the youngest princess.
"The Mill that Grinds at the Bottom of the Sea" is about a poor man that gets a mill that magically grinds out food or what ever you want. It can only be stopped a certain way. The man's brother tries is and can't stop it so it goes back. Then a merchant buys it and he can't stop it and it falls into the sea where it is still grinding salt.
My Reaction: I've read these tales before so I enjoyed them. Some I haven't read i a really long time, so it was fun to rediscover them, but I really enjoy these stories.
Potential Problems: They are violent. Many heads get chopped off. The trolls could also be scary.
Recommendations: I was young when I first heard the story of Butterball and I loved it. I think that elementary school kids would enjoy listening to these stories.
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