Sundry children deem IThe Nornir to be—the sameRace they have not.Some are of Æser-kin,Some are of Alf-kin,Some are the daughters of Dualin." (i.e.of the Dwarfs.)
Sundry children deem IThe Nornir to be—the sameRace they have not.Some are of Æser-kin,Some are of Alf-kin,Some are the daughters of Dualin." (i.e.of the Dwarfs.)
"Then," said Ganglar, "if the Nornir direct the future destiny of men, they shape it very unequally. Some have a good life and rich, but some have little wealth and praise, some long life, some short." "The good Nornir, and well descended," says Hár, "shape a good life; but as to those who meet with misfortune, it is caused by the malignant Nornir."
These Nornir bear a remarkable resemblance to the classical Parcæ and to the fairies of romance. They are all alike represented as assisting at the birth of eminent personages, as bestowing gifts either good or evil, and as foretelling the future fortune of the being that has just entered on existence.[101]This attribute of the fairies may have been derived from either the north or the south, but certainly these did not borrow from each other.
Of the origin of the word Alf nothing satisfactory is to be found. Some think it is akin to the Latinalbus, white; others, toalpes, Alps, mountains. There is also supposed to be some mysterious connexion between it and the word Elf, or Elv, signifying water in the northern languages; an analogy which has been thought to correspond with that between the Latin Nympha and Lympha. Both relations, however, are perhaps rather fanciful than just. Of the derivation of Alf, as just observed, we know nothing certain,[102]and the original meaning of Nympha would appear to be a new-married woman,[103]and thence a marriageable young woman; and it was applied to the supposed inhabitants of the mountains, seas, and streams, on the same principle that the northern nations gave them the appellation of men and women, that is, from their imagined resemblance to the human form.
Whatever its origin, the word Alf has continued till the present day in all the Teutonic languages. The Danes haveElv, pl.Elve; the Swedes,Elfpl.Elfvarm.Elfvorf.; and the wordsElf-dansandElf-blæst, together withOlofand other proper names, are derived from them. The Germans call the nightmareAlp; and in their old poems we meetwithElbeandElbinne, andElbischoccurs in them in the bad sense ofelvishof Chaucer and our old romancers; and a number of proper names, such as Alprecht, Alphart, Alpinc, Alpwin,[104]were formed from it, undoubtedly before it got its present ill sense.[105]In the Anglo-Saxon,Ælold english f, orÆlold english fen,with its feminine and plural, frequently occurs. The Oreas, Naias, and Hamodryas of the Greeks and Romans are rendered in an Anglo-Saxon glossary byold english Munold english t-ælold english fen,old english sǽ-ælold english fen,andold english felold english d-ælold english fen.[106]Ælold english fis a component part of the proper names Ælfred and Ælfric; and the author of the poem of Judith says that his heroine wasÆlold english f-old english seine(Elf-sheen), bright or fair as an elf. But of the character and acts of the elfs no traditions have been preserved in Anglo-Saxon literature. In the English language, Elf, Elves, and their derivatives are to be found in every period, from its first formation down to this present time.
By ek fur jörth nethan,A ek, undir stein, stath.Alvis-Mal.I dwell the earth beneath,I possess, under the stone, my seat.
By ek fur jörth nethan,A ek, undir stein, stath.Alvis-Mal.
I dwell the earth beneath,I possess, under the stone, my seat.
These diminutive beings, dwelling in rocks and hills, and distinguished for their skill in metallurgy, seem to be peculiar to the Gotho-German mythology.[107]Perhaps the most probable account of them is, that they are personifications ofthe subterraneous powers of nature; for it may be again observed, that all the parts of every ancient mythology are but personified powers, attributes, and moral qualities. The Edda thus describes their origin:—
"Then the gods sat on their seats, and held a council, and called to mind how the Duergar had become animated in the clay below in the earth, like maggots in flesh. The Duergar had been first created, and had taken life in Ymir's[108]flesh, and were maggots in it, and by the will of the gods they became partakers of human knowledge, and had the likeness of men, and yet they abode in the ground and in stones. Modsogner was the first of them, and then Dyrin."
The Duergar are described as being of low stature, with short legs and long arms, reaching almost down to the ground when they stand erect.[109]They are skilful and expert workmen in gold, silver, iron, and the other metals. They form many wonderful and extraordinary things for the Æser, and for mortal heroes, and the arms and armour that come from their forges are not to be paralleled. Yet the gift must be spontaneously bestowed, for misfortune attends those extorted from them by violence.[110]
In illustration of their character we bring forward the following narratives from the Edda and Sagas. The homely garb in which they are habited, will not, it is hoped, be displeasing to readers of taste. We give as exact a copy as we are able of the originals in all their rudeness. The tales are old, their date unknown, and they therefore demand respect. Yet it is difficult to suppress a smile at finding such familiar, nay almost vulgar terms[111]applied to the great supernal powers of nature, as occur in the following tale from the Edda.
Loki, the son of Laufeiar, had out of mischief cut off all the hair of Sif. When Thor found this out he seized Loki, and would have broken every bone in his body, only that he swore to get the Suartalfar to make for Sif hair of gold, which would grow like any other hair.
Loki then went to the Dwarfs that are called the sons of Ivallda. They first made the hair, which as soon as it was put on the head grew like natural hair; then the ship Skidbladni,[112]which always had the wind with it, wherever it would sail; and, thirdly, the spear Gugner, which always hit in battle.
Then Loki laid his head against the dwarf Brock, that his brother Eitri could not forge three such valuable things as these were. They went to the forge; Eitri set the swine-skin (bellows) to the fire, and bid his brother Brock to blow, and not to quit the fire till he should have taken out the things he had put into it.
And when he was gone out of the forge, and that Brock was blowing, there came a fly and settled upon his hand, and bit him; but he blew without stopping till the smith took the work out of the fire; and it was a boar, and its bristles were of gold.
He then put gold into the fire, and bid him not to stop blowing till he came back. He went away, and then the fly came and settled on his neck, and bit him more severely than before; but he blew on till the smith came back and took out of the fire the gold-ring which is called Drupner.[113]
Then he put iron into the fire, and bid him blow, and saidthat if he stopped blowing all the work would be lost. The fly now settled between his eyes, and bit so hard that the blood ran into his eyes, so that he could not see; so when the bellows were down he caught at the fly in all haste, and tore off its wings; but then came the smith, and said that all that was in the fire had nearly been spoiled. He then took out of the fire the hammer Miölner,[114]gave all the things to his brother Brock, and bade him go with them to Asgard and settle the wager.
Loki also produced his jewels, and they took Odin, Thor, and Frey, for judges. Then Loki gave to Odin the spear Gugner, and to Thor the hair that Sif was to have, and to Frey Skidbladni, and told their virtues as they have been already related. Brock took out his jewels, and gave to Odin the ring, and said that every ninth night there would drop from it eight other rings as valuable as itself. To Frey he gave the boar, and said that he would run through air and water, by night and by day, better than any horse, and that never was there night so dark that the way by which he went would not be light from his hide. He gave the hammer to Thor, and said that it would never fail to hit a Troll, and that at whatever he threw it it would never miss it; and that he could never fling it so far that it would not of itself return to his hand; and when he chose, it would become so small that he might put it into his pocket. But the fault of the hammer was that its handle was too short.
Their judgment was, that the hammer was the best, and that the Dwarf had won the wager. Then Loki prayed hard not to lose his head, but the Dwarf said that could not be. "Catch me then," said Loki; and when he went to catch him he was far away, for Loki had shoes with which he could run through air and water. Then the Dwarf prayed Thor to catch him, and Thor did so. The Dwarf now went to cut off his head, but Loki said he was to have the head only, and not the neck. Then the Dwarf took a knife and a thong, and went to sew up his mouth; but the knife was bad, so the Dwarf wished that his brother's awl were there; and as soon as he wished it it was there, and he sewed his lips together.[115]
Northern mythologists thus explain this very ancient fable. Sif is the earth, and the wife of Thor, the heaven or atmosphere; her hair is the trees, bushes, and plants, that adorn the surface of the earth. Loki is the Fire-God, that delights in mischief,bene servit,male imperat. When by immoderate heat he has burned off the hair of Sif, her husband compels him so by temperate heat to warm the moisture of the earth, that its former products may spring up more beautiful than ever. The boar is given to Freyr, to whom and his sister Freya, as the gods of animal and vegetable fecundity, the northern people offered that animal, as the Italian people did, to the earth. Loki's bringing the gifts from the under-ground people seems to indicate a belief that metals were prepared by subterranean fire, and perhaps the forging of Thor's hammer, the mythic emblem of thunder, by a terrestrial demon, on a subterranean anvil, may suggest that the natural cause of thunder is to be sought in the earth.
When spring came, Thorston made ready his ship, and put twenty-four men on board of her. When they came to Vinland, they ran her into a harbour, and every day he went on shore to amuse himself.
He came one day to an open part of the wood, where he saw a great rock, and out a little way from it a Dwarf, who was horridly ugly, and was looking up over his head with his mouth wide open; and it appeared to Thorston that it ran from ear to ear, and that the lower jaw came down to his knees. Thorston asked him, why he was acting so foolishly. "Do not be surprised, my good lad," replied the Dwarf; "do you not see that great dragon that is flying up there? He has taken off my son, and I believe that it is Odin himself that has sent the monster to do it. But I shall burst and die if I lose my son." Then Thorston shot at the dragon, and hit him under one of the wings, so that he felldead to the earth; but Thorston caught the Dwarf's child in the air, and brought him to his father.
The Dwarf was exceeding glad, and was more rejoiced than any one could tell; and he said, "A great benefit have I to reward you for, who are the deliverer of my son; and now choose your recompense in gold and silver." "Cure your son," said Thorston, "but I am not used to take rewards for my services." "It were not becoming," said the Dwarf, "if I did not reward you; and let not my shirt of sheeps'-wool, which I will give you, appear a contemptible gift, for you will never be tired when swimming, or get a wound, if you wear it next your skin."
Thorston took the shirt and put it on, and it fitted him well, though it had appeared too short for the Dwarf. The Dwarf now took a gold ring out of his purse and gave it to Thorston, and bid him to take good care of it, telling him that he never should want for money while he kept that ring. He next took a black stone and gave it to Thorston, and said, "If you hide this stone in the palm of your hand no one will see you. I have not many more things to offer you, or that would be of any value to you; I will, however, give you a fire-stone for your amusement."
He then took the stone out of his purse, and with a steel point. The stone was triangular, white on one side and red on the other, and a yellow border ran round it. The Dwarf then said, "If you prick the stone with the point in the white side, there will come on such a hail-storm that no one will be able to look at it; but if you want to stop this shower, you have only to prick on the yellow part, and there will come so much sunshine that the whole will melt away. But if you should like to prick the red side, then there will come out of it such fire, with sparks and crackling, that no one will be able to look at it. You may also get whatever you will by means of this point and stone, and they will come of themselves back to your hand when you call them. I can now give you no more such gifts."
Thorston then thanked the Dwarf for his presents, and returned to his men, and it was better for him to have made this voyage than to have stayed at home.[116]
Suaforlami, the second in descent from Odin, was king over Gardarike (Russia). One day he rode a-hunting, and sought long after a hart, but could not find one the whole day. When the sun was setting he found himself immersed so deep in the forest that he knew not where he was. There lay a hill on his right hand, and before it he saw two Dwarfs; he drew his sword against them, and cut off their retreat by getting between them and the rock. They proffered him ransom for their lives, and he asked them then their names, and one of them was called Dyren, and the other Dualin. He knew then that they were the most ingenious and expert of all the Dwarfs, and he therefore imposed on them that they should forge him a sword, the best that they could form; its hilt should be of gold, and its belt of the same metal. He moreover enjoined, that the sword should never miss a blow, and should never rust; and should cut through iron and stone, as through a garment; and should be always victorious in war and in single combat for him who bare it. These were the conditions on which he gave them their lives.
On the appointed day he returned, and the Dwarfs came forth and delivered him the sword; and when Dualin stood in the door he said, "This sword shall be the bane of a man every time it is drawn; and with it shall be done three of the greatest atrocities. It shall also be thy bane." Then Suaforlami struck at the Dwarf so, that the blade of the sword penetrated into the solid rock. Thus Suaforlami became possessed of this sword, and he called it Tirfing, and he bare it in war and in single combat, and he slew with it the Giant Thiasse, and took his daughter Fridur.
Suaforlami was shortly after slain by the Berserker[117]Andgrim, who then became master of the sword. When the twelve sons of Andgrim were to fight with Hialmar and Oddur for Ingaborg, the beautiful daughter of King Inges, Angantyr bore the dangerous Tirfing; but all the brethren were slain in the combat, and were buried with their arms.
Angantyr left an only daughter, Hervor, who, when she grew up, dressed herself in man's attire, and took the name of Hervardar, and joined a party of Vikinger, or Pirates. Knowing that Tirfing lay buried with her father, she determined to awaken the dead, and obtain the charmed blade; and perhaps nothing in northern poetry equals in interest and sublimity the description of her landing alone in the evening on the island of Sams, where her father and uncles lay in their sepulchral mounds, and at night ascending to the tombs, that were enveloped in flame,[118]and by force of entreaty obtaining from the reluctant Angantyr the formidable Tirfing.
Hervor proceeded to the court of King Gudmund, and there one day, as she was playing at tables with the king, one of the servants chanced to take up and draw Tirfing, which shone like a sunbeam. But Tirfing was never to see the light but for the bane of man, and Hervor, by a sudden impulse, sprang from her seat, snatched the sword and struck off the head of the unfortunate man. Hervor, after this, returned to the house of her grandfather, Jarl Biartmar, where she resumed her female attire, and was married to Haufud, the son of King Gudmund. She bare him two sons, Angantyr and Heidreker; the former of a mild and gentle disposition, the latter violent and fierce. Haufud would not permit Heidreker to remain at his court; and as he was departing, his mother, with other gifts, presented him Tirfing. His brother accompanied him out of the castle. Before theyparted, Heidreker drew out his sword to look at and admire it; but scarcely did the rays of light fall on the magic blade, when the Berserker rage came on its owner, and he slew his gentle brother.
After this he joined a body of Vikinger, and became so distinguished, that King Harold, for the aid he lent him, gave him his daughter Helga in marriage. But it was the destiny of Tirfing to commit crime, and Harold fell by the hand of his son-in-law. Heidreker was afterwards in Russia, and the son of the king was his foster-son. One day, as they were out hunting, Heidreker and his foster-son happened to be separated from the rest of the party, when a wild boar appeared before them; Heidreker ran at him with his spear, but the beast caught it in his mouth and broke it across. He then alighted and drew Tirfing, and killed the boar; but on looking around, he could see no one but his foster-son, and Tirfing could only be appeased with warm human blood, and he slew the unfortunate youth. Finally, King Heidreker was murdered in his bed by his Scottish slaves, who carried off Tirfing; but his son Angantyr, who succeeded him, discovered and put them to death, and recovered the magic blade. In battle against the Huns he afterwards made great slaughter; but among the slain was found his own brother Laudur. And so ends the history of the Dwarf-sword Tirfing.[119]
Like Alf, the word Duergr has retained its place in the Teutonic languages. Dverg[120]is the term still used in the north; the Germans have Zwerg, and we Dwarf,[121]which, however, is never synonymous with Fairy, as Elf is. Ihrerejects all the etymons proposed for it, such, for example, as that of Gudmund Andreæ, θεοι εργον; and with abundant reason.
Some have thought that by the Dwarfs were to be understood the Finns, the original inhabitants of the country, who were driven to the mountains by the Scandinavians, and who probably excelled the new-comers in the art of working their mines and manufacturing their produce. Thorlacius, on the contrary, thinks that it was Odin and his followers, who came from the country of the Chalybes, that brought the metallurgic arts into Scandinavia.
Perhaps the simplest account of the origin of the Dwarfs is, that when, in the spirit of all ancient religions, the subterranean powers of nature were to be personified, the authors of the system, from observing that people of small stature usually excel in craft and ingenuity, took occasion to represent the beings who formed crystals and purified metals within the bowels of the earth as of diminutive size, which also corresponded better with the power assigned them of slipping through the fissures and interstices of rocks and stones. Similar observations led to the representation of the wild and awful powers of brute nature under the form of huge giants.
De vare syv og hundrede Trolde,De vare baade grumme og lede,De vilde gjöre Bonden et Gjæsterie,Med hannem baade drikke og æde.Eline af Villenszov.There were seven and a hundred Trolls,They were both ugly and grim,A visit they would the farmer make,Both eat and drink with him.
De vare syv og hundrede Trolde,De vare baade grumme og lede,De vilde gjöre Bonden et Gjæsterie,Med hannem baade drikke og æde.Eline af Villenszov.
There were seven and a hundred Trolls,They were both ugly and grim,A visit they would the farmer make,Both eat and drink with him.
Under the name of Scandinavia are included the kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, which once had a common religion and a common language. Their religion is still one, and their languages differ but little; we therefore feel that we may safely treat of their Fairy Mythology together.
Our principal authorities are the collection of Danish popular traditions, published by Mr. Thiele,[122]the select Danish ballads of Nyerup and Rahbek,[123]and the Swedish ballads of Geijer and Afzelius.[124]As most of the principal Danish ballads treating of Elves, etc., have been already translated by Dr. Jamieson, we will not insert them here; but translate, instead, the corresponding Swedish ones, which are in general of greater simplicity, and often contain additional traits of popular belief. As we prefer fidelity to polish, the reader must not be offended at antique modes of expression and imperfect rimes. Our rimes we can, however, safely say shall be at least as perfect as those of our originals.
These ballads, none of which are later than the fifteenthcentury, are written in a strain of the most artless simplicity; not the slightest attempt at ornament is to be discerned in them; the same ideas and expressions continually recur; and the rimes are the most careless imaginable, often a mereassonnancein vowels or consonants; sometimes not possessing even that slight similarity of sound. Every Visa or ballad has its single or double Omquæd[125]or burden, which, like a running accompaniment in music, frequently falls in with the most happy effect; sometimes recalling former joys or sorrows; sometimes, by the continual mention of some attribute of one of the seasons, especially the summer, keeping up in the mind of the reader or hearers the forms of external nature.
It is singular to observe the strong resemblance between the Scandinavian ballads and those of England and Scotland, not merely in manner but in subject. The Scottish ballad first mentioned below is an instance; it is to be met with in England, in the Feroes, in Denmark, and in Sweden, with very slight differences. Geijer observes, that the two last stanzas of 'William and Margaret,' in Percy's Reliques, are nearly word for word the same as the two last in the Swedish ballad of 'Rosa Lilla,'[126]and in the correspondingDanish one. This might perhaps lead to the supposition of many of these ballads having come down from the time when the connexion was so intimate between this country and Scandinavia.
We will divide the Scandinavian objects of popular belief into four classes:—1. The Elves; 2. The Dwarfs, or Trolls, as they are usually called; 3. The Nisses; and 4. The Necks, Mermen, and Mermaids.[127]
Säg, kännar du Elfvornas glada slägt?De bygga ved flodernas rand;De spinna af månsken sin högtidsdrägt,Med liljehvit spelande hand.Stagnelius.Say, knowest thou the Elves' gay and joyous race?The banks of streams are their home;They spin of the moonshine their holiday-dress,With their lily-white hands frolicsome.
Säg, kännar du Elfvornas glada slägt?De bygga ved flodernas rand;De spinna af månsken sin högtidsdrägt,Med liljehvit spelande hand.Stagnelius.
Say, knowest thou the Elves' gay and joyous race?The banks of streams are their home;They spin of the moonshine their holiday-dress,With their lily-white hands frolicsome.
The Alfar still live in the memory and traditions of the peasantry of Scandinavia. They also, to a certain extent, retain their distinction into White and Black. The former, or the Good Elves, dwell in the air, dance on the grass, or sit in the leaves of trees; the latter, or Evil Elves, are regarded as an underground people, who frequently inflict sickness or injury on mankind; for which there is a particular kind of doctors calledKloka män,[128]to be met with in all parts of the country.
The Elves are believed to have their kings, and to celebrate their weddings and banquets, just the same as the dwellers above ground. There is an interesting intermediate class of them in popular tradition called the Hill-people (Högfolk), who are believed to dwell in caves and small hills: when they show themselves they have a handsome human form. The common people seem to connect with them a deep feeling of melancholy, as if bewailing a half-quenched hope of redemption.[129]
There are only a few old persons now who can tell any thing more about them than of the sweet singing that may occasionally on summer nights be heard out of their hills, when one stands still and listens, or, as it is expressed in the ballads, "lays his ear to the Elve-hill" (lägger sitt öra till Elfvehögg): but no one must be so cruel as, by the slightest word, to destroy their hopes of salvation, for then the spritely music will be turned into weeping and lamentation.[130]
The Norwegians call the Elves Huldrafolk, and their music Huldraslaat: it is in the minor key, and of a dull and mournful sound. The mountaineers sometimes play it, and pretend they have learned it by listening to the underground people among the hills and rocks. There is also a tune called the Elf-king's tune, which several of the good fiddlers know right well, but never venture to play, for as soon as it begins both old and young, and even inanimate objects, are impelled to dance, and the player cannot stop unless he can play the air backwards, or that some one comes behind him and cuts the strings of his fiddle.[131]
The little underground Elves, who are believed to dwellunder the houses of mankind, are described as sportive and mischievous, and as imitating all the actions of men. They are said to love cleanliness about the house and place, and to reward such servants as are neat and cleanly.
There was one time, it is said, a servant girl, who was for her cleanly, tidy habits, greatly beloved by the Elves, particularly as she was careful to carry away all dirt and foul water to a distance from the house, and they once invited her to a wedding. Every thing was conducted in the greatest order, and they made her a present of some chips, which she took good-humouredly and put into her pocket. But when the bride-pair was coming there was a straw unluckily lying in the way, the bridegroom got cleverly over it, but the poor bride fell on her face. At the sight of this the girl could not restrain herself, but burst out a-laughing, and that instant the whole vanished from her sight. Next day, to her utter amazement, she found that what she had taken to be nothing but chips, were so many pieces of pure gold.[132]
A dairy-maid at a place called Skibshuset (the Ship-house), in Odense, was not so fortunate. A colony of Elves had taken up their abode under the floor of the cowhouse, or it is more likely, were there before it was made a cowhouse. However, the dirt and filth that the cattle made annoyed them beyond measure, and they gave the dairy-maid to understand that if she did not remove the cows, she would have reason to repent it. She gave little heed to their representations; and it was not very long till they set her up on top of the hay-rick, and killed all the cows. It is said that they were seen on the same night removing in a great hurry from the cowhouse down to the meadow, and that they went in little coaches; and their king was in the first coach, which was far more stately and magnificent than the rest. They have ever since lived in the meadow.[133]
The Elves are extremely fond of dancing in the meadows, where they form those circles of a livelier green which from them are called Elf-dance (Elfdans). When the country people see in the morning stripes along the dewy grass in the woods and meadows, they say the Elves have been dancing there. If any one should at midnight get within their circle, they become visible to him, and they may then illude him. It is not every one that can see the Elves; and one person may see them dancing while another perceives nothing. Sunday children, as they are called,i. e.those born on Sunday, are remarkable for possessing this property of seeing Elves and similar beings. The Elves, however, have the power to bestow this gift on whomsoever they please. People also used to speak of Elf-books which they gave to those whom they loved, and which enabled them to foretell future events.
The Elves often sit in little stones that are of a circular form, and are called Elf-mills (Elf-quärnor); the sound of their voice is said to be sweet and soft like the air.[134]
The Danish peasantry give the following account of their Ellefolk or Elve-people.
The Elle-people live in the Elle-moors. The appearance of the man is that of an old man with a low-crowned hat on his head; the Elle-woman is young and of a fair and attractive countenance, but behind she is hollow like a dough-trough. Young men should be especially on their guard against her, for it is very difficult to resist her; and she has, moreover, a stringed instrument, which, when she plays on it, quite ravishes their hearts. The man may be often seen near the Elle-moors, bathing himself in the sunbeams, but if any one comes too near him, he opens his mouth wide and breathes upon them, and his breath produces sickness and pestilence. But the women are most frequently to be seen by moonshine; then they dance their rounds in the high grass so lightly and so gracefully, that they seldom meet a denial when they offer their hand to a rash young man. It is also necessary to watch cattle, that they may not graze in any place where the Elle-people have been; forif any animal come to a place where the Elle-people have spit, or done what is worse, it is attacked by some grievous disease which can only be cured by giving it to eat a handful of St. John's wort, which had been pulled at twelve o'clock on St. John's night. It might also happen that they might sustain some injury by mixing with the Elle-people's cattle, which are very large, and of a blue colour, and which may sometimes be seen in the fields licking up the dew, on which they live. But the farmer has an easy remedy against this evil; for he has only to go to the Elle-hill when he is turning out his cattle and to say, "Thou little Troll! may I graze my cows on thy hill?" And if he is not prohibited, he may set his mind at rest.[135]
The following ballads and tales will fully justify what has been said respecting the tone of melancholy connected with the subject of the Elves.[136]
Sir Olof he rode out at early day,And so came he unto an Elve-dance gay.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.The Elve-father reached out his white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove."O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.And the Elve-mother reached out her white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove."O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.And the Elve-sister reached out her white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove."O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.And the bride she spake with her bride-maids so,"What may it mean that the bells thus go?"The dance it goes well,So well in the grove."'Tis the custom of this our isle," they replied;"Each young swain ringeth home his bride."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove."And the truth from you to conceal I fear,Sir Olof is dead, and lies on his bier."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.And on the morrow, ere light was the day,In Sir Olof's house three corpses lay.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.It was Sir Olof, his bonny bride,And eke his mother, of sorrow she died.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.[137]
Sir Olof he rode out at early day,And so came he unto an Elve-dance gay.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
The Elve-father reached out his white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
"O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
And the Elve-mother reached out her white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
"O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
And the Elve-sister reached out her white hand free,"Come, come, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
"O nought I will, and nought I may,To-morrow will be my wedding-day."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
And the bride she spake with her bride-maids so,"What may it mean that the bells thus go?"The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
"'Tis the custom of this our isle," they replied;"Each young swain ringeth home his bride."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
"And the truth from you to conceal I fear,Sir Olof is dead, and lies on his bier."The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
And on the morrow, ere light was the day,In Sir Olof's house three corpses lay.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.
It was Sir Olof, his bonny bride,And eke his mother, of sorrow she died.The dance it goes well,So well in the grove.[137]
Sir Olof rideth out ere dawn,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Bright day him came on.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.Sir Olof rides by Borgya,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Meets a dance of Elves so gay.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.There danceth Elf and Elve-maid,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Elve-king's daughter, with her flying hair.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.Elve-king's daughter reacheth her hand free,Breaketh day, falleth rime;"Come here, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."Nought I tread the dance with thee,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My bride hath that forbidden me."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."Nought I will and nought I may,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"To-morrow is my wedding-day."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."Wilt thou not tread the dance with me?"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"An evil shall I fix on thee."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.Sir Olof turned his horse therefrom,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Sickness and plague follow him home.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.Sir Olof to his mother's rode,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Out before him his mother stood.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."Welcome, welcome, my dear son,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"Why is thy rosy cheek so wan?"Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."My colt was swift and I tardy,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"I knocked against a green oak-tree."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."My dear sister, prepare my bed,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My dear brother, take my horse to the mead."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."My dear mother, brush my hair,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My dear father, make me a bier."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."My dear son, that do not say,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;To-morrow is thy wedding-day."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green."Be it when it will betide,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"I ne'er shall come unto my bride."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.[138]
Sir Olof rideth out ere dawn,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Bright day him came on.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
Sir Olof rides by Borgya,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Meets a dance of Elves so gay.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
There danceth Elf and Elve-maid,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Elve-king's daughter, with her flying hair.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
Elve-king's daughter reacheth her hand free,Breaketh day, falleth rime;"Come here, Sir Olof, tread the dance with me."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"Nought I tread the dance with thee,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My bride hath that forbidden me."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"Nought I will and nought I may,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"To-morrow is my wedding-day."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"Wilt thou not tread the dance with me?"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"An evil shall I fix on thee."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
Sir Olof turned his horse therefrom,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Sickness and plague follow him home.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
Sir Olof to his mother's rode,Breaketh day, falleth rime;Out before him his mother stood.Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"Welcome, welcome, my dear son,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"Why is thy rosy cheek so wan?"Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"My colt was swift and I tardy,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"I knocked against a green oak-tree."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"My dear sister, prepare my bed,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My dear brother, take my horse to the mead."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"My dear mother, brush my hair,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"My dear father, make me a bier."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"My dear son, that do not say,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;To-morrow is thy wedding-day."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.
"Be it when it will betide,"Breaketh day, falleth rime;"I ne'er shall come unto my bride."Sir Olof cometh home,When the wood it is leaf-green.[138]