The Mythology of Fairies. Thomas Keightley

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       But that grief is heavy I know.

      "And hear thou my footpage what I unto thee say,"

       Time with me goes slow.—

       "Thou now shalt drive her to my dwelling straightway,"

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      Proud Margaret stept in at the hill door,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       And her little children rejoiced therefòre,

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      "It is not worth while rejoicing for me,"

       Time with me goes slow.—

       "Christ grant that I never a mother had been,"

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      The one brought out a gilded chair,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       "O rest you, my sorrow-bound mother, there,"

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      The one brought out a filled up horn,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       The other put therein a gilded corn,

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      The first drink she drank out of the horn,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       She forgot straightway both heaven and earth,

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      The second drink she drank out of the horn,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       She forgot straightway both God and his word,

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      The third drink she drank out of the horn,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       She forgot straightway both sister and brother,

       But that grief is heavy I know.

      She forgot straightway both sister and brother,

       Time with me goes slow.—

       But she never forgot her sorrow-bound mother,

       But that grief is heavy I know.168

      The Troll Wife.

      The grandfather of Reor, who dwelt at Fuglekärr (i.e. Bird-marsh), in the parish of Svartsborg (Black-castle), lived close to a hill, and one time, in the broad daylight, he saw sitting there on a stone a comely maiden. He wished to intercept her, and for this purpose he threw steel between her and the hill; whereupon her father laughed within the hill, and opening the hill-door asked him if he would have his daughter. He replied in the affirmative and as she was stark naked he took some of his own clothes and covered her with them, and he afterwards had her christened. As he was going away, her father said to him, "When you are going to have your wedding (bröllup) you must provide twelve barrels of beer and bake a heap of bread and the flesh of four oxen, and drive to the barrow or hill where I keep, and when the bridal gifts are to be bestowed, depend on it I will give mine." This also came to pass; for when others were giving he raised the cover of the cart and cast into it so large a bag of money that the body of it nearly broke, saying at the same time:—"This is my gift!" He said, moreover, "When you want to have your wife's portion (hemmagifta),169 you must drive to the hill with four horses, and get your share. When he came there afterwards at his desire he got copper-pots, the one larger than the other till the largest pot of all was filled with the smaller ones. He also gave him other things,170 which were helmets, of that colour and fashion which are large and thick, and which are still remaining in the country, being preserved at the parsonage of Tanum. This man Reor's father surnamed I Foglekärsten, had a number of children by this wife of his, whom he fetched out of the hill, among whom was the aforesaid Reor. Olaf Stenson also in Stora Rijk, who died last year, was Reor's sister's son.171

      The Altar-Cup in Aagerup.

      Between the villages of Marup and Aagerup in Zealand, there is said to have lain a great castle, the ruins of which are still to be seen near the strand. Tradition relates that a great treasure is concealed among them, and that a dragon there watches over three kings' ransoms.172 Here, too, people frequently happen to get a sight of the underground folk, especially about festival-times, for then they have dancing and great jollity going on down on the strand.

      One Christmas-eve, a farmer's servant in the village of Aagerup went to his master and asked him if he might take a horse and ride down to look at the Troll-meeting. The farmer not only gave him leave but desired him to take the best horse in the stable; so he mounted and rode away down to the strand. When he was come to the place he stopped his horse, and stood for some time looking at the company who were assembled in great numbers. And while he was wondering to see how well and how gaily the little dwarfs danced, up came a Troll to him, and invited him to dismount, and take a share in their dancing and merriment. Another Troll came jumping up, took his horse by the bridle, and held him while the man got off, and went down and danced away merrily with them the whole night long.

      When it was drawing near day he returned them his very best thanks for his entertainment, and mounted his horse to return home to Aagerup. They now gave him an invitation to come again on New-year's night, as they were then to have great festivity; and a maiden who held a gold cup in her hand invited him to drink the stirrup-cup. He took the cup; but, as he had some suspicion of them, he, while he made as if he was raising the cup to his mouth, threw the drink out over his shoulder, so that it fell on the horse's back, and it immediately singed off all the hair. He then clapped spurs to his horse's sides, and rode away with the cup in his hand over a ploughed field.

      The Trolls instantly gave chase all in a body; but being hard set to get over the deep furrows, they shouted out, without ceasing,

      "Ride on the lay,

       And not on the clay."173

      He, however, never minded them, but kept to the ploughed field. However, when he drew near the village he was forced to ride out on the level road, and the Trolls now gained on him every minute. In his distress he prayed unto God, and he made a vow that if he should be delivered he would bestow the cup on the church.

      He was now riding along just by the wall of the church-yard, and he hastily flung the cup over it, that it at least might be secure. He then pushed on at full speed, and at last got into the village; and just as they were on the point of catching hold of the horse, he sprung in through the farmer's gate, and the man clapt to the wicket after him. He was now safe; but the Trolls were so enraged, that, taking up a huge great stone, they flung it with such force against the gate, that it knocked four planks out of it.

      There are no traces now remaining of that house, but the stone is still lying in the middle of the village of Aagerup. The cup was presented to the church, and the man got in return the best farm-house on the lands of Eriksholm.174

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