Folk And Fairytales From Denmark Svend Grundtvig And His Collectors

A man wearing his wifeÕs fur coat and a woolly balaclava is chained to a kennel in the backyard whilst another man delivers a side of bacon to The Devil. Fish trained to walk, devils in the stove, cats carrying coffins, ogres with a taste for fat little boys and beetles that do the housework Ð and then thereÕs the small matter of teaching a calf to talk. Thirty-eight folk and wonder tales from Denmark from Svend Grundtvig and his collectors.

The very best of traditional Danish folklore comes alive for the present-day reader in this classic collection originally compiled by specialist scholar Svend Grundtvig. The tales selected for this volume were designed to represent all aspects of the unique cultural heritage of the Danish people. Grundtvig issued an appeal in 1854 for his countrymen to collect and submit the stories, which, until then, were largely oral, handed down from generation to generation. Hundreds of stories were duly compiled, and Gruntvig's final collection was published in 1876-and became an instant hit. While stories such as "Olaf the Mermaid's Son," "The Raven of Salby," and "Prince Irregang and Maid Miseri" stamped the tales as solidly Danish in origin, other stories such as "The Most Obedient Wife," "Virtue Its Own Reward," and "The School of Black Art," contain moral lessons which could be universal, but which are still unique to this small northern European nation. The stories can be read for delight, or as part of serious scholarly research, and are meant to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Contents Willy Faith The Lass of Söndervand The Wishing-Box Olaf the Mermaid's Son The Miserly Squire The Roe Deer Princess Prince Irregang and Maid Miseri The Three Red Piggies The Dumb Queen The Wise Queen For Three Shillings The Cobbler's Lad The Raven of Salby The Most Obedient Wife Virtue Its Own Reward Faithful Svend Health and Happiness The School of Black Art

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Folk and Fairy Tales from Denmark is a collection of stories hitherto unavailable to English speaking audiences. Recorded at source by Danish folklorist Evald Tang Kristensen towards the latter part of the 1800s, they were told to him by storytellers from different social positions; the majority of whom were well versed in the hardships of the rural life of the times. The stories are brim full of shrewd observations, humour, invention, down to earth advice and are as fresh and relevant today as when they were told over a century ago