Peter Christen AsbjørnsenRezensionen

A young military lieutenant, recently ill and unable to travel to his childhood home in the country, looks forward to his first Christmas without his family in this holiday short story from Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, the noted Norwegian author and folklorist who, together with Jørgen Engebretsen Moe, is celebrated for his role in collecting Norwegian folklore in the 19th century. Rooming with two maiden ladies in Christiania (modern-day Oslo), the lieutenant joins a fireside Christmas Eve party with his landladies and their young nieces and nephews, visiting for the occasion. It is then, round the Yule log, that the lieutenant and some of the other adults share thrilling stories from folklore: tales of trolls, brownies (nisse), and ghosts. After a night of dreams influenced by these tales, the lieutenant awakens to happy news: a family servant has come to take him home...

'Round the Yule-Log: Christmas in Norway is the sixth installment of Boston-based Dana Estes and Company's Christmas in Many Lands series that I have read, and it is by far my favorite so far. The series began in 1892, when the American publisher reprinted four Christmas short stories by sisters and author/illustrator team Florence and Edith Scannell, originally published in their native Britain in 1888, and set (respectively) in England, France, Germany and Italy. Each of these brief stories was published separately, in slim 32-page volumes that were profusely illustrated. It is worth noting that these first four books in the series were also published in a single volume, Christmas in Many Lands: England, France, Germany, and Italy, in 1888 (the same year they were published in the UK). In 1894 the Boston publisher added an American volume to the collection, with Hezekiah Butterworth's The Parson's Miracle and My Grandmother's Grandmother's Christmas Candle: Christmas In America, and then in 1895 this Norwegian Christmas story was published. The story in this American publication was translated into English by H.L. Brœkstad, and initially appeared as the opening tale in the similarly titled Round the Yule Log: Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, a collection published in Britain in 1881, fourteen years earlier, which presented a much more extensive selection of traditional Norwegian tales, using the ailing lieutenant's convalescence as a framing device for their telling.

As someone with a great love of folklore, who has enjoyed a number of translations of Asbjørnsen and Moe's work in this area, I approached this book with some curiosity. Perhaps owing to the nature of the foregoing five entries in the Christmas in Many Lands series, I had the impression that it was an original story written by someone who was also famed for his folktale collections. How happy I was to discover however, that the sharing of traditional tales was an integral part of the Christmas celebration around which this story was organized. I immediately recognized the first tale related by the lieutenant as the classic The Cat on the Dovrefell, which I have encountered in picture book form at least three different times. The other stories also felt familiar to me, particularly the one about the ghostly church service, although I couldn't name it specifically. I did wonder a bit at the fact that the house spirits / elves / gnomes known as "nisse" in Norway were referred to here as brownies, but perhaps it was the custom in that day to use a similar term, taken from English and Scottish folklore, rather than retain the original word, when translating such stories. However that may be, this was very enjoyable, and more than enough to convince me, not just to carry on with my reading of the Christmas in Many Lands series, but also to seek out the larger collection containing this one story.

A pancake jumps out of the pan and rolls away in order to escape being eaten in this traditional Norwegian tale, collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe—the Brothers Grimm of Norway. Encountering any number of creatures along the way, each of which wish him to stop and allow them to eat him, the pancake trundles on, until it meets a very clever pig...

The tale type in which a runaway pastry eludes many would-be pursuers, only to fall victim to a clever foe in the end, is quite widespread. In Russia and other Slavic countries there is the story of Kolobok, a little bun that runs aways from its creators, and is eventually eaten by a fox. Retold by Marcia Brown in her The Bun: A Tale from Russia, the story can also be found in Irina Zheleznova's Ukrainian Folk Tales, where it is known as The Little Round Bun. A German variant can be found in Carl and Theodor Colshorn's Märchen und Sagen aus Hannover, while the Euro-American version from New England, perhaps best known to American children, is The Gingerbread Man.

In any case, this Norwegian variant, originally known as Pannekaken, was collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe in their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"). The story is humorous and enjoyable, making good use of it repetitive structure and expanding refrain, both in the growing list of compliments paid to the mother by her hungry children, as she is making the pancake, and by the pancake itself as it refuses each animal's request that he stop and allow himself to be eaten. This presentation of the tale, illustrated by Svend Otto S., who also illustrated Asbjørnsen and Moe's The Man Who Kept House, was originally published in Denmark in 1980. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those familiar with other variants of this tale type.

A wealthy squire decides he wishes to remarry in this Norwegian folktale, only to discover that the object of his affections—the daughter of a poor farmer in the area—is not interested in becoming his wife. Determined to make her his nonetheless, the squire involves the girl's father in his efforts, and when even parental persuasion proves ineffective, a new plan is devised. The wedding will be prepared, and the girl sent to the squire's house unawares... but things do not go quite as planned, when the girl sends a mare in her place...

Collected by those giants of Norwegian folklore, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, as part of their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"), where it was known as Herremannsbruden, this humorous tale is presented in this picture-book edition with the lovely illustrations of American artist Marcia Sewell. The story itself was enjoyable, celebrating a clever young girl who knows what she wants (and what she doesn't!), but what lifted this presentation above the ordinary was the pencil drawings from Sewell. Delicate but quite expressive, these pictures draw the reader in, every bit as engaging as more colorful folktale artwork. Recommended to young folklore lovers, or to picture-book readers looking for books with Norwegian content. For my part, I hope to track down more of Sewell's books.

Urval ur den norska samlingen

Norska folksagor (norska: Norske folkeeventyr) är titeln på den epokgörande samling folksagor som nedtecknades, sammanställdes och utgavs av Per Christian Asbjørnsen och Jørgen Moe. En första version trycktes mellan 1841 och 1844. Utgivningen räknas som en milstolpe i det norska skriftspråkets utveckling på väg mot en utbrytning ur danskan, det språk som hade varit norm inom den dansk-norska unionen sedan mitten av 1500-talet.

En av knäckfrågorna som utgivarna brottades med var huruvida sagorna skulle utges på norska dialekter eller om materialet skulle återges på danska. Asbjørnsen och Moe valde en kompromiss; en enkel språkdräkt där man slätade ut dialekterna men behöll berättelsernas form.

RECYIGFF

Y14

Vi har to versjoner av denne.

D'aulaires's book of greek mythology was one of my favorites, so of course I had to read this. There are not nearly enough of their charming illustrations in this one, but the stories are so charming, adaptations of an older translation, that I don't mind. (Some are 'new' translations-- the book was originally published in 1938-- but most are adapted from the George Webb Dasent Translation of the collection of Asbjornsen and Moe.
A number of these stories I remember appearing in Little Golden Books from my childhood, but many are new to me. They include:
Herding the King's Hares;
The Ship that went by Land as By Sea;
The Quern that Stands and Grinds at the Bottom of the Sea (which I know as "Why the Sea is Salt");
The Maid on the Glass Mountain;
The Widow's Son;
Lord Per (similar to Puss in Boots);
Soria Moria Castle;
Per, Paal, and Espen Cinderlad;
Cinderlad and the Troll;
The Big Bird Dam;
Kari Woodenskirt (Cinderella-like);
Why the Bear is Stumpy-Tailed;
East of the Sun and West of the Moon;
The Three Princesses in the Mountain So Blue;
The Three Bushy Billy-Goats;
Tatterhood;
Dapplegrim;
Gudbrand on the Hillside;
The Hen Trips in the Mountain;
The Three Aunts (a flax-processing cousin of Rumplestiltskin);
Doll in the Grass.

Cinderlad, in these stories, is not the same as Cinderella-- his cinders come from lazing around the hearth rather than doing heavy work. A number of these stories are reminiscent of Russian fairy-tales, but whether they came from Russia or went there, or have a common Rus source, I couldn't say. As usual in a collection of this kind, there are repeating themes and tropes, though some (like Tatterhood and the Big Bird Dam) are unique.

Three-time Caldecott medalist Marcia Brown, who was particularly known for her folkloric retellings, turns in this picture-book to the traditional Norwegian tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. On their way to mountain pastures in order to fatten up, the eponymous caprine siblings trip over a wooden bridge, one by one, each threatened by the fearsome troll living under the bridge, who wishes to eat them up. The two younger escape by promising a better meal, in the next Billy Goat Gruff, but the eldest makes good use of his horns, and finishes the troll off...

Originally published in 1841 as De tre bukkene Bruse, as part of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe's Norske Folkeeventyr (Norwegian Folktales), this classic story was first translated into English in 1859 by George Webbe Dasent, as part of his Popular Tales from the Norse. Since that time it has become a beloved story in the Anglophone world, and there are countless retellings of it. This presentation of the tale uses the Dasent translation, pairing it with Brown's artwork. Although I don't have a strong attachment to this particular story - it wasn't one of my childhood favorites - I do enjoy it, and am always curious to see how different artists interpret the troll. Brown's troll is an interesting one, with a deep brown hue that matches the nearby trees, a long nose and long fingers, and jagged teeth. He manages to stand out, while also seeming like a natural extension of the woodland around him.

All in all, an enjoyable retelling of this well-known tale, one I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, and to fans of Marcia Brown's artwork.

H.H. 43

H.H 42

Classic Norweigian folktales are illustrated by Nielsen's carefully composed line and wash drawings with much success. Nielsen clearly draws inspiration from Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Rackham, and Japanese woodcut printers, but makes his own unique style from the careful use of colour and shading. For such simplistic compositions, Nielsen imbues them with a wonderful sense of movement, which is what gives his pieces a flare that earns him a place alongside the greatest illustrators of his age.

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norsk

The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe

Translated by Tiina Nunnally

Having loved Fairy Tales and Folk Tales for all of my life and having read them from many countries I was delighted to find this book up for review and now want to add it to my collection. In this book there is history about the original authors and how they collected the tales, the fact that the authors were influenced by Grimm and more.

As I read I saw tales that I remember reading as a child and others that reminded me, in part, of other fairy tales. The illustrations are marvelous. I believe this book is not only historical but relevant and educational and would allow for discussion in classes or between parents and children.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I buy? Yes, to add to my collection
Would I buy it to give as a gift? I think my granddaughters “might” enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for the ARC - This is my honest review.

5 Stars½

The three billy goats outsmart the hungry troll who lives under the bridge.

This story is about three little billy goats who wanted to cross and bridge to get up the hill and then the biggest billy goat killed the troll.
media - crayon ??

The best collection of fairtales I have read in a long time. I loved it. It was an old book and now a rare, expensive book and I loved how the authors traveled all over Scandinavia to listen to oral tales and wrote them down like the Brothers Grimm. This husband and wife who published this book translated them all to English.

A fun tale about three goats that get the better of a nasty troll.

In this story there are three goats that are each named Gruff. Each goat is bigger than the next so there is a big Gruff, a medium Gruff, and a small Gruff. They all went one by one across a bridge that was guarded by a troll. The small and medium Gruffs were able to convince the troll to wait for the next goat because the next one would be bigger than them.
This book seemed like it could have been a myth or legend since it has no know author. But it is also a fantasy book since all three goats are able to talk with a troll, and the fact that there is a troll seems like a normal occurrence.

Three goats want to cross a bridge that is guarded by a hungry troll. In the end, the goats successfully cross the bridge through cleverness and their physical abilities.
Although the goats have the same physical appearance of goats and the setting is realistic, the goats and the troll speak and think like humans.

I was not a fan of this book. The illustrations were not at all my style with the troll looking like the illustrator had scribbled his hair in. There was too much brown in the book for my liking and reminded me of my parents house from the 1970's before it was remodeled. On the inside jacket of the book it says, "Unifying all of the elements in the book is the artist's sense of bold, dynamic composition that makes the Billy Goats seem to leap off the pages." I could not disagree more. I have seen hand drawn artwork in picture books that have mesmerized me more than this.

This sounded really good, but my copy wouldn't play. From the blurb: "a traditional Scandinavian tale of a young girl who, in order to reclaim her lost love, enlists the four winds to travel to the castle that lies East of the Sun and West of the Moon."

This Dover edition is (probably) the only collection that includes all 59 stories from [b:Popular Tales From The Norse|13147613|Popular Tales From The Norse|George Webbe Dasent|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348604280s/13147613.jpg|235331]. Be careful, readers, when buying and reviewing, and also, GR librarians, please be careful when combining!

Illustrators include:
Erik Werenskiold
Theodor Kittelsen
Per Krohg
Dagfin Werenskiold
Alf Rolfsen
Henrik Sorensen

And oh those illustrations are worth seeing! Some almost Art Deco, some more traditional, like woodcuts, but all with a special verve.

This collection is better suited for scholars than for children. The best stories have been made into picture-books already. The rest are often similar, sharing motifs and mixing & matching themes and morals. Also, these stories are not bowdlerized, though not as gruesome as many of the original Grimm.

A fast read for me, as I could skim all the familiar bits.

Definitely enjoyable and recommended for completists who want to know Norse tales, not just Andersen and Grimm.

I noted that the beginning was consistently Once on a time" but the ending was unique each time. I liked best the ones in which the storyteller claimed to have attended the wedding feast, and the ones that had special rhymes:

"Snip, snap, snout,
This tale's told out."

And now I'm off to find out who Ritter Red is - a brigand or mercenary, mentioned in a couple of tales, but not to be trusted, it seems..."