The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various CountriesKeightley, Thomas
General
The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries
Keightley, Thomas
Fairies; Fairy tales; Folk literature; Folklore
He sat there waiting a long time, and at last he fell asleep, and when
he awoke from his slumber, behold! there was his son lying by his side.
Both father and son found it difficult to explain how this had come to
pass. The son related how he had been thrown into prison, and had there
suffered great hardship and distress; but that one night, while he was
lying asleep in his cell, there came a man to him, who said, "Do you
still love your father?" And when he had answered that he surely did,
his chains fell off and the wall burst open. While he was telling this
he chanced to put his hand up to his neck, and he found that he had
brought a piece of the iron chain away with him. They both were for some
time mute through excess of wonder; and they then arose and went
straightway to Lynge, where they hung up the piece of the chain in the
church, as a memorial of the wonderful event that had occurred.[178]
_Kallundborg Church._
When Esbern Snare was about building a church in Kallundborg, he saw
clearly that his means were not fully adequate to the task. But a
Troll came to him and offered his services; and Esbern Snare made an
agreement with him on these conditions, that he should be able to tell
the Troll's name when the church was finished; or in case he could
not, that he should give him his heart and his eyes.
The work now went on rapidly, and the Troll set the church on stone
pillars; but when all was nearly done, and there was only half a
pillar wanting in the church, Esbern began to get frightened, for the
name of the Troll was yet unknown to him.
One day he was going about the fields all alone, and in great anxiety
on account of the perilous state he was in; when, tired, and
depressed, by reason of his exceeding grief and affliction, he laid
him down on Ulshöi bank to rest himself a while. While he was lying
there, he heard a Troll-woman within the hill saying these words:--
"Lie still, baby mine!
To-morrow cometh Fin,
Father thine,
And giveth thee Esbern Snare's eyes and heart to play with."[179]
When Esbern heard this, he recovered his spirits, and went back to
the church. The Troll was just then coming with the half-pillar that
was wanting for the church; but when Esbern saw him, he hailed him by
his name, and called him "Fin." The Troll was so enraged at this, that
he went off with the half-pillar through the air, and this is the
reason that the church has but three pillars and a half.[180]
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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