Swedish Folktales
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The Giant Finn and Lund's Cathedral
In the days long gone by there lived a family of giants in the Hills of Helgona near Lund. One they day hear, with great anxiety and consternation that a holy man had come into the country from Saxony, to build a church.While that man was choosing his site and laying out the plans for the buildings, there stood at his side, one day, was none other than Finn, the giant of Hills of Helgona. Finn said to him: "I will build the church for you, if, when it is finished, you will tell me what my name is. But if you cannot tell me, you must give to my little ones the sun and the moon."
The priest could not reasonably promise so much, but anxious to have the church built, he offered his two eyeballs instead, trusting to fortune. Satisfied with the bargain the giant at once started on the work, and with wonderful speed. Soon there remained nothing more to complete it than to set one stone on the tower.
The day before it was to take place, the priest stood on the Ills of Helgona and was thinking gloomily that this seemed to be the last day he could see at all. Then he heard the cry of a child from within the hill, and the voice of the giant mother who was striving to quiet it with a song. He clearly heard her sing: "Silent, silent, little son, tomorrow your father Finn will bring you either the sun and moon or else the eyes of someone."
The priest hastened to the church. "Come down, Finn!" he cried, "the stone that now remains we can set ourselves. Come down, Finn, we no longer need your help!"
In a rage the giant rushed from the tower to the ground, and laid hold of one of the pillars. He tried to pull the church down. At this moment his wife with her child joined him. She too grasped a pillar and would help her husband to destroy his good work, but just as the building was at the point of falling, they all turned to stones, each embracing a pillar.
Sowing Pine Seeds
1
A lady in Solberga had a son who took sides with a king who lost his battles and had to flee the country. The aged mother mourned deeply over her son's absence, and besieged Duke Karl with prayers to allow her son to return home, to make her a visit, at least.At last the son was granted permission to return and visit his mother till "the next harvest," as the order read.
On this the mother sowed pine seeds in the fields.
2
In Kopinge lies Ugerup or Ugarp, famous in the history of Denmark. In the 1500s, when Arild Ugerup (1528-87) was yet a young man he was captured by the Swedes and carried as a prisoner to Stockholm. His friends had little hope that they would ever see him again.But while Arild was languishing in his prison till it occurred to him that he should seek the king's permission to go home on parole to sow and gather his crops. The king readily granted his petition since Arild promised to return to his confinement as soon as his harvest was ripe.
He at once hastened to Skane. And in the fields where his ancestors had grown corn, he planted pine seeds.
When the autumn had passed, the king thought the harvest must have been gathered, and sent Arild a request to come to Stockholm. But Arild convinced the messenger that his seeds had not yet sprouted, much less ripened.
When the king was informed about the matter, he smiled and decided to let the matter rest. So Arild got his freedom without breaking his word.
The Ghost at the Inn
A widow at twenty-nine took on herself the management of her many estates. On a journey over them she came one evening to Fjelkinge's inn, and persisted in sleeping in a room which was called the "ghost's room" after a traveller a few years before had disappeared without a trace a few years before. The last that was seen of him, what that he went to sleep in this room. People supposed he had been murdered.Shortly after this, a ghost appeared in the room nightly, and those who knew about it, would rather travel to the next inn in the dark, rather than to stay at Fjelkinge inn for the night. However, he widow chose to sleep in the room anyway.
She retired to bed and sleep, leaving the lamp burning. At twelve o'clock the lifting up of two boards in the floor awakened her, and from the opening a bloody form appeared, with a cloven head hanging on its shoulders.
"Noble lady," whispered the ghost, "Please, speed the murderer to his just punishment."
The widow took from her finger a gold ring, laid it in the gaping wound, and bound the apparition's head up with her pocket-handkerchief. The ghost revealed the name of the murderer and disappeared without a sound beneath the floor.
Next morning the lady instructed the bailiff of the estate to gather the people at the post house. She told them what had happened during the night, and commanded that the planks of the floor be taken up. Here, under the ground, was discovered a half decomposed corpse, with the countess-ring in the hole in its skull, and her handkerchief bound around its head.
At sight of this, one of those present grew pale and fainted to the ground. On being revived, he confessed that he had murdered the traveller and robbed him of his goods. He was condemned to death for his crime, and the murdered man was buried in the churchyard.
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