Folk-Lore and Legends; Scandinavian | Page 6

this mischief. He came down to
the edge of the water and found him sitting in his boat, playing on the
harp. The music came over the water, and the gold strings shone
wonderfully in the sunshine. The giant jumped into the water after the
boy; but finding that it was too deep, he laid himself down, and began
to drink the water in order to make the lake shallower. He drank with
all his might, and by this means set up a current which drew the boat
nearer and nearer to the shore. Just when he was going to lay hold of it
he burst, for he had drunk too much; and there was an end of him.
The giant lay dead on the shore, and the boy moved away across the
lake, full of joy and happiness. When he came to land, he combed his
golden hair, put on fine clothes, fastened the giant's gold sword by his
side, and, taking the gold harp in one hand and the gold lantern in the
other, he led the gold fowl after him, and went to the king, who was
sitting in the great hall of the palace surrounded by his courtiers. When
the king saw the boy he was heartily glad. The lad went to the king's
beautiful daughter, saluted her courteously, and laid the giant's
treasures before her. Then there was great joy in the palace, that the
princess had after all got the giant's treasures and so bold and handsome
a bridegroom. The wedding was celebrated soon after with very much
splendour and rejoicing; and when the king died the lad succeeded him,
ruling over all the land both long and happily.
I know no more respecting them.

TALES OF CATS.
The house of Katholm (Cat-isle) near Grenaac, in Jutland, got its name
from the following circumstance.
There was a man in Jutland who had made a good deal of money by
improper means. When he died he left his property equally among his
three sons. The youngest, when he got his share, thought to himself--
"What comes with sin goes with sorrow," and he resolved to submit his
money to the water-ordeal, thinking that the ill-got money would sink
to the bottom, and what was honestly acquired swim on the top. He
accordingly cast all his money into the water, and only one solitary

farthing swam. With this he bought a cat, and he went to sea and visited
foreign parts. At length he chanced to come to a place where the people
were sadly plagued by an enormous number of rats and mice, and as his
cat had had kittens by this time, he acquired great wealth by selling
them. So he came home to Jutland, and built himself a house, which he
called Katholm.
There was one time a poor sailor out of Ribe, who came to a foreign
island whose inhabitants were grievously plagued with mice. By good
luck he had a cat of his own on board, and the people of the island gave
him so much gold for it that he went home as fast as he could to fetch
more cats, and by this traffic he in a short time grew so rich that he had
no need of any more. Some time after, when he was on his deathbed, he
bequeathed a large sum of money for the building of Ribe Cathedral,
and a proof of this is still to be seen in a carving over the east door of
the church, representing a cat and four mice. The door is called
Cat-head Door (Kathoved Dor).

THE MAGICIAN'S DAUGHTER
Just on the Finland frontiers there is situated a high mountain, which,
on the Swedish side, is covered with beautiful copsewood, and on the
other with dark pine-trees, so closely ranked together, and so luxuriant
in shade, that one might almost say the smallest bird could not find its
way through the thickets. Below the copsewood there stands a chapel
with the image of St. George, as guardian of the land and as a defence
against dragons, if there be such, and other monsters of paganism,
while, on the other side, on the borders of the dark firwood, are certain
cottages inhabited by wicked sorcerers, who have, moreover, a cave cut
so deep into the mountain that it joins with the bottomless abyss,
whence come all the demons that assist them. The Swedish Christians
who dwelt in the neighbourhood of this mountain thought it would be
necessary, besides the chapel and statue of St. George, to choose some
living protector, and therefore selected an ancient warrior, highly
renowned for his prowess in the battle-field, who had, in his old age,
become a monk. When this man went to take