Folk-Lore and Legends; Scandinavian | Page 8

From that moment he exerted himself to the utmost for the welfare of
her soul, endeavouring to convert her to Christianity, while his son
attended to the cure of her wounds; and, as their endeavours were on
both sides successful, it was resolved that the lovers should be united in
marriage, for the youth had not restricted himself by any monastic
vows.
The magician's daughter was now restored to perfect health. A day had
been appointed for her baptism and marriage. It happened that one
evening the bride and bridegroom went to take a pleasure walk through
the woods. The sun was yet high in the west, and shone so fervently
through the beech-trees on the green turf that they could never resolve

on turning home, but went still deeper and deeper into the forest. Then
the bride told him stories of her early life, and sang old songs which
she had learned when a child, and which sounded beautifully amid the
woodland solitude. Though the words were such that they could not be
agreeable to the youth's ears (for she had learned them among her
pagan and wicked relations), yet he could not interrupt her, first,
because he loved her so dearly, and, secondly, because she sang in a
voice so clear and sweet that the whole forest seemed to rejoice in her
music. At last, however, the pointed heads of the pine-trees again
became visible, and the youth wished to turn back, in order that he
might not come again too near the hated Finnish frontier. His bride,
however, said to him--
"Dearest Conrad, why should we not walk on a little further? I would
gladly see the very place where you so cruelly wounded me on the head
and arm, and made me prisoner, all which has, in the end contributed to
my happiness. Methinks we are now very near the spot."
Accordingly they sought about here and there until at last the twilight
fell dim and heavy on the dense woods. The sun had long since set. The
moon, however, had risen, and, as a light broke forth, the lovers stood
on the Finland frontier, or rather they must have gone already some
distance beyond it, for the bridegroom was exceedingly terrified when
he found his cap lifted from his head, as if by human hand, though he
saw only the branch of a fir-tree. Immediately thereafter the whole air
around them was filled with strange and supernatural beings--witches,
devils, dwarfs, horned-owls, fire-eyed cats, and a thousand other
wretches that could not be named and described, whirled around them
as if dancing to rapid music. When the bride had looked on for a while,
she broke out into loud laughter, and at last began to dance furiously
along with them. The poor bridegroom might shout and pray as much
and as earnestly as he would, for she never attended to him, but at last
transformed herself in a manner so extraordinary that he could not
distinguish her from the other dancers. He thought, however, that he
had kept his eyes upon her, and seized on one of the dancers; but alas!
it was only a horrible spectre which held him fast, and threw its wide
waving shroud around him, so that he could not make his escape, while,
at the same time, some of the subterraneous black demons pulled at his
legs, and wanted to bear him down along with them into their

bottomless caves.
Fortunately he happened at that moment to cross himself and call on
the name of the Saviour, upon which the whole of this vile assembly
fell into confusion. They howled aloud and ran off in all directions,
while Conrad in the meantime saved himself by recrossing the frontier,
and getting under the protection of the Swedish copsewood. His
beautiful bride, however, was completely lost; and by no endeavours
could he ever obtain her again, though he often came to the Finland
border, called out her name aloud, wept and prayed, but all in vain.
Many times, it is true, he saw her floating about through the pine-trees,
as if in chase, but she was always accompanied by a train of frightful
creatures, and she herself also looked wild and disfigured. For the most
part she never noticed Conrad, but if she could not help fixing her eyes
upon him, she laughed so immoderately, and in a mood of merriment
so strange and unnatural, that he was terrified and made the sign of the
cross, whereupon she always fled away, howling, into one of the
thickets.
Conrad fell more and more into melancholy abstraction, hardly ever
spoke, and though he had given over his vain walks into the forest, yet
if one asked him a question, the only answer he returned was--
"Ay, she