Topic: Dokke i Gresset

NorseLady

Date: 2006-04-05 02:40 EST
Once upon a time there was a king who had twelve sons. When they were grown he told them they must go out into the world and win themselves wives, but these wives must each be able to spin, and weave and sew a shirt in one day, else he would not have them for daughters-in-law.

To each he gave a horse and a new suit of mail, and they went out into the world to look for their brides; but when they had gone a bit of the way, they said they would not have Askeladden, their youngest bror, with them. He was not fit for anything.

Askeladden had to stay behind, and he did not know what to do or where to turn; and so he grew so downcast, he got off his horse, and sat down in the tall grass to weep. But when he had sat a little while, one of the tufts in the grass began to stir and move, and out of it came a little white thing, and when it came nearer, Askeladden saw it was a charming little female, only such a tiny bit of a thing. So she went up to him, and asked if he would come down below and see Doll in the Grass.

Ja, he wanted to see, and so he went. There sat Dokke i Gresset on a chair. She was so lovely, and she asked Askeladden where he was going, and what was his business.

So he told her how there were twelve br'dre of them, and how the king had given them horse and mail, and said they must each go out into the world and find them a wife who could spin, and weave and sew a shirt in a day. "But if you will only say at once you will be my wife, I will not go a step farther," said Askeladden to Doll in the Grass.

Well, she was willing enough, and so she made haste and spun, and wove and sewed the shirt. But it was so tiny, tiny, teeny. Askeladden set off home with it, but when he brought it out he was almost ashamed, it was so small. Still the king said he should have her, and so the youngest bror set off, glad and happy to fetch his little sweetheart. Na when he got to Doll in the Grass, he wished to take her up before him on his horse; but she would not have that, for she said she would sit and drive along in a silver spoon, and that she had two small white horses to draw her. Off they set, he on his horse and she on her silver spoon, and the two horses that drew her were two tiny white mice. But Askeladden always kept to the other side of the road, he was so afraid lest he should ride o'er her, she was so little.

When they had gone a bit of the way, they came to a great piece of water. Here Askeladden's horse got frightened, and shied across the road and upset the spoon, and Dokke i Gresset tumbled into the water. Askeladden got so sorrowful, because he did not know how to get her out again. But in a little while up came a merman with her, and now she was as well and full grown as other men and women, and far lovelier than she had been before. So he took her up before him on his horse, and rode home.

By the time he arrived home all his br'drene had come back, each with his sweetheart, but these were all so foul and wicked, that they had done naught but fight with one another on the way home, and on their heads they had a kind of hat that was covered o'er with tar and soot, and the rain had run down off the hats onto their faces, till they got far uglier and nastier than they had been before.

When his br'drene saw Askeladden and his sweetheart, they were all as jealous as jealous could be of him; but the king was so o'erjoyed with them both, that he drove all the others away. And so Askeladden held his wedding feast with Dokke i Gresset, and after that they lived well and happily together a long, long time.