True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales - Illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman

Sigrid Undset, Frederick T. Chapman

• Publisher: Pook Press
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN:
  9781473389243
• Print ISBN:
  9781447449249
  9781447449607

This collection, True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales, edited by Sigrid Undset and illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman, contains twenty-eight classic Norse narratives. They include the folkloric stories of 'East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon', 'The Seven Foals', 'Why the Sea is Salt', 'The Squire's Bride', and 'The Master Thief'. The tales are accompanied by the masterful artwork of Frederick T. Chapman; a book and Magazine illustrator, who contributed to numerous publications including Woman's Home Companion, Collier's, and American Magazines. He is best known for his pioneering work in children's books such as 'Joan, Maid of France, 'White Falcon', and 'Luther Burbank, Nature's Helper.' Presented alongside the text, Chapman's enchanting creations serve to further refine and enhance the classic Nordic storytelling – making this a book to be enjoyed and appreciated, by both young and old alike. Pook Press celebrates the great 'Golden Age of Illustration' in children's literature – a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration from the 1880s to the 1930s. Our collection showcases classic fairy tales, children's stories, and the work of some of the most celebrated artists, illustrators and authors.

THE MASTERMAID

ONCE on a time there was a king who had several sons—I don’t know how many there were—but the youngest had no rest at home, for nothing else would please him but to go out into the world and try his luck, and after a long time the king was forced to give him leave to go. Now, after he had travelled some days, he came one night to a Giant’s house, and there he got a place in the Giant’s service. In the morning the Giant went off to herd his goats, and as he left the yard, he told the Prince to clean out the stable; “and after you have done that, you needn’t do anything else today; for you must know it is an easy master you have come to. But what is set you to do you must do well, and you mustn’t think of going into any of the rooms which are beyond that in which you slept, for if you do, I’ll take your life.”

“Sure enough, it is an easy master I have got,” said the Prince to himself, as he walked up and down the room, and carolled and sang, for he thought there was plenty of time to clean out the stable.

“But still it would be good fun just to peep into his other rooms, for there must be something in them which he is afraid lest I should see, since he won’t give me leave to go in.”

So he went into the first room, and there was a pot boiling on a hook by the wall, but the Prince saw no fire underneath it. “I wonder what is inside it,” he thought; and then he dipped a lock of his hair into it, and the hair seemed as if it were all turned to copper.

“What a dainty broth,” he said; “if one tasted, he’d look grand inside his gullet”; and with that he went into the next room. There, too, was a pot hanging by a hook, which bubbled and boiled; but there was no fire under that either.

“I may as well try this too,” said the Prince, as he put another lock into the pot, and it came out all silvered.

“They haven’t such rich broth in my father’s house,” said the Prince; “but it all depends on how it tastes,” and with that he went on into the third room. There, too, hung a pot that boiled just like those he had seen in the two other rooms; and the Prince had a mind to try this too, so he dipped a lock of hair into it, and it came out gilded, so that the light gleamed from it.

“ ‘Worse and worse,’ said the old wife; but I say better and better,” said the Prince; “but if he boils gold here, I wonder what he boils in yonder room.”

He thought he might as well see; so he went through the door into the fourth room. Well, there was no pot in there, but there was a Princess, seated on a bench, so lovely, that the Prince had never seen anyone like her in all his born days.

“Oh! in Heaven’s name,” she said, “what do you want here?”

“I got a place here yesterday,” said the Prince.

“A place, indeed! Heaven help you out of it.”

“Well, after all, I think I’ve got an easy master; he hasn’t set me much to do today, for after I have cleaned out the stable, my day’s work is over.”

“Yes, but how will you do it?” she said; “for if you set to work to clean it like other folk, ten pitchforks full will come in for every one you toss out. But I will teach you how to set to work; you must turn the fork upside down, and toss with the handle, and then all the dung will fly out of itself.”

Yes, he would be sure to do that, said the Prince; and so he sat there the whole day, for he and Princess were soon great friends, and had made up their minds to have one another. And so the first day of his service with the Giant was not long, as you may fancy. But when the evening drew on, she said’t would be as well if he got the stable cleaned out before the Giant came home. When he went to the stable, he thought he would just see if what she had said were true, and so he began to work like the grooms in his father’s stable. But he soon had enough of that, for he hadn’t worked a minute before the stable was so full of dung that he hadn’t room to stand. Then he did as the Princess bade him, and turned up the fork and worked with the handle, and lo! in a trice the stable was as clean as if it had been scoured. And when he had done his work, he went back into the room where the Giant had given him leave to be, and began to walk up and down, and to carol and sing. So after a bit, home came the Giant with his goats.

“Have you cleaned the stable?” asked the Giant.

“Yes, now it’s all right and tight, master,” answered the Prince.

“I’ll soon see if it is,” growled the Giant, and strode off to the stable, where he found it just as the Prince had said.

“You’ve been talking to my Mastermaid, I can see,” said the Giant; “for you’ve not sucked this knowledge out of your own breast.”

“Mastermaid,” said the Prince, who looked as stupid as an owl. “What sort of thing is that master? I’d be very glad to see it.”

“Well, well!” said the Giant, “you’ll see her soon enough.”

Next day the Giant set off with his goats again, and before he went he told the Prince to fetch home his horse, which was out at grass on the hillside, and when he had done that he might rest all day.

“For you must know, it is an easy master you have come to,” said the Giant. “But if you go into any of the rooms I spoke of yesterday, I’ll wring your head off.”

So off he went with his flock of goats.

“An easy master you are indeed,” said the Prince; “but for all that, I’ll just go in and have a chat with your Mastermaid; maybe she would as soon be mine as yours.” So he went in to her, and she asked him what he had to do that day.

“Oh! nothing to be afraid of,” said he. “I’ve only to go up to the hillside to fetch his horse.”

“Very well, and how will you set about it?”

“Well, for that matter, there’s no great art in riding a horse home. I fancy I’ve ridden fresher horses before now,” said the Prince.

“Ah, but this isn’t so easy a task as you think; but I’ll teach you how to do it. When you get near it, fire and flame will come out of its nostrils, as out of a tar barrel; but look out, and take the bit which hangs behind the door yonder, and throw it right into his jaws, and he will grow so tame that you may do what you like with him.”

Yes! the Prince would mind and do that; and so he sat in there the whole day, talking and chatting with the Mastermaid about one thing and another, but they always came back to how happy they would be if they could only have one another, and get well away from the Giant. And to tell the truth, the Prince would have clean forgotten both the horse and the hillside, if the Mastermaid hadn’t put him in mind of them when evening drew on, telling him he had better set out to fetch the horse before the Giant came home. So he set off, and took the bit which hung in the corner, ran up the hill, and it wasn’t long before he met the horse, with fire and flame streaming out of its nostrils. But he watched his chance, and, as the horse came open-jawed up to him, he threw the bit into its mouth, and it stood as quiet as a lamb. After that, it was no great matter to ride it home and put it up, you may fancy; and then the Prince went into his room again, and began to carol and sing.

So the Giant came home again at even with his goats; and the first words he said were,

“Have you brought my horse down from the hill?”

“Yes, master, that I have,” said the Prince; “and a better horse I never bestrode; but for all that I rode him straight home, and put him up safe and sound.”

“I’ll soon see to that,” said the Giant, and ran out to the stable, and there stood the horse just as the Prince had said.

“You’ve talked to my Mastermaid, I’ll be bound, for you haven’t sucked this out of your own breast,” said the Giant again.

“Yesterday master talked of this Mastermaid, and today it’s the same story,” said the Prince, who pretended to be silly and stupid. “Bless you, master! Why don’t you show me the thing at once? I should so like to see it only once in my life.”

“Oh, if that’s all,” said the Giant, “you’ll see her soon enough.”

The third day, at dawn, the Giant went off to the wood again with his goats; but before he went he said to the Prince,

“Today you must go to Hell and fetch my subsidies. When you have done that you can rest yourself all day, for you must know it is an easy master you have come to,” and with that off he went.

“Easy master, indeed!” said the Prince. “You may be easy, but you set me hard tasks all the same. But I may as well see if I can find your Mastermaid, as you call her. I daresay she’ll tell me what to do”; and so in he went to her again.

So when the Mastermaid asked what the Giant had set him to do that day, he told her how he was to go to Hell and fetch the subsidies.

“And how will you set about it?” asked the Mastermaid.

“Oh, that you must tell me,” said the Prince. “I have never been to Hell in my life; and even if I knew the way, I don’t know how much I am to ask for.”

“Well, I’ll soon tell you,” said Mastermaid. “You must go to the steep rock away yonder, under the hillside, and take the club that lies there, and knock on the face of the rock. Then there will come out one, all glistening with fire; to him you must tell your errand; and when he asks you how much you will have, mind you say, ‘As much as I can carry.’ ”

Yes, he would be sure to say that; so he sat in there with the Mastermaid all that day too; and though evening drew on, he would have sat there till now, had not the Mastermaid put him in mind that it was high time to be off to Hell to fetch the Giant’s subsidies before he came home. So he went on his way, and did just as the Mastermaid had told him; and when he reached the rock, he took up the club and gave a great thump. Then the rocks opened, and out came one whose face glistened, and out of whose eyes flew sparks of fire.

“What is your will?” said he.

“Oh! I’m only come from the Giant to fetch his subsidies,” said the Prince.

“How much will you have then?” said the other.

“I never wish for more than I am able to carry,” said the Prince.

“Lucky for you that you did not ask for a whole horse-load,” said he who came out of the rock. “But come now into the rock with me, and you shall have it.”

So the Prince went in with him, and you may fancy what heaps and heaps of gold and silver he saw lying in there, just like stones in a gravel pit; and he got a load just as big as he was able to carry, and set off for home with it. Now, when the Giant came home with his goats at even, the Prince went into his room, and began to carol and sing as he had done the evenings before.

“Have you been to Hell after my subsidies?” roared the Giant.

“Oh, yes; that I have, master,” answered the Prince.

“Where have you put it?” said the Giant.

“There stands the sack on the bench yonder,” said the Prince.

“I’ll soon see to that,” said the Giant, who strode off to the bench, and there he saw the sack so full that the gold and silver dropped out on the floor as soon as ever he untied the string.

“You’ve been talking to my Mastermaid, that I can see,” said the Giant; “but if you have, I’ll wring your head off.”

“Mastermaid!” said the Prince; “yesterday master talked of this Mastermaid, and today he talks of her again, and the day before yesterday it was the same story. I only wish I could see what sort of thing she is! That I do.”

“Well, well, wait till tomorrow,” said the Giant, “and then I’ll take you in to her myself.”

“Thank you kindly, master,” said the Prince; “but it’s only a joke of master’s, I’ll be bound.”

So next day the Giant took him in to the Mastermaid, and said to her,

“Now, you must cut his throat, and boil him in the great big pot you wot of; and when the broth is ready, just give me a call.”

After that, he laid him down on the bench to sleep, and began to snore so, that it sounded like thunder on the hills.

So the Mastermaid took a knife and cut the Prince in his little finger, and let three drops of blood fall on a three-legged stool; and after that she took all the old rags, and soles of shoes, and all the rubbish she could lay hands on, and put them into the pot; and then she filled a chest full of ground gold, and took a lump of salt, and a flask of water that hung behind the door, and she took, besides, a golden apple, and two golden chickens, and off she set with the Prince from the Giant’s house as fast as they could. And when they had gone a little way, they came to the sea, and sailed over it. But where they got the ship from, I have never heard tell.

So when the Giant had slumbered a good bit, he began to stretch himself as he lay on the bench, and called out, “Will it be soon done?”

“Only just begun,” answered the first drop of blood on the stool.

So the Giant lay down to sleep again, and slumbered a long, long time. At last he began to toss about a little, and cried out,

“Do you hear what I say; will it be soon done?” but he did not look up this time, any more than the first, for he was still half asleep.

“Half done,” said the second drop of blood.

Then the Giant thought again it was the Mastermaid, so h...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Contents
• Half title
• The Adventure Story of the Folk Tale—A Foreword
• True and Untrue
• The Mastermaid
• Soria Moria Castle
• The Seven Foals
• Dapplegrim
• Farmer Weathersky
• The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body
• The Big Bird Dan
• The Boy with the Ale Keg
• The Blacksmith They Were Afraid to Receive in Hell
• Gertrude’s Bird
• Why the Sea Is Salt
• Buttercup
• Herding the King’s Hares
• The Ashlad Who Made the Princess Say, “You lie.”
• Well Done and Ill Paid
• Why the Bear Is Stumpy-tailed
• The Fox as Herdsman
• Gudbrand on the Hillside
• Little Frikk and His Fiddle
• The Husband Who Was to Mind the House
• Not a Pin to Choose Between Them
• The Squire’s Bride
• The Master Thief
• The Parson and the Sexton
• East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon
• The Reward of the World