Mors lilla Olle facts for kids

A wooden sculpture outside Särna, Sweden depicting the song's meeting between Olle and the bear.

"Mors lilla Olle" is a famous Swedish children's song. It was written by Alice Tegnér. The song tells the story of a young boy named Olle. He meets a bear in the forest but thinks it's just a big dog.

Olle is not scared at all. He even shares his yummy blueberries with the bear. When Olle's mother sees them, she screams very loudly. This makes the bear run away. Olle then asks his mom if the "dog" can come back to play again. In the song, Olle is about 4 or 5 years old. This is why he doesn't know what a bear really is.

The Real Story Behind the Song

The words of "Mors lilla Olle" were inspired by a true event. This happened a long time ago, in September 1850. A very young boy named Jon Ersson was picking berries. He was only one year and seven months old. Jon was with his older brothers and sisters. They were near their home in Morbäcksätern. This place is outside the village of Särna in Dalarna, Sweden.

Jon and the Bears

While picking berries, Jon met a female brown bear. She had two baby bears, called cubs, with her. Jon was not afraid. He gave the bear cubs some lingonberry twigs to eat. After a while, everyone got tired. Jon, the mother bear, and her two cubs all lay down together to rest.

A Mother's Scream

Jon's oldest sister went to get their mother. When their mother saw Jon with the bears, she scared them away. A newspaper in Norway wrote about this amazing event in April 1851.

The Poem That Inspired the Song

Later, a writer named Wilhelm von Braun (1813–1860) wrote a poem about it. The poem was called Stark i sin oskuld, which means "Strong in his innocence." It began with the line: "Small boy in a mountain forest went, rosy cheeks and angelic look..."

Alice Tegnér's Song

Alice Tegnér was inspired by Wilhelm von Braun's poem. Because of this poem, she wrote the song "Mors lilla Olle." The song was published in 1895. It was part of her book called Sjung med oss, mamma! This means "Sing with us, mom!" and was in its third volume.

See also

In Spanish: Mors lilla Olle para niños