The Blue Belt facts for kids

The Blue Belt is a classic Norwegian fairy tale. It was collected by famous storytellers Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their book Norske Folkeeventyr. This story is known around the world as Aarne-Thompson type 590, which means it shares a similar plot with other tales where a hero gains special power from a magical item.

The Magical Blue Belt

A long time ago, a poor woman and her son were walking home. The boy saw a bright blue belt on the ground. His mother told him not to touch it. But the boy was curious. When his mother wasn't looking, he picked up the belt. As soon as he put it on, he felt incredibly strong, like a giant!

His mother grew tired and needed to rest. The boy climbed a tall rock and saw a light in the distance. He told his mother they should go there for shelter. She was too tired, so he carried her. As they got closer, she saw it was a troll's house and fainted from fear.

Meeting the Old Troll

The boy bravely went inside. A very tall old man, about 20-foot-tall (6.1 m), was sitting there. The boy politely called him "grandfather." The old man was surprised. He said no one had called him that in three hundred years!

They talked, and the old man prepared dinner. He easily killed an ox with one hand to cook for them. That night, the boy gave his mother the bed and took a cradle for himself.

The Troll's Tricky Plans

The old troll told the boy's mother he wanted to get rid of her son. He promised they could live happily together if the boy was gone. The troll planned to hurt the boy at the quarry, a place where rocks are dug up.

The next day, the boy went with the troll to the quarry. The troll tried to crush the boy with rocks, but the boy was unharmed. Instead, the boy rolled a large stone onto the troll, badly hurting his leg.

The troll then told the boy's mother about his garden. He said it had twelve fierce lions that would surely defeat the boy. The mother pretended to be sick and asked her son for lion's milk.

Facing the Lions

The boy went to the garden. He bravely faced the lions. He quickly defeated the biggest lion, which made the others afraid. He then got the lion's milk. The troll didn't believe it! So, the boy tossed the troll to the eleven remaining lions. The lions scared the troll, but the boy rescued him quickly.

The troll then admitted he had two brothers. They were twelve times stronger than him! That's why he lived alone; his brothers had kicked him out. He said they had special apples that would make anyone sleep for three days and nights. He was sure the boy couldn't resist eating them.

Defeating the Troll Brothers

The old woman, still pretending to be sick, sent her son to get apples from the brothers' garden. The boy went with the lions. He ate some of the apples and fell into a deep sleep.

On the third day, the troll brothers arrived. But the loyal lions bravely fought them and defeated them. When the boy woke up, he found a princess that the troll brothers had captured. She gave him one of the troll's magical swords. They lived together for a while. Then, the princess decided to tell her parents what had happened to her. She sailed away to her home.

Betrayal and Recovery

The boy went to visit his mother and the troll. His mother asked him for the secret to his strength. He told her it was the blue belt. She quickly pulled it off him! She and the troll then cruelly put out his eyes and set him adrift in a small boat.

The loyal lions found the boat and dragged it ashore on an island. One day, a lion was chasing a blind hare. The hare fell into a spring of water. After that, the hare could see well enough to avoid things in its path. The lions understood! They gently put the boy into the spring. When he came out, his sight was back!

He had the lions take him back to the mainland. He then found his blue belt and took it back. He punished his mother and the troll for their betrayal. Then, he set out to find the princess.

The Journey to the Princess

The boy sailed on a ship. The sailors found a huge egg. They tried to break it, but couldn't. The boy easily broke it, and a chick hatched! He told the sailors to sail away very fast and leave the boat. Soon, a giant bird, the chick's mother, came and sank all the other ships. The boy bravely fought the giant bird and defeated it.

The boy then disguised himself as a bear. He became a dancing bear and was brought to the king's court. The king brought the "bear" to the princess. There, the boy revealed himself to her.

Later, he came to the king as himself. He told the king he wanted to find the princess. The king warned him that anyone who failed to find her within a day would be killed. The boy insisted he could do it. He then led the king straight to the princess.

The princess told her father, the king, that the boy had rescued her. The king was very happy, and so the boy and the princess were married.