The Troll's Daughter facts for kids
The Troll's Daughter (Danish: Troldens datter) is a Danish folktale. It was first collected by Svend Grundtvig in 1876. Later, Andrew Lang published an English version in The Pink Fairy Book in 1897.
Story Summary
A young man takes a job with a strange person. This person promises him lots of money each year for three years. But there's a rule: he must always obey exactly what he is told.
The employer turns out to be a powerful troll. This troll rules over all the animals in the big forest. He even has power over kings! On the first day, the young man's job is to feed the wild animals. These include wolves, bears, deer, and hares, which the troll has tied up.
The next day, the troll uses magic to change the youth into a hare. He then sets him free in the forest for a whole year. Every hunter tries to catch him, but no dog can find him. No gun can shoot him either. At the end of the year, the youth returns. He earns a good amount of money, just as promised.
The second year, the youth's job is similar. He feeds the animals again. Then, he is changed into a raven. He avoids hunters for another year. This time, he earns twice as much money.
In the third and final year, he is changed into a fish. He swims deep into the sea. There, he finds a beautiful glass castle (Danish: glasslot). A lonely, lovely maiden lives inside. The youth remembers the magic words the troll used. He says them and changes back into a human. He becomes friends with the maiden. During their time together, he grows from a boy into a strong man (Danish: karl og ikke dreng).
As the time for the troll to collect him gets close, the maiden gives him a warning. She says he must change back into a fish to survive the journey through the sea. She then tells him a big secret: she is the troll's daughter, and she is trapped! She explains a detailed plan for them to be together again.
The young man must go work for a king. This king is about to lose his life because he owes the troll a lot of money. The youth should offer the king a loan to pay off his debt. He can use the money he earned from the troll. In return, he must insist on going with the king as his royal jester. He should then purposely break windows or cause trouble to make the troll angry.
Even after the king pays his debt, the troll will still be mad about the damage. He will sentence the king to death. But there's a way out: the king can live if he answers three questions correctly. The troll's daughter even knows what the questions will be:
- "Where is my daughter?" and "Do you know her?" (The king must pick her out from many others who look like her).
- "Where is my heart?"
- "Would you know the fish?" (The king must find the fish that holds the troll's heart).
With these answers, they will be able to defeat the troll.
The youth becomes the king's stableman (Danish: staldkarl). Everything happens just as the daughter planned. She is there to show which fish holds the troll's heart. The youth cuts open the fish and then slices the heart. The troll falls dead and turns into flint stones (Danish: flintstene).
This act breaks all the agreements the troll had with the kings who owed him money. It also frees all the wild animals. The youth and the maiden get married. All the kings who were freed from the troll's power cheer for him as their new leader.
