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466 WIGHTS AND ELVES.
are collected in Elfenm. xcii. xciii., and their longing for children
and blooming maids is treated of, p. civ. cv. Dwarf-kings run
away
with maidens to their mountains : Laurin with the fair
Similt (Sindhilt ?), Groldemar or Volmar with a king s daughter
(Deut. heldensag. 174, Haupt s Zeitschr. 6, 522-3);
the Swed.
folk-lay Den bergtagna (-taken) tells of a virgin, who spends
him seven sons and
eight years with a mountain-king, and brings
a daughter, before she sees her home again. 1 The following
their caps off, became visible and were caught ; promised him money, if he came
there again before sunrise. A friend advised him to go as early as 12, for even
then the day (of the dwarfs?) was begun. He did so, and got his meed.]
The second story is from Dorste in Osterode bailiwick : En buere harre arften
buten stan, dei wbren one iimmer utefreten. Da word den bueren esegt, hei solle
hengan un slaen met weenrauen (weidenruten) drupe rum, sau sleugde gewis einen
de kappe af. Da geug he ok hen met sinnen ganzen liien, un funk ok enen twarg,
dei sie (sagte) tau one, wenn he one wier las Ian (wieder los lassen) wolle, sau wolle
one enn wagen vul geld gewen, hei moste awer vor sunnenupgange komen. Da leit
ne de buere las, un de twarg sie one, wo sine hiile wore. Do ging de buere henn
un frang enn, wunnir dat denn die sunne upginge ? Dei sie tau one, dei ginge
glocke twolwe up. Da spanne ok sinen wagen an, un tug hen. Asse (as he) vor
de hiilen kam, do juchen se drinne un sungen :
Dat ist gaut, dat de biierken dat nich weit,
dat de sunne urn twolwe up geit !
Asse sek awer melle, wesden se one en afgefillet perd, dat solle mee (mit) nomen,
wier (weiter) konnen se one nits gewen. Da was de buere argerlich, awer hei wolle
doch fleisch vor sine hunne mee nomen, da haude en grat stiicke af, un laud et
upen wagen. Asser mee na hus kam, da was alles schire gold. Da wollet andere
noch nae langen, awer da was hiile un perd verswunnen. [Epitome : A farmer,
finding his peas eaten, was advised to beat all round with willow twigs, sure to
knock a dwarf s cap off. Caught a dwarf, who promised a waggon full of money if
he d come to his cave before sunrise. Asked a man when sunrise was ? At
twelve. Went to the cave, heard shouting and singing : Tis well the poor
peasant but little knows that twelve is the time when the sun ! up goes Is shown
a skinned horse, he may take that ! Gets angry, yet cuts a great piece off for his
dogs. "When he got home, it was all sheer gold. Went for the rest cave and
;
horse were gone.]
The remarkable trysting-time before sunrise seems to be explained by the dwarfkind
s shyness of daylight, which appears even in the Edda, Sam. olb : they avoid
the sun, they have in their caves a different light and different time from those of
men. In Norse legends re-appears the trick of engaging a trold in conversation till
the sun is risen : when he looks round and sees the sun, he splits in two Asbiornsen
;
and Moe, p. 186. [The marchen of Eumpelstilzchen includes the dwarfs song,
Tis well, etc., the splitting in two, and the kidnapping presently to be men
tioned.]
1 But she-dwarfs also marry men ; pdman (Bahuslan, p. 78-9, conf. Afzelius 2,
157) relates quite seriously, and specifying the people s names: Keors foraldrar i
Hogen i Lurssockn, some boclde i Fuglekarr i Svarteborgssockn ; hvars farfar var
en skott, ok bodde vid et berg, ther fick han se mitt pa dagen sitjande en vacker
pigapa en sten, ther med at fanga henne, kastade han stal emcllan berget ok henne,
hvarpa hennes far gasmade eller log in i berget, ok opnade bergets dorr, tilfragandes
honom, om han vill ha hans dotter? Hvilket han med ja besvarade, ok efter hon
var helt naken, tog han sina klader ok holgde ofver henne, ok lat christna henne.
Vid aftradet sade hennes far til honom : nar tu skalt ha brollup, skalt tu laga til
12 tunnor ol ok baka en hop brod ok kiott efter 4 stutar, ok kiora i\\jordlwnen eller
berget, ther jag haller til, ok nar brudskanken skall utdelas, skall jag val ge min ;