[#Asbjørnsen ] published an account of his travels [to Egypt as quartermaster on a corvette] in Ydale, which was published before Christmas that year [1852]. This turned out to be one of the most controversial publications of Asbjørnsen’s career. The figures in the narrative all recognised themselves, and little appreciated the faithful representation of their swearing and cursing. When Asbjørnsen ignored their public complaints, they went to the king, who was informed that the ship’s second in command had approved every caricature in the book. No further action was taken.
I don't know if I told you, but I have uploaded one of Regine Normann's arctic legends to my website. "How Svartisen [the name of a glacier] Was Formed." A single illustration appears on the last page.
That feeling when you trawl church records to find Christening, confirmation, and wedding details, only to discover that someone has already done so, and summed up their finding in about five sentences.
That feeling is a good one, because I came to the same conclusions, meaning that I am not completely useless.
Ha!
(I also found a photo of the lady's gravestone, which the other author didn't have.)
The Bure Nisse
(Peter Christen Asbjørnsen in a letter to Andreas Faye, April 1835.)
It is said that there was a nisse on the farm of Bure in Ringerike some time ago, who did the people there a lot of good. Not only did he groom the horses and tend the fire and lights, etc., but he even took on the job of a driver. Here’s how things went. 1/7
Making ready Jørgen Moe's 47-page introduction to the Norwegian Folktales for proper editing at the hands of @wolfofthewisp.
Moe wrote his intro in 1850/51, years before Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson were even conceived of, and he treats all "searching for the beloved" tales as belonging together, no division based on sex. Instead, he divides the tales along geographical lines – those from Cupid & Psyche (south) contra those from Sigurd Favnesbane (north).
It's an interesting perspective that hasn't appeared in English (from that source) before.
There once was of days of yore and in ages and times long gone before, a merchant, who dwelt in the land of Bassorah and who owned two sons and wealth galore. But in due time Allah, the All-hearing the All-knowing, decreed that he should be admitted to the mercy of the Most High so he died, and his two sons laid out buried him and him, after which they divided his gardens and estates equally between them and of his portion each one opened a shop.
“Hasan of Bassorah.” Burton’s Nights (vol. VIII, p. 7. 1885)
There was once upon a time, a poor man who had three sons. When he died, the elder two should go out into the world to try their luck; but they would not, by any means, have the youngest with them. “You,” they said, “you are good for nothing but sitting there, holding fatwood candles, digging in the ashes, and blowing in the embers, you are!”
“The Golden Castle that Hung in the Air.” Norwegian Folktales (vol. II. 1871)
“No complete edition exists in English of the Asbjørnsen and Moe Norwegian collections similar to that in which Grimm’s [sic] German Märchen have been given almost in full to English readers.”
– Martha Warren Beckwith, in a review of John and Helen Gade's Norwegian Fairytales (1925).
It does now. 150 primary texts, which includes the 148 usually published in Norwegian editions, plus two that I have restored to the collection, distributed across four volumes that emulate the original editions, and two extra volumes of the tales and legends that were later added. Six volumes in total.
”If it had been possible to make room for a few notes as to type numbers, sources and locality the book would have been as useful as it is delightful.”
– Katharine Briggs, reviewing Pat Shaw Iversen and Carl Norman’s translation of selected folktales (1960).
Well, my edition of The Complete Norwegian Folktales and Legends of Asbjørnsen & Moe will also include:
Asbjørnsen & Moe's original notes (sketches of other variants, surveys of related folk narratives from other parts of the world, etc.) and appendices (forewords, prefaces, and Jørgen Moe's 58-page introduction in full – >73,000 words).
My own notes (type numbers; sources, including biographies where possible; locality; numbers of variants collected; etc.) and introductions (~55,000 words in total).
“The reason so little has been written about [Moe’s 58-page Introduction to the 1852 edition of Norske Folkeeventyr] is probably because it appeared in academic Norwegian, was originally published in Gothic print, and has unfortunately never been translated.”
– Professor Terry Gunnell, 2010.
It has now.
The “Gothic print” (in fact blackletter type – Fraktur for the body text and Schwabacher for titles and boldface) has not really been a problem.
I’m in the process of cleaning up the copy before sending it to @wolfofthewisp for editing. The “academic Norwegian,” which favours long, back-heavy (Germanic) sentences, does slow me down somewhat.