The story of Dag and Daga, and the Flying troll of Sky mountain
Story by Harald Östenson and illustrations by John Bauer, 1907.
Translation by Robin Karlsson, 2023.
When Dag and Daga became orphans, they and everybody else believed they would soon perish in misery. But when the greatest sorrow had passed, it turned out there was a lot of life left in the two little children, who so suddenly had to take care of themselves in their lonely wood cabin.
They took good care of their goats which provided them plenty of milk, and they picked berries and mushrooms in the forest which Dag used to trade with. That way they also received flour from time to time. Though Daga was quite small she could make porridge and bake bread like a real mother, and Dag was soon as skilled with the bow as their father once had been. For you see, at the time of this story no one controlled who shot the animals in the woods and the game were for everyone to take as much as they wished. Some days Dag would come home with a rabbit and other days a wood grouse. One time he even came home with a roebuck, so they never had to starve.
This was the way the two siblings lived, year after year, and they both helped each other and got along merrily.
Then one day when Dag had gone out to hunt, he was gone an unusually long time. Daga was worried and waited all afternoon and all night, but he never came back. She decided to go search for him. And though she knew what direction he had gone, the search was still very much at random.
Around dinner time she arrived to a place overgrown with high thorn bushes. Suddenly she let out a jolt of happiness. There he was, standing inside the bushes. She could clearly see his cap, with the feather she herself had put in it, rising above the bushes. Happy, she hurried towards him. But when she got closer she saw that it was nothing but only his hat hanging from one of the branches. She also saw the quiver and the bow, but her brother wasn't there.
The thorns were so dense that she could not reach the place where her brothers belongings were. How could he have possibly come through here? Daga wondered after trying for hours to get through the thorns. I need to get the axe and cut through the bushes. She thought, and did do so in haste. When she eventually had gotten hold of her brothers belongings, the evening was already upon her.
Daga rose early the next morning. First she packed some food in a bundle. Then she set the goats loose so they could eat freely while she was away. Finally she grabbed a walking staff and walked out into the world to seek her brother.
The nearest neighbors lived far away, and when she finally saw them they were of no help to her.
- If your brother has gotten himself into some kind of trouble, you don't really think you, who are just a little girl, could actually rescue him? They said. You better just leave him to his fate and come work for us. Then you'll have both a house, a home and daily bread and won't put yourself in any danger. If you continue to seek after your brother, you'll probably meet the same end as him.
Sure, little Daga understood she would face grave dangers, but to leave his brother to his fate, she could not. Thus she said goodbye and continued her journey.
She wandered through vast forests, and over high mountains, and she often got so tired her legs folded beneath her. But as soon as she had gotten some rest, she continued onward. Many nights was spent on only a bed of moss underneath a fir in the dark woods, and she feared that the wild beasts would come and rip her to shreds. But they never came.
And do you know why they did not? Well, you see, Daga was not as alone as she thought.
If she could see everything, she would have noticed someone following her when she left her little cabin in the woods. A tiny, tiny man, with a face shriveled with age, none other than the tomte of their cabin in the woods. When Daga had fallen asleep, the tomte sat by her bed, and if a wolf or any other animal came with harmful intentions, he would stare at them so sternly they would quickly scurry away.
One morning when Daga had been walking for a couple of hours, she sat down to rest on a mossy hill. The woods were still shiny with dew and wondrous to behold, and at the top of the pine trees the chaffinches sang so beautifully she felt she could be happy, if only she had not got her sorrow to bear.
Suddenly, the barking of dogs and the sound of a hunting horn was heard, and soon after a handsome prince in magnificent hunting gear came walking in her direction.
When he noticed she was there, he stood for a moment and watched her, then turned around to his hunting entourage who just caught up with him, and said:
- Look, such a beautiful fairy princess! She will be my brilliant bride. Hurry to the castle for a carriage chair and then bring her there!
When Daga realized what was the matter she fell on her knees and pleaded:
- Let me go, dear prince, I need to seek my brother who likely is entangled with evil powers. And I also can not become your wife as I am not a fairy princess but only a poor hunters daughter.
But the prince quickly replied:
- It will be as I have said. And as for your brother, I'll see to it that my servants find him.
Soon they arrived with the carriage chair and Daga had no choice but to be carried away in it to the castle. There, she was taken to one of the chambers and by order of the prince the maids dressed her in a beautiful white dress. Then the prince himself put a crown of gold on her head and golden rings around her arms.
- This, he said, is my welcome gift to you, and you'll keep it whether you'll be my bride or not.
After he said this he took her to a banqueting hall, where many noble ladies and gentlemen were gathered. The whole evening Daga sat by the princes side, and he showed her just as much respect and attention as if she had been an actual princess.
When the banquet was over and she were heading to her bedroom, she happened to hear a conversation between three servants who stood in a dark passage way.
- Could you imagine, seven of our comrades have been sent away to seek a hunter who supposedly got lost in the forest, one of them said.
- Yes, I know, replied another, but they said they're just gonna go away for a couple of days and enjoy themselves, and then come back and say they haven't found him.
- Yes, I mean how would they even find him? He's most likely captured by the trolls. There are plenty of trolls in this area lately, said the third one.
Daga sneaked away as quiet as she could. She knew now what she had to do.
As soon as she reached her chambers, she hurried to gather her belongings in a bundle, and then slipped away out of the castle without anyone seeing her. It was almost dark, but she could not get a good nights rest when she knew no one was out searching for her brother.
With the golden crown on her head and in her white dress, she walked through the somber woods under the tall firs, with the tomte from her home in the woods close behind her.
The house tomte had been kindly received by the castle tomte, which had dressed him in a black velvet suit and pointy shoes. But as Daga left the castle, he had to accompany her on her journey.
It was getting more and more dark, and Daga could now see two big, hideous trolls lurking on the ground between the trees. Their eyes were round and shone as red as toadstools. And their giant hands grasped for everything that was in reach. Though she was almost paralyzed by fear, she did not turn around to head back to the castle.
The trolls were getting closer and closer, but all of a sudden they stopped. As if they got a sight of something behind her, something that scared them.
When the morning came, Daga sat down to rest for a while. She was so far away from the castle and well hidden in the dense shrubbery that she believed no one would find her and take her back.
Now she had time to take off her crown, the beautiful dress and the golden rings and put them in her bundle and instead she put on her old clothes.
When the evening was closing in, she happened upon a rather small, ugly looking girl. Daga wasn't sure whether the girl was in fact actually a troll, but since she did seem at least a little bit like a human, Daga approached her like she would any other and told the girl about her missing brother and asked for advice on how to find him.
- If you can give me a princess dress, the ugly girl said, then I'll tell you who has taken him.
She looked upon Dagas ragged dress with a contemptuous glare as if to say: You probably have a lot of clothes like that, don't you?
- A princess dress? Sure I'll give you that, Daga said and took out the dress she had been gifted by the prince. Now you tell me how to find my brother.
It was clear the ugly girl never had expected this answer. She wished she could take back what she had said but it was too late.
- It's the Flying troll on Sky mountain who've taken him, she angrily exclaimed, and if you go there it'll take you too!
She yanked the dress from Daga and walked off.
- The Flying troll of Sky mountain, Daga said to herself. And from that moment she did not think of anything else, other than to find the Sky mountain.
After seven weeks of travelling she finally laid eyes upon the mountain where it rose from the ground, as high as the sky and terribly steep. On its top she could discern the towers and tins of a gloomy castle.
For three whole days the girl searched along the mountains foot for a place where she could climb up, but it was impossible to find such a place. All sides of the cliff was like smooth walls.
On the evening of the third day she met a small, deformed dwarf.
- Good evening, little man, she said, can you show me a place where one can climb up this mountain?
- Yes, I'm sure I could, the dwarf replied with an elusive laugh, but I'd like two heavy gold rings for the trouble. And he laughed yet again.
- Here you go, the girl said, and she brought out the rings the prince had given her.
The dwarf stopped laughing abruptly, and he looked both surprised and furious. But he had to stand by his words, and brought the girl to a place where there was a crack that zig-zaged it's way up the whole mountain.
- I suppose you could get up here if you're very strong, flexible and have great endurance, and also don't get scared of heights of course, he said. But likely you'll just fall down and break your neck.
And then the dwarf was off.
As soon as the sun rose the next day, Daga began her ascent up the cliff side. It was incredibly tiresome, difficult and dangerous for there was almost no good spots to grip onto. There were some places where the crack was more horizontal, so she could sit down and rest or even sleep for a while. But had she moved even just an inch, she would have fell down. She had to resist the urge of looking down, for as to not become dizzy.
Three times three days she climbed before finally reaching the top. The path that led to the trolls castle went through spiky cliffs where protruding boulders seemed to be at the brink of falling down. While Daga carefully threaded this way she suddenly let out a scream.
Sticking out from one of the rocks she saw her brothers head. The face was sickly pale but it was obvious he was still alive. Now he got sight off her as well.
- Run away, my dear sister! he yelled.
- I haven't crossed a hundred acre wood and climbed all the way up the Sky mountain to run away when I'm so close to my goal, Daga answered, I have come to rescue you.
- You can't, Dag replied. Here only horrible captivity awaits you. After the troll had flown me up here it ordered me to hammer gold from the sweat of slaves, and since I neither could or wanted to learn to do so, he trapped me inside this rock. My whole body is inside the mountain. I can only move my head a little bit.
Inside sat the giant, despicable Flying troll on a big golden throne, and surrounding the throne a crowd of his minions were busy with hammering and forging.
When Daga entered everyone was so surprised they dropped whatever they were holding.
- Please, Flying troll, Daga said, don't let my brothers body remain inside that horrible rock, let him follow me home!
- Have you traveled all this way, with the belief that I would set him free just because you ask nicely? The troll said. Then that makes you so stupid you should be rewarded for it. If you can bring me a queens golden crown before I count to three, I'll let both you and your brother leave this place in peace, but if you can not I will throw you so high you won't be visible, and let you fall down right in front of your brothers nose.
When the troll was finished speaking, both it and it's minions started laughing so hysterically that half an ox could fit in their hideous maws. Then the troll began counting, but did not have time to count further than to two before Daga had brought forth the golden crown and thrown it at the trolls dark, claw like hand.
You should have seen how baffled and stunned with surprise both the troll and the minions looked. Nevertheless, the troll has to keep it's word, despite how furious it may be, and soon both Dag and Daga were merrily on their way home.
As for the cheerful prince, he could never forget his fairy princess. From the maid, who had followed Daga to her chambers, he was brought to the attention of the conversation Daga had happened to hear that night and so he understood why she had left. He punished the fraudulent servants accordingly and then he himself set out to search for Daga.
When he finally found her, she and her brother had lived happily in their old wood cabin for a long time. And this time Daga didn't refuse when the prince once again asked her to be his wife.
Of course he got note of what a loyal and brave sister she was and how much she had done to rescue her brother. And they were very happy together.
Thus Daga got everything she could ever want, and did not lose anything when she left the safety of the castle and went out into the world of trolls to rescue her brother.
The end.
End notes
"The story of Dag and Daga and the Flying troll of Sky mountain" was first published in "Bland tomtar och troll" 1907. It was the first volume in a series of books that is still being published yearly. This first volume featured short stories by multiple new fairy tales written by different authors and illustrated by John Bauer 1867-1918
It was written by Harald Östenson, whom I've had a hard time finding any information about. Although after some research I'm led to believe Harald Östensons actual name was Per Martin Efraim Petterson and that he was born 1867.
Translated to English by Robin Karlsson, 2023 from the book: John Bauers Sagovärld, Albert Bonniers förlag AB, 1966 (ISBN: 91-0-030396-8)