The Elf Maiden

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The Elf Maiden is a Lapp fairy tale, collected by J. C. Poestion in Lapplandische Märchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Brown Fairy Book.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Two men fell in love with the same maiden. One day, on a fishing expedition, one of them noticed she favored the other. He tricked him into staying behind on the island.

The stranded man survived there until Christmas, when he saw a company coming. It included two young women who were better dressed than the others. They saw him sitting by a bundle of sticks, and one of them, to find out what he was made of, pinched him. Her fingers caught a pin, and it drew blood. The rest of the company fled, leaving behind the maiden and a ring of keys. She told him that he had drawn her blood and must marry her. He objected that they could not survive on this island, and she promised to provide. He married her, and she did provide, though he never saw how.

When his people were going to return to fish, they went to the other side of the island. His wife told him not to stir during the night, whatever he heard. A great clatter, like carpentry, arose, and he nearly jumped up before he remembered. But in the morning, a fine house had been built for them. She then told him to pick a place for a cow-shed, and it was built in the same manner, though they had no cows.

She then took him to visit her parents. They were made welcome, but when time came to leave, his wife warned him to jump quickly over the threshold. He did, and her father threw a hammer at him that would have broken his legs if he had not moved quickly. Then his wife told him not to turn around until he was inside their home, whatever he heard. He heard cattle following. When he had his hand on the door, he thought he was safe, and looked, but half the cows vanished. Still, there were enough for them to be rich.

His wife vanished from time to time. He asked her why. She told him she went against her will, and if he drove a nail into the threshold, she would remain all the time, so he did.