[1] In Bohuslän and in Dalland the belief is quite general that the giants, leaving those regions, settled upon Dovre in Norway, or upon some uninhabited island in the North Sea, and that travelers are eagerly questioned about their former home. [↑]
The Bridal Present.
In the parish of Näsinge, two poor sisters once found service with a rich farmer. All through the summer they herded their master’s flocks on the mountain sides, whiling away their time in relating legends of kings and abducted princesses.
“If only some prince would carry me away to his gilded palace,” said the younger, one day.
“Hush! Do not talk so wickedly,” remonstrated the elder. “The Trolls might hear you, when it would go hard with you.”
“Oh! there is not much danger of that,” replied the first speaker, and continued her story.
Some days later the younger sister disappeared. No one knew where she had gone, and careful search did not reveal. Time went on without the least trace of her whereabouts being discovered. Finally the remaining sister found a sweetheart, but equally poor with herself, wherefore they could not think of marrying yet for many years.
One night in her sleep she dreamed that her absent sister stood at her bedside, and said:
“Make your bed to-morrow night in the barn, past which the Trolls and I shall pass, and I will give you a handsome dower.”