List of Illustrations

PAGE
[“The Shield rose up in the Air”] Frontispiece
[“When Randur appeared before the ‘Thing’”] 33
[“She saw a Big Three-Headed Giant”] 39
[“He saw a Young Girl fastened to a Nail in the Wall by her Long Plaits of Hair”] 61
[“He then hid himself behind a Projecting Rock”] 65
[“A Gigantic Woman appeared”] 80
[“Helga gave a Cry of Terror”] 91
[“She appeared more like Some Terrible Giantess”] 104
[“Creeping forth from her Tree, greatly to Laufey’s Surprise”] To face 109
[“A Monstrous Hand opened the Lattice”] 123
[“With One Spring Hadvör was outside the Grave”] 137
[“There the Rat and Mouse were fighting and biting One Another”] 145
[“ ‘Ay, you shall have your Wish, he muttered’ ”] 149
[“Hans at once saw that it was a Dragon”] 162
[“Kurt hoped the Giantess might be asleep”] To face 169
[“Forth stepped the Beautiful White-Robed Figure”] 185
[“The Grey Man, hanging apparently Lifeless from the Branch”] 200
[“They saw a Figure all blazing with Light”] 206
[“Harald pitied the Old Man”] 215
[“Queen Guda rolled the Stone into the Sea”] 231
[“Just let me catch you”] To face 240
[“Olga went bravely up the Rock”] 261
[“ ‘Don’t leave me here,’ cried Fair Isolde”] 275
[“The Old Cook was sitting on a Stool shelling Peas”] 283
[“Signy entered very softly”] 294
[“She was dressed as a Simple Peasant”] 314

Icelandic Fairy Tales

The Legend of the King’s Three Sons

In olden days there once lived a king and a queen; they were wise and good, and their kingdom was known far and near as the happiest and best-governed country in the world. They had three sons—Osric, Edric, and Frithiof,—all handsome and brave and greatly beloved by their parents; but, having no daughter, the king had adopted his little orphan niece Isolde. She grew up with his sons, and was their best-loved playfellow, both the king and queen making no distinction between her and their own children.

As the princess grew older, she also grew fairer, till when she was sixteen years old there was no maiden in the land so beautiful and sweet as Isolde. All three brothers fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, each in turn asking his father for her hand in marriage.

Now the king was greatly puzzled what to do, for he loved his sons all equally well, so at length he decided that the princess should choose for herself, and select the one she liked best. He therefore sent for her, and told her that she was herself to choose as a husband whichever of his sons she liked best.