If he will not dance with her, the elf threatens him with sore sickness, Danish B, E, H, Z, Ø, Norwegian A, Swedish E, F; a great misfortune, Danish F, Swedish A; sharp knives, Danish P; it shall cost him his young life, Danish D a, b, T, Y.
Oluf dances with the elves, obviously under compulsion, in Danish C, D, G-N, S, T, U, X, Y, Swedish F, and only in these. He dances till both his boots are full of blood, D a 15, D b 4, G 5, I 11, K 5, L 5, M 6, N 7, S 6 [shoes], T 10, U 5, X 8, Y 7; he dances so long that he is nigh dead, I 12.
The hard choice between dying at once or lying sick seven years is found, out of the Färöe ballads, only in Danish H 8, M 8, O 4, Q 2, S 8. Norwegian ballads, like English C, present an option between living with elves and dying, essentially a repetition of the terms under which Peter of Staufenberg weds the fairy, that he shall forfeit his life if he takes a mortal wife. So Norwegian
A
12 Whether wilt thou rather live with the elves,
Or leave the elves, a sick man?
13
Whether wilt thou be with the elves,
Or bid thy guests and be sick?
B
9
Whether wilt thou stay with the elves,
Or, a sick man, flit [bring home] thy true-love?
10
Whether wilt thou be with elves,
Or, a sick man, flit thy bride?
There is no answer.