Twinn Swan

Once upon a time, there lived a poor fisherman who hadn’t caught anything in a long time. Just as he was about to give up, a fish poked its head out of water.

“Greetings fisherman,” the fish said. “I promise to provide you with plenty of fish if you promise to give me what your wife is currently carrying under her girdle.”

The fisherman, who was so glad at his sudden reversal of luck and fortune, made what he thought was a bargain with the fish. He was happy with the deal that he struck. The fisherman would never have to be poor ever again.

But when he finally got home, he realised that his wife was pregnant with their first child. That was when it hit him that he had offered up his firstborn up in exchange for wealth. Although the fisherman regretted his decision, what was done could not be undone.

A few months later, a boy was born to the couple. They named him Halvor. When the king heard of the bargain that the fisherman had struck with the fish, he offered to protect and to raise Halvor. But the older Halvor grew, the more he began to feel the lure and the attraction of the water.

One day, when the boy was completely grown, he begged to go fishing with his father. As soon as Halvor set foot in the boat, the boat–of its own volition–whisked him away to a distant place called Whiteland. When he arrived at Whiteland, he met an old man.

“If you walk down the shore,” the old man told him. “You will come to three princesses buried up to their necks in sand. If you pass the first two and speak to the third–the youngest–it will bring you good luck.”

Halvor took the advise of the old man and made his way down the shore. There, he saw the three sisters all buried up to their necks in sand. He waited till he came upon the youngest before he spoke.

When he finally greeted the youngest, she said, “Three trolls have imprisoned us here. If you go to the castle by the shore, and let the troll beat you for one night, we will all be freed. By the bed, you will find a flask of ointment to instantly cure all the injuries you will suffer. You will also be given a sword that will let you cut off their heads.”

The Quest

Halvor accepted the mission and the quest. Each of troll that he had to battle was even worse than the last.

The first troll had three heads and three rods. After he killed the first troll, the princesses stood in the sand up to their waists. The second troll had six heads and six rods. When he killed the second troll, the princesses stood in the sand up to their knees. The third troll, however, was the worst one. He had nine heads and nine rods.

The third troll beat Halvor so severely that he could not reach for the ointment. But at the end of the fight, the troll threw Halvor against the wall. When he did so, the flask broke and spilled its ointment on him. With the third troll gone, the princesses were finally free.

Halvor married the youngest and lived very happily with her for many years. But the day came when he started to miss his parents, his family and his home. He longed to return home. His wife agreed to let him go and visit his parents.

“When you get home,” the princess said, “You must only do as your father tells you and not as your mother says. I am giving you a ring that can grant two wishes: one to return to your parents’ home and one to return to your home with me.”

When he returned to his parents’ home, his mother said, “Oh goodness, where have you been all these years? You must go and visit the king who raised you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the father said.

Despite the princess’ warning, his father’s words fell on deaf ears. In the end, his mother had her way. They went to the king and Halvor told his story. While at the king’s palace, Halvor said, “My wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. She is even more beautiful than your queen.”

When the king heard this, he was in disbelief that anyone could be more beautiful than his wife. Halvor, in a moment of pride, used his ring to summon his wife to prove the king wrong. When the princess appeared, she scolded Halvor for breaking his promise and for not heeding her warning. The princess took the ring, knotted a ring with her name on it in his hair and wished herself home again.

Distressed at his sudden reversal of fortune, Halvor tried to get back to to his wife. But as he asked around for directions, he realised that no one knew where his wife’s kingdom was. Halvor, in a desperate attempt to get back home, asked everyone–from kings, to animals to birds.

In the end, Halvor stumbled upon an old pike fish that whispered, “I know the way.” The fish guided Halvor back to his princess. He arrived there just in time to stop her from marrying someone else.