Food from the Huldre-Folk at Ellefstad

Translated by Pat Shaw Iverson

Two girls from Ellefstad were out looking for their calves one day, and at last they had wandered all the way up in the mountains. As they were walking about searching, they supenly heard the sound of churning inside a little mound they were going past.

Then, just for the fun of it, one of the girls said, to no one in particular, "Come out so we can taste your cream!"

The words were scarcely out of her mouth before a beautiful maiden was standing outside the mounding holding an oatcake covered with cream. The girl who had asked the huldre maiden to come out started to laugh at her standing there with the cream. And the huldre did not like this one bit, it turned out.

Then the other girl asked, "You haven't seen anything of some calves we've lost, have you?"

"Why yes, I've seen them. You'll find your calves again soon, but the calves of the other one who laughed at me have been torn to pieces by our big hog!" answered the huldre maiden and with that she was gone.

And what she had said came true. After they had searched for a while, one of the girls found her calves. But the calves of the girl who had laughed had been taken by the bear. For it was quite true that the bear is the huldre-folk's "Big Pig"