18. Asbjørnsen and Moe Fairy Tales

Title: Asbjørnsen and Moe Fairy Tales
The Husband Who Was to Mind the House; The Two Step-Sisters; The Fox as Herdsman; Boots Who Ate a Match With the Troll
Authors:
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe
Copyright Date: 1845
Reading Level: 8+
Genre: Fairy Tales

Summary: Boots Who Ate a Match With the Troll
There is a farmer with three sons. He sends the oldest first to go and hew the timber from their wood. A nasty troll comes out as he is about to set to work and tells him if he hewed in his wood he would kill the boy. The boy threw down his axe and ran home. The second son went to the wood next and the same result came of it. Now it was the youngest turn, Boots. When his brothers saw him about to set off they laughed because Boots was hardly out of the house. Boots went anyway but first his mother made him a bit of cheese. When Boots began to hew the Troll came out and when he did Boots squeezed the cheese in front of him claiming it was a stone and he would do the same to the Troll if he didn’t hold his tongue. The Troll was scared and instead helped Boots to hew the wood. Once they were done the Troll invited Boots to go to his house because it was closer. When they arrived the Troll went to get the fire started and Boots was to get the water. The water pails were enormous and Boots couldn’t lift them. He told the Troll it wasn’t worth it to fill such small pails he would simply fetch the stream. The Troll says not to do that because he relies on the stream, he then tells Boots to build the fire while he fetches the water from the stream. They make dinner and Boots tells the Troll that they should eat a match. The Troll takes him up on it but Boots cheats using his bag to shovel the food in. Finally Boots rips a hole in the bag “to make more room for food in his stomach.” The Troll tries to call it quits but Boots suggests he should do what he did. The Troll does even though he thinks it will hurt and he dies. Boots steals the gold and takes it home to his family.

Recommendation
I recommend this story to young boys who don’t feel big and tough now. Let them know that they can accomplish a lot, more than most, if they simply put their mind to it.

Problems/Conflict
Boots says “Pooh!” (Haha!) Boots not only kills the Troll but he steals from him and cheats at the match as well. (Ten commandments anyone?)

My Reaction
This was a great David and Goliath tale. Instead of a battle of weapons it was a battle of wits. I especially enjoyed that Boots proved to his elder brothers that though he was small and stayed home he could defeat a mighty foe. Big surprises come in small packages sometimes.