Norwegian Folk Tales, Fairy Tales and Trolls: Tuss og Troll

by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe

18 bilingual stories in English and Norwegian Nynorsk (in the same book) from the collection of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885) and Jørgen Moe (1813-1882), as well as others. In 1944, Øyvind Dybvad had an inspiration for a new cartoon series based on Norwegian folk tales. The series received the resounding name of Tuss og Troll [Gnomes and Trolls]. Other than in 1947, this classic series has been published every year in Norway by Norsk Barneblad. Jens R. Nilssen, a master at drawing trolls, illustrated the series from 1944-1956. In 1957, Solveig Muren Sanden followed as illustrator and became known for her kinder trolls in the Norwegian landscape. She is one of Norway’s greatest cartoonists, particularly known for her work with Tuss og Troll. The bilingual book includes over 600 full-colored illustrations. Published by Deb Nelson Gourley, Astri My Astri Publishing. Made in USA. 18 bilingual language stories The 7 League Boot — 7 mils støvelen; The Cat on Dovre Mountain Range — Kjetta på Dovre; The cormorants from Utröst Island — Skarvane frå Utröst; Soria Moria Castle — Soria Moria slott; Little Frikk and the Fiddle — Veslefrikk med fela; Lagopus Sal and the farmer’s wife who was so stingy — Rype Sal og den gjerrige kona; The Ash Lad and the good assistants — Oskeladden og dei gode hjelparane; The boy who had an eating competition with the troll — Guten som kappåt med trollet; The two Suitors — Dei to Friarane; Bruin the Bear — Bamse Brakar; The three princesses in the mountain so blue — Dei tre kongsdøtrene i berget det blå; The troll who wanted to be human — Trollet som ville vere menneske; The young boys and the trolls in Heidal Forest — Smågutane og trolla på Heidalsskogen; The three aunts — Dei tre mostrene; The Silver King at Meheia — Sølvkongen på Meheia; The Christmas guests — Julegjestene; The boy who stole the golden hens — Guten som stal gullhønene; Little Gunnlaug — Vesle Gunnlaug

192 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe".

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 2012’s English language edition of the Volume 1 of Norwegian Folk Tales, Fairy Tales and Trolls: Tuss og Troll [Gnomes & Trolls in English]. The Volume was translated into the English language by Alexander Kund Huntrods and Odd-Steinar Dybvad Raneng. Half of the text page is in the English language and half is in the Norwegian language. The Volume is a collection of 18 stories from the Tuss og Troll comics that have been translated into the English language. Tuss og Troll comics was started by Øyvind Dybvad in 1944. Dybvad based his stories in Tuss og Troll on Norwegian folklore collections gathered by 19th Century Norwegian folklorists such as Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, and other folklorists. Dybvad wrote part of the story, “Little Gunnlaug” [Vesle Gunnlaug] (page 162) along with Nana Rise-Lynum. “Little Gunnlaug” (162) was illustrated by Solveig Muren Sanden and Håkon Aasnes. The stories in this Volume contain stories from Tuss og Troll ranging from 1945 until 2009. The main illustrators in this Volume are Jens R. Nilssen, Solveig Muren Sanden, and Håkon Aasnes. Sanden once stated that ““Tolls are kind”” (3) according to the “Forward” of Volume 1 (3). In this Volume, it depends on the story whether Tolls “are kind” (3) or not. Sanden was the main illustrator of Tuss og Troll from 1957 until 2008. I enjoyed this Volume. I recommend this Volume for anyone who enjoys J.J.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, or J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the books of Jan Brett, or other books that involve Trolls.