The Enchanted Forest

by Robert Crottet, Eric Linklater (Introduction), Eric King (Illustrator)

The Scolts, a small tribal race settled in the Arctic region, are of a different origin from the other inhabitants of Lapland, coming originally from the high tablelands of Tibet. Mr. Robert Crottet, who has made his home with them for long periods of time, has studied their folk-lore, and has here collected and transcribed some of the many legends exclusive to the tribe and handed down from generation to generation, in the belief that they are worthy of reaching a wider public.

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

Reviews

[Eleanor Toland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Enchanted Forest is a selection of legends, myths and folk tales originating from the oral traditions of the Finnish Scolt Lapps, now more commonly known as the Sami. Retold by Robert Crockett in haunting, darkly sentimental and often gently humorous style, the stories abound with albino reindeer, Northern Lights, labyrinthine forests, giants, witches, saints, flying horses and restless spirits. A hungry female ghost pursues her son-in-law, a boy ignores his grandmother's advice and rides into the heart of the forest on the night of the Winter Solstice, a saint is hounded by his possessive wife, a group of stranded sailors argue about the ethics of cannibalism and the world's smallest giant throws himself on the mercy of the Virgin Mary. Each tale is accompanied by an atmospheric woodcut.

Crottet freely admits to heavily rewriting the stories, not so much to bowdlerise their content as to add literary flair to their telling. "Utter simplicity of expression is like a diamond in its primal form; it does not shine." the author claims in his introduction. I personally do not agree with this, and find much of the power of a true fairy tale derives from primal simplicity.

However, despite the fact that these stories are more literary creations than an authentic representation of Sami folk belief, the book is nevertheless wonderfully written.

It's also an interesting portrait of tensions between traditional animist religion and Christianity. Crottet never entirely sides with either religion. In "Marishka", an elderly woman consents to be baptised to prevent her children being teased as "sons of a heathen", but she still secretly kisses her hand to the sun. The devil appears several times, and one is never entirely sure whether this is truly the devil or perhaps an old god under a pseudonym. Saints and the Virgin Mary are always portrayed positively, as necessary icons of kindness and forgiveness in a harsh world. There's a particularly heart-rending scene where the world's smallest giant, alienated and self-loathing, begs the Virgin to allow a dead fish into heaven.

"Holy Virgin, I know you don't eat fish, but this one is so small that he could well enter your paradise. He won't take up much room, and if there are any small ones among your angels, they will surely let him play with them. Forgive him if he smells a little, but I assure you that you will soon get used to it."

Then he went on without much conviction;

"After all, if you allow such useless creatures to arrive in this world, you must take them back, since no one down here wants them."

However, no matter how many saints and prayers appear in these stories, there's an ever-present respect for nature and a sense that the world is haunted by spirits who must be given their due. A wise old grandmother warns a boy:

"You see there are countries that have not so long a winter as ours. They have no need of the Northern Lights, but their dead are all around them just the same and will protect them if they call to them. Only one must pray a great deal for the dead and above all must never, never think of them as lying in their coffins under the earth. When you see someone bathing you don't go and talk to the clothes that he has left behind him on the bank."

Christian piety or pagan ancestor worship? It's an ambiguity that goes to the very heart of The Enchanted Forest.

[Csenge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was angry at this book for the heavy rewriting Crottet has done. I realize that it is a product of its time, but the flowery literary language that the "translator" puts these tales into feels fake, and occasionally sappy. Some shorter stories are really beautiful - but as a storyteller, I was very annoyed at not being able to tell how much of them was literary invention, and what came from the original sources. This is an important question, because the author claims to speak for a group of people not very well represented in literature or media - twisting their traditional tales into prose poetry made them impossible to recognize as folklore. His claim that folktales are a "diamond in the rough" that does not shine without his expert "polishing" is very patronizing towards the traditions he draws his materials from. Also, no sources or any additional information were included.
Some of the tales are truly beautiful and unique, though, although I found them more difficult to read because of all the elaborations.
(Also, for those of you who got this book looking for the "Lights in a Bottle" story, referenced in Harald Falck-Ytter's "Aurora" - it's not in here.)