SORIA MORIA
CASTLE
THERE was once upon a time a couple of folks
who had a son called Halvor. Ever since he had been a little boy he had been
unwilling to do any work, and had just sat raking about among the ashes. His
parents sent him away to learn several things, but Halvor stayed nowhere, for
when he had been gone two or three days he always ran away from his master,
hurried off home, and sat down in the chimney corner to grub among the ashes
again.
One day, however, a sea captain came and asked
Halvor if he hadn't a fancy to come with him and go to sea, and behold foreign
lands. And Halvor had a fancy for that, so he was not long in getting ready.
How long they
sailed I have no idea, but after a long, long time there was a terrible storm,
and when it was over and all had become calm again, they knew not where they
were, for they had been driven away to a strange coast of which none of them
had any knowledge.
As there was
no wind at all they lay there becalmed, and Halvor asked the skipper to give
him leave to go on shore to look about him, for he would much rather do that
than lie there and sleep.
`Dost thou
think that thou art fit to go where people can see thee?' said the skipper;
`thou hast no clothes but those rags thou art going about in!'
Halvor still
begged for leave, and at last got it, but he was to come back at once if the
wind began to rise.
So he went on
shore, and it was a delightful country; whithersoever he went there were wide
plains with fields and meadows, but as for people, there were none to be seen.
The wind began to rise, but Halvor thought that he had not seen enough yet, and
that he would like to walk about a little longer, to try if he could not meet
somebody. So after a while he came to a great highway, which was so smooth that
an egg might have been rolled along it without breaking. Halvor followed this,
and when evening drew near he saw a big castle far away in the distance, and
there were lights in it. So as he had now been walking the whole day and had
not brought anything to eat away with him, he was frightfully hungry.
Nevertheless, the nearer he came to the castle the more afraid he was.
A fire was
burning in the castle, and Halvor went into the kitchen, which was more
magnificent than any kitchen he had ever yet beheld. There were vessels of gold
and silver, but not one human being was to be seen. When Halvor had stood there
for some time, and no one had come out, he went in and opened a door, and
inside a Princess was sitting at her wheel spinning.
`Nay!' she
cried, `can Christian folk dare to come hither? But the best thing that you can
do is to go away again, for if not the Troll will devour you. A Troll with
three heads lives here.'
`I should
have been just as well pleased if he had had four heads more, for I should have
enjoyed seeing the fellow,' said the youth; `and I won't go away, for I have done
no harm, but you must give me something to eat, for I am frightfully hungry.'
When Halvor
had eaten his fill, the Princess told him to try if he could wield the sword
which was hanging on the wall, but he could not wield it, nor could he even
lift it up.
`Well, then,
you must take a drink out of that bottle which is hanging by its side, for
that's what the Troll does whenever he goes out and wants to use the sword,'
said the Princess.
Halvor took a
draught, and in a moment he was able to swing the sword about with perfect
ease. And now he thought it was high time for the Troll to make his appearance,
and at that very moment he came, panting for breath.
Halvor got
behind the door.
`Hutetu!'
said the Troll as he put his head in at the door. `It smells just as if there
were Christian man's blood here!'
`Yes, you
shall learn that there is!' said Halvor, and cut off all his heads.
The Princess
was so rejoiced to be free that she danced and sang, but then she remembered
her sisters, and said: `If my sisters were but free too!
`Where are
they?' asked Halvor.
So she told
him where they were. One of them had been taken away by a Troll to his castle,
which was six miles off, and the other had been carried off to a castle which
was nine miles farther off still
`But now,'
said she, `you must first help me to get this dead body away from here.'
Halvor was so
strong that he cleared everything away, and made all clean and tidy very
quickly. So then they ate and drank, and were happy, and next morning he set
off in the grey light of dawn. He gave himself no rest, but walked or ran the
livelong day. When he came in sight of the castle he was again just a little
afraid. It was much more splendid than the other, but here too there was not a
human being to be seen. So Halvor went into the kitchen, and did not linger
there either, but went straight in.
`Nay! do
Christian folk dare to come here?' cried the second Princess. `I know not how
long it is since I myself came, but during all that time I have never seen a
Christian man. It will be better for you to depart at once, for a Troll lives
here who has six heads.'
`No, I shall
not go,' said Halvor; `even if he had six more I would not.'
`He will
swallow you up alive,' said the Princess.
But she spoke
to no purpose, for Halvor would not go; he was not afraid of the Troll, but he
wanted some meat and drink, for he was hungry after his journey. So she gave
him as much as he would have, and then she once more tried to make him go away.
`No,' said
Halvor, `I will not go, for I have not done anything wrong, and I have no
reason to be afraid.'
`He won't ask
any questions about that,' said the Princess, `for he will take you without
leave or right; but as you will not go, try if you can wield that sword which
the Troll uses in battle.'
He could not
brandish the sword; so the Princess said that he was to take a draught from the
flask which hung by its side, and when he had done that he could wield the
sword.
Soon
afterwards the Troll came, and he was so large and stout that he was forced to
go sideways to get through the door. When the Troll got his first head in he
cried: `Hutetu! It smells of a Christian man's blood here!'
With that
Halvor cut off the first head, and so on with all the rest. The Princess was
now exceedingly delighted, but then she remembered her sisters, and wished that
they too were free. Halvor thought that might be managed, and wanted to set off
immediately; but first he had to help the Princess to remove the Troll's body,
so it was not until morning that he set forth on his way.
It was a long
way to the castle, and he both walked and ran to get there in time. Late in the
evening he caught sight of it, and it was very much more magnificent than
either of the others. And this time he was not in the least afraid, but went
into the kitchen, and then straight on inside the castle. There a Princess was
sitting, who was so beautiful that there was never anyone to equal her. She too
said what the others had said, that no Christian folk had ever been there since
she had come, and entreated him to go away again, or else the Troll would
swallow him up alive. The Troll had nine heads, she told him.
`Yes, and if
he had nine added to the nine, and then nine more still, I would not go away,'
said Halvor, and went and stood by the stove.
The Princess
begged him very prettily to go lest the Troll should devour him; but Halvor
said, `Let him come when he will.'
So she gave
him the Troll's sword, and bade him take a drink from the flask to enable him
to wield it.
At that same
moment the Troll came, breathing hard, and he was ever so much bigger and
stouter than either of the others, and he too was forced to go sideways to get
in through the door.
`Hutetu! what
a smell of Christian blood there is here!' said he.
Then Halvor
cut off the first head, and after that the others, but the last was the
toughest of them all, and it was the hardest work that Halvor had ever done to
get it off, but he still believed that he would have strength enough to do it.
And now all
the Princesses came to the castle, and were together again, and they were
happier than they had ever been in their lives; and they were delighted with
Halvor, and he with them, and he was to choose the one he liked best; but of
the three sisters the youngest loved him best.
But Halvor
went about and was so strange and so mournful and quiet that the Princesses
asked what it was that he longed for, and if he did not like to be with them.
He said that he did like to be with them, for they had enough to live on, and
he was very comfortable there; but he longed to go home, for his father and
mother were alive, and he had a great desire to see them again.
They thought
that this might easily be done.
`You shall go and return in perfect safety if
you will follow our advice,' said the Princesses.
So he said
that he would do nothing that they did not wish.
Then they
dressed him so splendidly that he was like a King's son; and they put a ring on
his finger, and it was one which would enable him to go there and back again by
wishing, but they told him that he must not throw it away, or name their names;
for if he did, all his magnificence would be at an end, and then he would never
see them more.
`If I were
but at home again, or if home were but here!' said Halvor, and no sooner had he
wished this than it was granted. Halvor was standing outside his father and
mother's cottage before he knew what he was about. The darkness of night was
coming on, and when the father and mother saw such a splendid and stately
stranger walk in, they were so startled that they both began to bow and
curtsey.
Halvor then
inquired if he could stay there and have lodging for the night. No, that he
certainly could not. `We can give you no such accommodation,' they said, `for
we have none of the things that are needful when a great lord like you is to be
entertained. It will be better for you to go up to the farm. It is not far off,
you can see the chimney-pots from here, and there they have plenty of
everything.'
Halvor would
not hear of that, he was absolutely determined to stay where he was; but the
old folks stuck to what they had said, and told him that he was to go to the
farm, where he could get both meat and drink, whereas they themselves had not
even a chair to offer him.
`No,' said
Halvor, `I will not go up there till early to-morrow morning; let me stay here
to-night. I can sit down on the hearth.'
They could
say nothing against that, so Halvor sat down on the hearth, and began to rake
about among the ashes just as he had done before, when he lay there idling away
his time.
They
chattered much about many things, and told Halvor of this and of that, and at
last he asked them if they had never had any child.
`Yes,' they
said; they had had a boy who was called Halvor, but they did not know where he
had gone, and they could not even say whether he were dead or alive.
`Could I be
he?' said Halvor.
`I should
know him well enough,' said the old woman rising. `Our Halvor was so idle and
slothful that he never did anything at all, and he was so ragged that one hole
ran into another all over his clothes. Such a fellow as he was could never turn
into such a man as you are, sir.'
In a short
time the old woman had to go to the fireplace to stir the fire, and when the
blaze lit up Halvor, as it used to do when he was at home raking up the ashes,
she knew him again.
`Good
Heavens! is that you, Halvor?' said she, and such great gladness fell on the
old parents that there were no bounds to it. And now he had to relate
everything that had befallen him, and the old woman was so delighted with him
that she would take him up to the farm at once to show him to the girls who had
formerly looked down on him so. She went there first, and Halvor followed her.
When she got there she told them how Halvor had come home again, and now they
should just see how magnificent he was. `He looks like a prince,' she said.
`We shall see
that he is just the same ragamuffin that he was before,' said the girls,
tossing their heads.
At that same
moment Halvor entered, and the girls were so astonished that they left their
kirtles lying in the chimney corner, and ran away in nothing but their
petticoats. When they came in again they were so shamefaced that they hardly
dared to look at Halvor, towards whom they had always been so proud and haughty
before.
`Ay, ay! you
have always thought that you were so pretty and dainty that no one was equal to
you,' said Halvor, `but you should just see the eldest Princess whom I set
free. You look like herds-women compared with her, and the second Princess is
also much prettier than you; but the youngest, who is my sweetheart, is more
beautiful than either sun or moon. I wish to Heaven they were here, and then
you would see them.'
Scarcely had he
said this before they were standing by his side, but then he was very
sorrowful, for the words which they had said to him came to his mind.
Up at the
farm a great feast was made ready for the Princesses, and much respect paid to
them, but they would not stay there.
`We want to
go down to your parents,' they said to Halvor, `so we will go out and look
about us.'
He followed
them out, and they came to a large pond outside the farm-house. Very near the
water there was a pretty green bank, and there the Princesses said they would
sit down and while away an hour, for they thought that it would be pleasant to
sit and look out over the water, they said.
There they
sat down, and when they had sat for a short time the youngest Princess said, `I
may as well comb your hair a little, Halvor.'
So Halvor
laid his head down on her lap, and she combed it, and it was not long before he
fell asleep. Then she took her ring from him and put another in its place, and
then she said to her sisters: `Hold me as I am holding you. I would that we
were at Soria Moria Castle.'
When Halvor
awoke he knew that he had lost the Princesses, and began to weep and lament,
and was so unhappy that he could not be comforted. In spite of all his father's
and mother's entreaties, he would not stay, but bade them farewell, saying that
he would never see them more, for if he did not find the Princess again he did
not think it worth while to live.
He again had
three hundred dollars, which he put into his pocket and went on his way. When
he had walked some distance he met a man with a tolerably good horse. Halvor
longed to buy it, and began to bargain with the man.
`Well, I have
not exactly been thinking of selling him,' said the man, `but if we could
agree, perhaps----'
Halvor
inquired how much he wanted to have for the horse.
`I did not
give much for him, and he is not worth much; he is a capital horse to ride, but
good for nothing at drawing; but he will always be able to carry your bag of
provisions and you too, if you walk and ride by turns.' At last they agreed
about the price, and Halvor laid his bag on the horse, and sometimes he walked
and sometimes he rode. In the evening he came to a green field, where stood a
great tree, under which he seated himself. Then he let the horse loose and lay
down to sleep, but before he did that he took his bag off the horse. At
daybreak he set off again, for he did not feel as if he could take any rest. So
he walked and rode the whole day, through a great wood where there were many
green places which gleamed very prettily among the trees. He did not know where
he was or whither he was going, but he never lingered longer in any place than
was enough to let his horse get a little food when they came to one of these
green spots, while he himself took out his bag of provisions.
So he walked
and he rode, and it seemed to him that the wood would never come to an end. But
on the evening of the second day he saw a light shining through the trees.
`If only
there were some people up there I might warm myself and get something to eat,'
thought Halvor.
When he got
to the place where the light had come from, he saw a wretched little cottage,
and through a small pane of glass he saw a couple of old folks inside. They
were very old, and as grey-headed as a pigeon, and the old woman had such a
long nose that she sat in the chimney corner and used it to stir the fire.
`Good evening
I good evening!' said the old hag; `but what errand have you that can bring you
here? No Christian folk have been here for more than a hundred years.'
So Halvor
told her that he wanted to get to Soria Moria Castle, and inquired if she knew
the way thither.
`No,' said
the old woman, `that I do not, but the Moon will be here presently, and I will
ask her, and she will know. She can easily see it, for she shines on all
things.'
So when the
Moon stood clear and bright above the tree-tops the old woman went out. `Moon!
Moon!' she screamed. `Canst thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle?'
`No,' said
the Moon, `that I can't, for when I shone there, there was a cloud before me.'
`Wait a
little longer,' said the old woman to Halvor, `for the West Wind will presently
be here, and he will know it, for he breathes gently or blows into every
corner.'
`What! have
you a horse too?' she said when she came in again. `Oh! let the poor creature
loose in our bit of fenced-in pasture, and don't let it stand there starving at
our very door. But won't you exchange him with me? We have a pair of old boots
here with which you can go fifteen quarters of a mile at each step. You shall
have them for the horse, and then you will be able to get sooner to Soria Moria
Castle.'
Halvor
consented to this at once, and the old woman was so delighted with the horse
that she was ready to dance. `For now I, too, shall be able to ride to church,'
she said. Halvor could take no rest, and wanted to set off immediately; but the
old woman said that there was no need to hasten. `Lie down on the bench and
sleep a little, for we have no bed to offer you,' said she, `and I will watch
for the coming of the West Wind.'
Ere long came
the West Wind, roaring so loud that the walls creaked.
The old woman went out and cried:
West Wind! West Wind! Canst thou tell me the
way to Soria Moria Castle? Here is one who would go thither.'
`Yes, I know
it well,' said the West Wind. `I am just on my way there to dry the clothes for
the wedding which is to take place. If he is fleet of foot he can go with me.'
Out ran
Halvor.
`You will
have to make haste if you mean to go with me,' said the West Wind; and away it
went over hill and dale, and moor and morass, and Halvor had enough to do to
keep up with it.
`Well, now I
have no time to stay with you any longer,' said the West Wind, `for I must
first go and tear down a bit of spruce fir before I go to the bleaching-ground
to dry the clothes; but just go along the side of the hill, and you will come
to some girls who are standing there washing clothes, and then you will not have
to walk far before you are at Soria Moria Castle.'
Shortly
afterwards Halvor came to the girls who were standing washing, and they asked
him if he had seen anything of the West Wind, who was to come there to dry the
clothes for the wedding.
`Yes,' said
Halvor, `he has only gone to break down a bit of spruce fir. It won't be long
before he is here.' And then he asked them the way to Soria Moria Castle. They
put him in the right way, and when he came in front of the castle it was so
full of horses and people that it swarmed with them. But Halvor was so ragged
and torn with following the West Wind through bushes and bogs that he kept on
one side, and would not go among the crowd until the last day, when the feast
was to be held at noon.
So when, as
was the usage and custom, all were to drink to the bride and the young girls
who were present, the cup-bearer filled the cup for each in turn, both bride
and bridegroom, and knights and servants, and at last, after a very long time,
he came to Halvor. He drank their health, and then slipped the ring which the
Princess had put on his finger when they were sitting by the waterside into the
glass, and ordered the cup-bearer to carry the glass to the bride from him and
greet her.
Then the Princess at once rose up from the
table, and said, `Who is most worthy to have one of us--he who has delivered us
from the Trolls or he who is sitting here as bridegroom?'
There could be but one opinion as to that,
everyone thought, and when Halvor heard what they said he was not long in
flinging off his beggar's rags and arraying himself as a bridegroom.
`Yes, he is
the right one,' cried the youngest Princess when she caught sight of him; so
she flung the other out of the window and held her wedding with Halvor.
THE
PRINCESS MAY BLOSSOM- by Andrew Lang
मैं
तुम सब की आत्मा अनंत अंतर्यामी हूं।
मैं ही
सब में सर्व श्रेष्ठ हूं- Yjur-Veda
मैं गुरुओं
का भी गुरु हूं- Rig-Veda
मैं
वायु के समान संसार रूप शरीर में प्राण हूं- Rig-Veda
मैं
तुम सब का अमृत हूं- Rig -Veda
मैं ही
तुम सब का पिता हूं- Rig-Veda
मैं
तुम्हारा शासक हूं- Rig Veda
मैं तुम्हारे
समीप ही हूं- Rig Veda
मैं ही
अंगों का रस अङ्गिरस हूं-Rig Veda
मैं ही
सत्या का रक्षक हूं- Rig Veda
मैं ही सभी
ऐश्वर्यों का पर ऐश्वर्य रूप परम धन हूं Rigved
I Am Ancestor
of all Ancestors -Rigved - मैं
ऋषियों का पुर्वज हूं
6
Feet land A Hindi Story of Leo Tolstoy- Hindi दो बहनों कि कथा
श्रवण
और कालु किसान -story in Hindi
रीक्ष का शिकार story
of Leo-Tolstoy Hindi
परमेश्वर ने दर्शन देने का वादा किया
कृष्ण और पांडव के स्वर्गारोहण की कथा
सृष्टि के प्रारंभ में मानव एवं सृष्टि उत्पत्ति
अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तल संक्षिप्त कथावस्तु
महाकविकालिदासप्रणीतम् - अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम् `- भूमिका
वैराग्य
संदीपनी गोस्वामितुलसीदासकृत हिंदी
अग्नि
सुक्तम् - अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम्
S’rimad
Devî Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK
Chapter
XV-XVI-XVII-XVIII-XIX-XX-XXI-XII
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter XIII-XIV
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter XI-XII
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter IX-X
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter VII-VIII
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter V-VI
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter III-IV
S’rimad Devî
Bhâgavatam THE FIRST BOOK Chapter I-II
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP -16,17,18
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. XV.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. XIV.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. XIII.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. XII.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. XI.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. X
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. IX
VISHNU PURANA. - BOOK
III. CHAP. VIII
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. VII.
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. VI
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. V
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III. CHAP. IV
VISHNU PURANA. - BOOK
III.- CHAP. III
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK III.- CHAP. II.
चंद्रकांता
(उपन्यास) पहला अध्याय : देवकीनन्दन खत्री
खूनी औरत का
सात खून (उपन्यास) : किशोरी लाल गोस्वामी
ब्राह्मण की
बेटी : शरतचंद्र चट्टोपाध्याय (बांग्ला उपन्यास)
SELF-SUGGESTION AND
THE NEW HUNA THEORY OF MESMERISM AND HYPNOSIS – chapter-1, BY- MAX FREEDOM LONG
VISHNU PURAN-BOOK I
- CHAPTER 11-22
VISHNU PURANA. -
BOOK I. CHAP. 1. to 10
THE ROLE OF PRAYER.
= THOUGHT: CREATIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE. MEDITATION EXERCISE.
HIGHER REASON AND
JUDGMENT= CONQUEST OF FEAR.
QUEEN CHUNDALAI, THE
GREAT YOGIN
THE POWER OF
DHARANA, DHIYANA, AND SAMYAMA YOGA.
THE POWER OF THE
PRANAYAMA YOGA.
KUNDALINI,
THE MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE.
TO THE KUNDALINI—THE
MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE.
Yoga Vashist part-1
-or- Heaven Found by Rishi Singh Gherwal
Shakti and Shâkta
-by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe),
Mahanirvana Tantra-
All- Chapter -1 Questions relating to
the Liberation of Beings
Tantra
of the Great Liberation
श्वेतकेतु और
उद्दालक, उपनिषद की कहानी, छान्द्योग्यापनिषद,
GVB THE UNIVERSITY OF VEDA
यजुर्वेद
मंत्रा हिन्दी व्याख्या सहित, प्रथम अध्याय 1-10,
GVB THE UIVERSITY OF VEDA
उषस्ति की
कठिनाई, उपनिषद की कहानी, आपदकालेमर्यादानास्ति,
_4 -GVB the uiversity of veda
वैराग्यशतकम्, योगी
भर्तृहरिकृत, संस्कृत काव्य, हिन्दी
व्याख्या, भाग-1, gvb the university of Veda
G.V.B. THE
UNIVERSITY OF VEDA ON YOU TUBE
इसे भी पढ़े-
इन्द्र औ वृत्त युद्ध- भिष्म का युधिष्ठिर को उपदेश
इसे भी पढ़े
- भाग- ब्रह्मचर्य वैभव
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Article- A Harmony of Faiths and Religions
इसे भी पढ़े-
भाग -2, ब्रह्मचर्य की प्राचीनता
वैदिक इतिहास
संक्षीप्त रामायण की कहानीः-
वैदिक ऋषियों
का सामान्य परिचय-1
वैदिक इतिहास
महाभारत की सुक्ष्म कथाः-
वैदिक ऋषियों
का सामान्य परिचय-2 –वैदिक ऋषि अंगिरस
वैदिक
विद्वान वैज्ञानिक विश्वामित्र के द्वारा अन्तरिक्ष में स्वर्ग की स्थापना
राजकुमार और
उसके पुत्र के बलिदान की कहानीः-
पुरुषार्थ और विद्या- ब्रह्मज्ञान
संस्कृत के अद्भुत सार गर्भित विद्या श्लोक हिन्दी अर्थ सहित
श्रेष्ट
मनुष्य समझ बूझकर चलता है"
पंचतंत्र- कहानि क्षुद्रवुद्धि गिदण की
कनफ्यूशियस के शिष्य चीनी विद्वान के शब्द। लियोटालस्टा
कहानी माधो चमार की-लियोटलस्टाय
पर्मार्थ कि यात्रा के सुक्ष्म सोपान
जीवन संग्राम -1, मिर्जापुर का परिचय
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