With a loud cry Hans Peter slithered off the roof. He
was running as soon as his feet hit the ground, and in seconds he had swept Tova up in his arms.
“Oh, I’m so glad,” the lass said, tears running down her face. “He’s finally going to be happy.”
“And what about you?” Asher took her in his arms. “Are you finally going to be happy?”
“I don’t know.” She looked up at him from under her damp lashes. “Am I?”
“Well, I
am
the lucky third son. So I thought I would take you home, my Princess Bellalyse who can talk to animals, and care for you in fine style in my family’s palace. It’s not made of gold, but it is made of golden stone, and when the sun shines on it, I think it’s beautiful.”
“Anywhere where I can be with my very own
isbjørn
is good enough for me,” the lass replied.
And the prince who had once been a bear pulled close the girl who had once had no name, and kissed her. Then, arm in arm, they strolled down the path to celebrate with her brother, who had been enchanted himself, and their friend, who had served for ten years in the royal palace of the trolls.
Leaning on a cane, the woodcutter Jarl Oskarson came out of his cottage to see what all the commotion was about. His face glowed with delight to see his eldest son embracing his lost love and his youngest daughter hand in hand with her brave prince. The lass tossed aside her father’s cane and took one arm while Asher took the other. Tova
and Hans Peter completed the circle, and they danced around the yard while Rollo yipped and leaped into the air with glee.
And so they lived for many a long year, as happy and lighthearted as the birds in the trees and the flowers on the hill in spring.
This book was made possible by the letter “ø.”
Also the letter “æ.”
The first time I saw them, I fell in love and just had to learn the language they belonged to. That language turned out to be Norwegian, with its rich history of folk tales about trolls and polar bears and clever young lads and lasses out to make their fortune. I only hope that I didn’t offend my Danish blacksmith forbears by choosing to study Norwegian instead of Danish in college.
On that note, I would like to thank my Norwegian teachers: Professor Sandra Straubhaar, Henrietta Christ-offerson (a fellow Norwegian-speaking Dane), and Justin Galloway. I also wish to thank Professor George Tate, who taught me Old Norse and introduced me to such amazing figures as Egil, Njal, and the real Skarp-Heðin. My fascination with those exotic letters, and with the amazing stories of the North, has not only led me to some strange places but also endlessly entertained me, and I have nothing but the most profound love and respect for everyone who guided me along the way.
A big shout-out also goes to my stellar agent, Amy, and my wonderful editor, Melanie, for pummeling the manuscript into shape and reining in my tendency to include long, pointless descriptions of people carding wool or peeling apples. This story also passed under the
scrutiny of my writers’ group, SLAG, to whom I owe many thanks indeed.
My sister was a bit put out that
Dragon Slippers
was not dedicated to her. This book is also not dedicated to her, because there is a very special book with her name on it waiting to be published and I refuse to dull the impact by dedicating other books to her, even though she is both my best friend and fashion consultant. My husband, son, and the rest of my crazy family were also influential in the writing of this book, which sadly is also not dedicated to them.
But it is dedicated, with much love, to my dear, dear parents. They may have rolled their eyes when I switched my minor from Theater to Scandinavian Studies, but they continued to give me their support (and pay my tuition!). And, what do you know: Scandinavian Studies really did turn out to be more useful in the long run. For many years they put up with my passion for all things Norwegian, and I hope that in some small way this book helps to repay the debt I owe them.
Most of the names and words used are Norwegian, but some are Old Norse (ON), the root language of Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish.
Annifrid
(Ah-nee-freed): one of the lass’s sisters.
Askeladden
(
Ahs
-keh-lah-den): traditionally the name of the third, lucky son in Norse fairy tales, the “Ashlad” or male Cinderella, here the third son of Jarl and Frida.
Banahøgg
(bah-nah-hoyg): ON, literally “death-blow,” the name of a troll.
Bunad
(
boo
-nahd): a traditional woman’s outfit, consisting of a white blouse worn under a dark wool skirt and vest. The hem of the skirt and the edges of the vest are heavily embroidered in red, blue, and yellow. The vest fits tightly, the skirt is bell shaped. Plural:
bunader.
Edda
(ed-duh): the ancient poetry of Scandinavia, most eddas are sagas, meaning that they tell a story, whether tragic, comic, or romantic.
Einar
(
ay
-nahr): the lass’s next oldest brother.
Erasmus
(er-az-
mus
): the faun who serves in the
isbjørn’s
palace.
Falskur
(
fahl
-skuhr): ON, faithless, false, the second
moster
’s horse.
Frankrike, Fransk
(
frahnk
-ree-kuh, frahnsk): France, French.
Frida
(
free
-dah): the lass’s mother.
God dag
(goo dahg): “Good day,” a greeting.
Hans Peter
(hahns pay-ter): the lass’s eldest, and favorite, brother.
Hjartán
(
hyahr
-town): ON, heartless, the first
moster
’s horse.
Indæll
(in-
day
-tl): ON, delightful, the troll princess.
Isbjørn
(
ees
-byurn): polar bear (literally, ice bear). Plural:
isbjørner
.
Ja
(yah): yes.
Jarl
(yahrl): the lass’s father.
Jorunn
(
yoh
-ruhn): the lass’s eldest sister.
Katla
(
kaht
-lah): one of the lass’s sisters.
Lefse
(
lehf
-suh): a thin crepe made with potato flour.
Morn’a
(
morn
-ah): good morning.
Moster
(moss-ter): auntie, a polite term for an older woman (literally a contraction of “
mor’s søster,
” or “mother’s sister”).
Pika
(
pee
-kah): girl.
Skarp-heðin
(skahrp-heth-in): ON, spear-head, a troll sentry.
Skrælings
(skray-lings): ON, the Viking name for the natives encountered on their eleventh-century journey to North America.
Tordis
(tohr-dihs): the lass’s second oldest sister.
Torst
(tohrst): the lass’s second oldest brother.
Tova
(toh-vah): Hans Peter’s lost love.
Tysk
(toosk): German.
Vaktmann
(
vahkt
-mahn): guard.
Vongóður
(fahn-goh-thur): ON, hopeful, the third
moster
’s horse.
Here is a selection of books that inspired, influenced, and aided in the writing of
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
.
Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen, and Jørgen Moe.
Norwegian Folk Tales.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1960.
Booss, Claire.
Scandinavian Folk and Fairy Tales.
New York: Gramercy Books, 1984.
Gordon, E. V.
An Introduction to Old Norse.
2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ibsen, Henrik.
Peer Gynt.
London: Penguin Books, 1966.
Lynch, P. J., Illustrator, and Sir George Webbe Dasent, translator.
East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon.
Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1991.
Magnusson, Magnus, and Hermann Palsson, translators.
Njal’s Saga.
London: Penguin Books, 1960.
Terry, Patricia, translator.
Poems of the Elder Edda
. Rev. ed. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990.
Theodor Kittelsen, a nineteenth-century Norwegian artist, is considered the definitive “troll painter.” His work may be viewed online at
http://kittelsen.efenstor.net
.
Dragon Slippers
Dragon Flight
Copyright © 2008 by Jessica Day George
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in the United States of America in January 2008
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
E-book edition published in February 2011
www.bloomsburykids.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
George, Jessica Day.
Sun and moon, ice and snow / Jessica Day George. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: A girl travels east of the sun and west of the moon to free her beloved prince
from a magic spell.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-109-1 • ISBN-10: 1-59990-109-9 (hardcover)
[1. Fairy tales. 2. Folklore—Norway.] I. East of the sun and west of the moon. English.
II. Title.
PZ8.G3295Su 2008 [398.2]—dc22 2007030848
ISBN 978-1-59990-765-9 (e-book)